[WhineMCABasket2.0t]

Low tech kids, ours just turned 5. Going to do it as much as we can. He seems destined for at least private K since I doubt we move in time to get him situated at the public K we want him in and one of the ones we're looking at is where Steve Jobs sent his kids. He's notorious for having low tech kids, no ipads or nothing. Seems to me if the grand father of new computer tech saw it fit to keep it away from his kids perhaps there's something to it. Dont think he'll go there, seems one of those places where you have to invest in the full K-8 experience and we just need a K but it's piqued our interest at the right time.

His grand parents got him a laptop for xmas and he was all stoked for it but after using it once he is very meh on it. Thing is it's basically just an Android 4.0 phone in a tablet that's built into a laptop like body, so it's pretty crappy. I was going to get it returned for something more real but then it dawned on me, let him lose interest in the computer and be more focused on being a kid, so we will probably keep it as a boring present.

So who is is purposefully slow to have their kids adopt tech and what's the experience been, most curious to their interactions with their friends and FOMO.

 

[kptaylor]

It's not the technology that seems to be making kids more phone-focused, it's the parenting skills of their parents. It is also due to the fact that the world, life and technology move forward all the time. Trying to hamstring your kid by recreating the 80's for them isn't doing them any favors. In school you're expected to know how to use a computer, how to search Google, what wikipedia is (and isn't), etc. It's up to you as a parent to teach them a balance of playing outdoors versus sitting and gaming all day. My kids all play club sports, get good grades and still have phones and computers. I do sometimes wish they went out with their friends more, but they Skype/Facetime now instead of calling or going over to hang out. It's just how it is now.

 

[WhineMCABasket2.0t]

Using devices isn't a problem and yes it's about parenting, not a question. What I mean isn't Quaker or even 80s. Some low tech parent's I have heard from don't have TV or watch movies. Not doing that. What I mean by low tech I guess is more like lowish tech, as in the kid themselves doesn't have their own phone, own computer, own anything. So when his grandma gave him a kids computer and he was interested in it for 1 day I think I will just leave it there.

My kid LOVES being outside and talking to new kids. When we are at the bike park he talks to everyone, like all of them, he doesn't understand what I see as the socially awkward ones, he chats with them. We have been enough that when we go back now kids say 'hey ___ is here' or at least if they don't know his name they say 'hey I remember you from last week, let's go ride together'. It's a big friendship fest really. He loves making new friends at parties and parks, it energizes him. He's a definite extrovert in the right setting. He wont get that if we let tech creep into his life. When we get home from being at a park or the bike park he asks if he can go outside in the yard. Asks when we can go back to the beach (which we do every 2-3 weeks) now that it's winter. Just loves being outside.

What I am trying to avoid is introducing social media and video games. He's too young for the social thing today but it'll happen sooner than later. His friends will start having their own phones, he won't. His buddies will text and chat each other, he won't. I see our friends kids who are his age and even younger just staring at the parent's phone, buried in games. I mean that's easy to say no to but it's the whole invasion that ends up happening. They don't do it from laziness, they do it because they truly believe they're teaching their kids how the real world works.

 

[Papa Dras]

Keeping kids away from technology is artificially delaying their progress in school and learning in a manner that is relevant in these rapidly evolving times. My daughter's elementary school is one of two in the nation with a Smart lab where they are learning to build computers, robotics, and other things by the time they are in 3rd grade. The school district has a tablet on the back to school list for 4th grade+ and everyday has a required assignment done on different Internet sites. It's just the direction it is going and will continue.

But, that doesn't mean it is a free for all and that is where it comes down to parenting. My daughters will not have a phone until they are 16 and we are very aware and cautious about parental controls on their tablets and monitor. But I would guess that at least half of my 3rd grade daughter's class has a watch that doubles as a phone and almost all of them have fitbits or similar. It's pretty crazy, but very common and I don't really have an issue with it.

