Impact of Technology on the Contemporary Play Habits (Essay Sample)

How has TECHNOLOGY changed children's play habits and effected their social and learning development?
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Executive summary
The advent of the digital age has impacted the development of the contemporary society. Child development is among the factors that have been significantly impacted by technology. There are positive and negative impacts of technology on child development and children’s play habits. The impact of technology has been varied between third and first world nations. In an environment that is devoid of supervision, there is high potential for children being negatively impacted by technology. Children’s play habits have been largely modernized. The social and learning development has been positively and negatively impacted. There is paucity in literature that has focused on this issue. Future research then has to address this gap in knowledge.
How has TECHNOLOGY changed children's play habits and effected their social and learning development?
Introduction
Technology has had a profound impact on the society. With time, this impact has been enhanced. Technology has served to ease work (Van, 2004). Its use in the contemporary society then serves to make life easier by simplifying otherwise difficult tasks. There are some benefits and drawbacks associated with the use of technology (Cooper, 2005). Children have also been impacted by the advent of technology. The contemporary society has been characterized by an enhanced dependency on technology (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). Children too have developed their dependency on technology (Oosterlaken & Hoven, 2012). While there are benefits to accrue from such an enhanced dependency on technology, there are also some associated drawbacks. The development of children has been adversely impacted by technology (Ferraro, Casey & McGrath, 2005). There are different factors that can be used as a testament of this fact. Children’s play habits have been transformed from the traditional approach to a modern approach. The term modernity has been used in reference to the inculcation of technological elements in play time (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). Children’s social and learning development has also been impacted by technology. While the general assumption is that technology aids in enhancing social welfare, there is need to adopt a critical approach in investigating on the wholesome impact of technology on children’s play time, social and learning development. Technology has had a profound impact on children’s play time which has not incorporated technological elements (Asamen, Ellis & Berry, 2008). Moreover, it has also recorded a profound impact on social and learning development. The potential for development has then been enhanced as a result of an increased dependency on technology.
Technology
The term technology has been used in reference to the products of scientific knowledge (Dodgson, Gann & Salter, 2005). Technology then denotes the applications that have been realized when scientific knowledge is applied. The intent is to simply use scientific knowledge for practical purposes. Technology can also be defined as the technical means via which scientific knowledge is employed to the benefit of the society and environment (Pellegrini & Smith, 2005). Essentially, the goal is to enhance the quality of social welfare.
Technology has been inculcated in almost all aspects of life (Haugen & Musser, 2007). It then forms one of the core differences between the contemporary and the traditional societies. Knowledge has thus become increasingly valuable in the contemporary society (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). The core intent is to identify the needs of the society and the environment. It is in meeting these needs that has enhanced the relevance of technology in the contemporary setting (Howard & McInnes, 2013). The same can be said of the societal dependence on technology. Children have also been targeted by technological innovations. The intent has been to meet the perceived needs of children using technological innovations. However, such children targeted technologies have recorded both positive and negative impacts.
Developments in technology
The contemporary society has become synonymous with technological developments (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). The contemporary society has experienced a higher degree of technological advancements as compared to the previous generations (Selwyn, 2013). It then translates to mean that the impact of technology in the social and learning context has been amplified in this generation. In turn, investigating on the impacts of technology would become critical given that with time, technological developments are steadily being enhanced (Galloway, 2009).
The contemporary society has bore witness to improved investments on research and technology (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). Technological firms have appreciated the need for enhanced focus on research and development. The intent is to make technology more reliable and applicable for the society. Simply put, the enhanced focus on research and development strives to realize greater societal dependency on technology (Oosterlaken & Hoven, 2012). It can then be asserted that the developments in technology will realize an amplified impact on children.
The contemporary society has been labeled as the information age (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). It is characterized by greater access to information. With time, there will be even greater access to information (Bell, Ezell & Van, 2007). Moreover, technological developments have also culminated in greater dependence on phone-based applications. Such applications have had a profound impact on the supply and degree of information access (Asamen, Ellis & Berry, 2008). Technology has thus been critical in fashioning a literacy rich environment. Technological developments will then seek to augment the ability of the teachers to fashion an improved literary rich environment.
Technological developments have some associated drawbacks (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). In the context of children, technology has a distraction effect (Ferraro, Casey & McGrath, 2005). Devoid of guidance, there is a risk that children will be distracted. In the traditional sense, children were supposed to engage in play. To an extent, play was a central part in the lives of children (Dinkar & Dinkar, 2010). On the same note, devoid of technological input, children adopted the traditional course in social and learning development. Critics point out that technological development has negatively impacted the growth of children and their interaction with society (Sutcliffe, 2002). As technology innovation continues to be embraced by the contemporary society, its impact on the society, and more so the children, will be perpetuated, albeit at enhanced levels.
Children’s play habits
According to Ness & Farenga (2007), play is critical for in a child’s social development. From the psychological stand point, play ensures that there is wholesome brain development. Moreover, it also ensures that a child experiences wholesome development (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). It then translates to mean that when play is inhibited, social development is also being inhibited. When a child is unable to experience the benefits that accrue from play, their social development capacity will thus be limited (Thompson, Felce & Symons, 2000). The goal of ensuring wholesome child development then mandates parents and guardian to ensure that children have play time.
`At this juncture, there is need to provide a succinct description of the concept of play. According to Pellegrini & Smith (2005), the term play is used in reference to the activities of children when they are not being directed by adults. Essentially, during this time, children are given the freedom to do as they please (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). Their creativity then takes control of their actions. Such freedom has been deemed critical for child development given the benefits they accrue for children.
Play enables children to advance their literacy capacity (Bell, Ezell & Van, 2007). Play provides children with the opportunity to practice new sounds (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). More often than not, this practice is usually embraced when in the company of children. The mere habit of trying out new vocabularies is a habit that aids in literacy development. Literacy is also built by the act of storytelling between children (Pellegrini & Smith, 2005). The act of storytelling has been identified as aiding in the development of a child’s imagination skills. In turn, developing this skill has a positive impact on the literacy skills.
Play provides an expression tool for children (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). According to Elkind (2007), play allows children to express themselves using their toys. It is critical for children to have a considerable supply of toys. It is only in this way will children have a wide array of tools using which they can express themselves during play time (Sinno, Charafeddine, Mikati, Holt & Veerapandiyan, 2013). Therefore, play provides children with a choice thereby becoming a tool for self-expression.
Play aids in the forging of social bonds between children, the peers and the parents who choose to engage in the play activity (Howard & McInnes, 2013). Children who are given the opportunity to play are ...