What I’ve learned from my children about technology…
1. I was not born knowing how to use technology, but they were.
2. Video games, which once upon a time I thought were a waste of time, taught them problem-solving skills and to have confidence in themselves as users of technology.
3. E-mail is outdated, and so will I be if I don’t keep up.
4. What I don’t know about technology I can figure out if I want to. Or I can ask the kids and risk getting that same look I used to give them when they asked me an “obvious” question.
5. We must all have that “addiction” gene that I thought they had inherited from their father. I just hadn’t met Twitter or Facebook yet.
6. I don’t need to “follow” them on Facebook. If they want me to know something, they’ll tell me.
7. Social media IS educational–and fun!
8. Our children need us to teach them to be safe on the Internet even if they say they already “know everything.” They’re still kids and there are perversions that they can’t fathom when they’re young. That’s something none of us needs to learn the hard way.
9. It’s important to keep dialoguing with the kids about what is new in technology. They’ll be impressed that you actually know so much, and you’ll find out from them what else you need to learn.
10. Mobil phones are nearly worth their weight in gold, even though that’s what it seems I pay for them every month. Having 24/7 answers to nearly all my questions at the touch of a button and an immediate connection to most of my family and friends around the globe makes it so.
What have you learned from your children about technology?
Thanks to Flickr and hegtor's photostream for the photograph.
Filed under: 21st Century Learning |
Web 2.0 for ESL 
I learned that you can take the keys off your keyboard…
…and that it’s a lot harder to put them back!
Difficult to add to your extensive list!
I’d say in relation to your point 4 – yes, work it out by experimenting, the hands-on trial and error is often more effective than reading a manual!
My children have really increased my already natural “give it a go” attitude.
They’ve also taught me not to expect technology to be the same today as it was yesterday, if a button has been moved, or an extra option offered that might not immediately seem necessary, cool, it simply gets better and better….
When they say we are our children’s first and foremost teachers, they should follow up by saying how much we learn from them as well!
My grandson’s first word was mama; his second was boppa; his third was button. He loves the blue elevator buttons, the remote control buttons, the iphone buttons, and the buttons on the laptop. I’m sure he’ll pass me up by age 5.
When Bob Dylan wrote, “the times they are a-changing,” he didn’t know the half of it!
Everything you wrote is so true! When I first handed my Iphone to my 5 year-old nephew to play with he figured out this complicated app in seconds. This took me more time to figure out but he never touched an Iphone before and just got it. It was at this point that Mark Prensky’s theory on Digital Immigrants and Natives really hit home. It was instinct to him for me I had to learn how the device and apps worked. I think perhaps he knew from growing up playing video games. I asked my sister to ensure he had never used an Iphone or smart phone and she confirmed he hadn’t. This was my “awe” moment.
When my daughter was three, we were walking past a Radio Shack that had a computer set up outside the store. Julie, my three-year old, sat down, took the mouse in her hand and started playing the game that was running. There were no questions and seemingly no doubts. She seemed to instinctively know what to do and how to play that game! Yes, I suppose she may have seen her five- and seven-year old brothers on a computer (not ours yet). But, so had I, and I wouldn’t have been so self-assured. Then again, she hadn’t learned to worry about failure yet. Wouldn’t it be nice if there never had to be a fear about failure or losing face?
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Shelly S Terrell and Peter Aylett, ICBEU Manaus. ICBEU Manaus said: RT @ShellTerrell Gr8 post! 10 Things I Learned about Tech fr my Children http://bit.ly/dnEwgF via @ritasimsan #edtech […]
I have learned that if we really respect our kids and listen to them (our own or our students), we will hear them telling us that they don’t need something printed in order to learn it, they don’t need email, and they would love to show us how to do something without giving us attitude. They love to learn!
Excellent list! I can’t wait to share this with my colleagues!
If we listen to our teenagers more often and show them appreciation for what they know and can actually teach us, will they be less likely to think of our “teaching” as “lecturing” and not feel the need to act as though they already know everything? Or is that behavior just a part of needing to demonstrate their ability to be independent? Are they imitating a behavior? What behavior should we model?
Thank you for your comments, Deanna!