I firmly believe that too many parents sometimes have an all or nothing mentality when it does come to technology and having active kids. It is possible to have very active kids that enjoy the outdoors, sports, museums, the library, etc.. and also are technologically aware. Most all of the parents we associate with have their kids in multiple sports, music, dance, or other activities and they all have a tablet or computer of their own. It's balance and it's up to the parents to manage it.

 

[A1an]

We don't force it either way. She has "her own" iPad which was an a pretty outdated one we had before she was born. She maybe spends an hour on it at most each week. We have her on the really old family laptop from time to time to complete online books required by the county school system and we let her pay around with Disney Junior games if she wants (and she maybe does that 2 hours a month).

I'm all about old school books and immersing oneself in the world with real experiences, but technology is vital to developing a kid these days. Don't want the kid getting to school and falling behind because he/she isn't familiar with tablets and basic computer navigational skills as there are quite a few school districts replacing or moving to replace books with tablets.

 

[WhineMCABasket2.0t]

I can't see a kid not picking up a tablets functionality as far as what's needed to read a book. They'll get it within 5 minutes, don't think that is a reason to be priming him today.

 

[WhineMCABasket2.0t]

Toured the hippy dippy school today. In love. Kids basically run the place and the teachers adapt to them and fit the curriculum in around the kids play. Aside from the structured time here and there either kids are free to come and go in and out as they please, climb a tree if they want, paint, dance... Whatever. Just be a kid and we will teach around it while you learn the social interactions. Hope he gets in it'd be perfect for him. When they notice a kid is ready for more math they teach them more math in the manner the kid learns best. No rhote rehearsal, no homework, no grades. Kid wants to do more science go see the science teacher. Wood shop? Acting? Whatever. Not trying to fit the kid into the curriculum, just the opposite.

It borrows a lot from Montessori but isn't a Montessori school. It's apparently quite famous but not expensive or exclusive in that the kids get accepted based on tests. They basically have all the kids come play at the school and pick 18 that'd make good classmates.

Toured another that does the whole computer programming thing. Ehhh. If that's his passion

 

[WhineMCABasket2.0t]

Got into a private school, one of those ones they teach coding in 3rd grade. Blech. We weren't ever a big fan of them but keeping options open. Got wait listed at the Steve Jobs one, not surprised once we learned they have a preschool that feeds into their K-8. He can maybe at least do summer programs there.

Gonna just pocket the money and do public schools. His public is more aligned with the Steve Jobs one.

 

[burnthesheep]

This got men most of the way to the moon long before Matlab, computer CFD, and other tech and none of those engineers probably had electronics when 5 years old.

I feel it is 100% ok to hide tech from kids. The problem is when kids aren't taught how to be problem solvers. How many people do you know that can proficiently post a perfectly filtered pic to Instagram and conjur up a few thousand followers and can text faster than they can think? A lot. How many of those same people could ever actually critically think through a problem?

I bet you could plop a laptop in front of a true problem solver from before the existence of electronics and that person in a week's time would be using it more proficiently than a non-cognizant office dwelling slob.

People use all this tech but can't be bothered to look up a youtube video showing step by step how to install a ceiling fan. "Ohhh, that's electricity. I can't do that.".

If you want to teach your kids tech, teach them to code. That's some level of problem solving at least.

A kid looking stuff up on youtube or Wiki to "learn" is just using a new medium. Woo hoo, film reel or a printed encyclopedia.

 

[Papa Dras]

Got into a private school, one of those ones they teach coding in 3rd grade. Blech. We weren't ever a big fan of them but keeping options open. Got wait listed at the Steve Jobs one, not surprised once we learned they have a preschool that feeds into their K-8. He can maybe at least do summer programs there.

Gonna just pocket the money and do public schools. His public is more aligned with the Steve Jobs one.

They are starting that in public schools around here. 3rd grade is when they start learning basic code and robotics in the STEM lab.

 

[WhineMCABasket2.0t]

They are starting that in public schools around here. 3rd grade is when they start learning basic code and robotics in the STEM lab.

Hopefully it's an elective or a stem specific charter school.