Parenting/Education: Play, not Flashcards, Promote Healthy Academic and Life Development
A great read that invalidates the current parenting and educational zeitgeist of rushing children into academics. As the article describes, play, and the life and cognitive skills it teaches, is the best predictor later educational attainment. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/simon-says-dont-use-flashcards/ The lessons to be learned: Put away the iPads and flashcards, fire the tutors, choose preschools and kindergartens […]
Read MoreParenting: Parents Must Step Up to the Technology Challenge!
It’s hard enough these days for parents to even keep up with all of the latest technological developments. It’s even harder to stay informed of the latest research on the effects of technology on our children. In our already incredibly busy lives, it’s downright exhausting trying to stay abreast of what technology our children are […]
Read MoreTechnology: The Growing (and Dangerous) Gap Between Information and Wisdom
The Internet is a truly remarkable advancement in our ability to access information. Just about anything we could possibly want to know is now just a few keystrokes away. But , as with most technological innovations, for every benefit to our lives, there is a potential cost as well. With the universe of information now […]
Read MoreParenting: Kids 3.0: How to Raise Healthy Kids in a Tech World
I chose the metaphor of computer software with its evolving versions because it seemed to be relevant the children’s development in so many ways. Because my ideas about the role of technology in our lives is not only about the meeting of children and technology, but also what seems like their integration, the metaphor seemed […]
Read MorePopular Culture: America’s Global Revenge
There is much talk these days about how America is in decline (think Roman Empire) because it has gotten complacent, lazy, and soft. Americans, it is argued, have lost their drive and their edge because life is just too easy for us; we are no longer hungry, literally or metaphorically. In turn, many global observers […]
Read MoreParenting/Education: Make-believe and stories aren’t Just Kid Stuff
I read about a book, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall, that demonstrates the essential role that stories play in child development. Make-believe encourages the development of values, group identity, prosocial behavior, and social norms. The conclusion: Stories aren’t just child’s play (or just for children!).
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