Computer education for young children: a growing concern

Over the past few years, computers have become a vastly popular household item. Our children's lives are already getting influenced by technology. Today, we find computers in use everywhere, whether we go to reserve a train ticket or to a bank. This is because it is faster and helps us complete our work without errors. So parents too have realized the need to help their children develop strong computer skills.

Slowly traditions are being broken and the computer is becoming a child’s learning tool. Children are reading their bedtime stories online instead of in bed with their parents. Parents are leaving the learning up to the computers and spending less quality time with their children. The most important learning step for children is interaction with others. If they are sitting in front of the screen all day, they do not learn to share, wait their turn, or even something as simple as manners.

Kids with access to software that is not age appropriate may be exposed to such negative influences as violence, strong language, and over-stimulation from fast-action graphics. Moreover, frequent and prolonged computer sessions may pose physical health risks like visual strain, and posture and skeletal problems.

Overall, however, the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks. And actively involved parents can control most of the drawbacks. This puts even greater responsibility on parents to be vigilant and conservative in their judgement about their children's computer usage, especially regarding the internet.

READING COMPREHENSION

 

1. Add True or False, quoting the relevant information from the text to justify your answer.

(3 points)

a)  Computers may be of help in the successful achievement of daily routines.

b) Computer learning games are replacing the activities that parents used to do in order to educate their children.

c)  The writer does not see advantages in children’s regular use of computers.

2. Answer the following questions according to the information given in the text. Use your own words.

(2 points)

a)  Are there any social disadvantages that may derive from the overuse of the computer?

b)  How vulnerable are children when sitting in front of the screen?

3. Complete the following sentences. The meaning should be the same as that of the sentence above.

(2 points)

a)  My son spends more time playing computer games than I do. I don’t (...)

b)  When she was a child, my sister read bedtime stories with my mother regularly. (...) used to (...)

c)  “Have you uploaded the file?” he asked me. He wanted to know (...)

d)  Parents should control their children when they decide to surf the internet. Children (...)

4. Write a composition with the following title: (80-120 words)

(3 points)

Can YouTube be used as a learning tool?

+EXÁMENES RESUELTOS