Internet Makes Children Smarter Integration of Computer

Internet Makes Children Smarter

Integration of computer and internet into the day-to-day lives of children are quite visible nowadays. (Lee, 509) For several children, the use of internet has now become integrated with connecting over phone and watching television in the 'repertoire of typical behavior.' (Packard, 20) Children presently are techno literate and sometime extend over the efficiency of their teachers and parents; children and their parents have great anticipations with regard to the accessibility of technology in school; the transformation of learning into fun and entertaining has been their need; they also demand immediacy, customized and flexible approach. (Wright, 42) As domestic accessibility to internet has now become common, this paper identifies and assesses the influence of internet on children. The characteristics of internet use by children produce public concern that both regulate and undermine research, confusing the already challenging study of children. (Livingstone, 148)

Thesis Statement: "Internet makes children smarter as it helps in enhancing their social connections, improves their academic performance, help to pursue their interests and to prevent boredom."

2) Arguments

(a) Making social connections:

The statistical figures pertaining to the usage of email and instant messaging to connect with colleagues, friends and family members advocates the argument that children are depending upon the internet as a social instrument. Internet is used by the adolescents for connecting and continuing relationships with others. From the point-of-view of development the adolescent children attempt to put forth their own identity and self dignity in maintaining relationship with their friends. They devise and maintain advanced social efficacies among their peer community, while at the same time being engaged in multifarious activities, specifically something popular and new among their friends. The peer relation is a social phenomenon impacting the achievement of adolescent children on the developmental tasks. The efficiency of interactive media is being explored by adolescent children for facilitating connections with social contexts so as to attain their developmental activities. Even electronic information and games online is regarded as a source of interaction and conversation within the peer groups. (Lee, 517)

A study by Valkenburg and Peter during 2005 reveals that the magnitude of self-disclosure was positively linked to online communication. In combination, if socially concerned and shy persons who anticipate interacting with new people by means of online communication are willful of self-disclosure applying online communication, then they would attain certain social advantages that may recoup for their poor sociability offline. As per the study made by Ellison et al. during the year 2007 showed that the use of Facebook by undergraduate students was associated with bonding & bridging social capital and specifically for users with low self-esteem, rigorous use of Facebook was associated with extensive bridging of social capital than for users having high self-esteem. This is specifically because social network sites have certain characteristics assisting users bring out the potential social connections. The browsers of social network sites can present their profiles, create their own mini pages, and view the profiles of other members & homepages. With the profile particulars, they can extend potential connections and weak connections that initiated offline, like the friends in a same class or friends of friends. They can also become members of virtual communities focused on their common hobbies and interests, i.e. social network websites have more facets than instant messaging and e-mail for socially anxious children to test their identities and circulate their social networks which are invisible. (Lee, 522)

(b) Internet as a smart educational tool:

The internet has been advocated as a primary educational instrument leading the schools to incorporate internet services in their classroom environments. (VandeCreek; Jackson, 71). Haugland in the year 2000 has evaluated a study revealing that children of the age of three to four years who make use of computers with other activities that strengthen the educational goals have more developmental advantages and that the kindergarten and primary students reveal developed motor skills, increased mathematical thinking, enhanced creativity, increased scores for problem solving & critical thinking tests, and higher scores on consistent language evaluations. (Wright, 44)

A study by Linda Jackson, a psychologist of the Michigan State University shows that internet usage enhanced test scores in standardized reading. Other analysts have shown that availability of internet at home leads children to be more self dependent learners. Jackson stated that even though the same advocacy was advanced in favor of television some time in the past it is seen that internet due to its interactivity is found to be more significant. It is accessible round the clock and always present in the lives of young people. The positive influence of internet usage appears particularly prominent among poor children, say researchers. The study of Jackson included 140 children from townships involved in HomeNetToo, an extensive field study targeted to evaluate the influence of internet usage among low income families. Most of the survey participants were from African-American children under the age group of 13; three fourth of which lived in single parent households with an average annual income of less than $15,000.

The performances of the children in school were also not up to the mark, the percentile score being 30 on standardized reading tests at the initiation of their study. Each of the families was provided with home computer and free internet access and the researchers readily and continuously recorded the usage of internet by the children. The researchers studied that the children using internet extensively had comparatively scored higher on normal reading tests after six months and higher grade point averages after one year and 16 months in comparison to the children who used less internet. More time involved in reading taking into consideration the heavily text-based nature of web pages, may cater to the development. She revealed that the most significant feature of the internet that distinguishes from the traditional modes of developing academic performance skills is that it is mostly of an entertaining environment. It is a fun instrument. The learning is mostly without any pain. Most developed nations realize their children will confront the challenges globally with worldwide information and they are attempting to make them suitable for that. (Packard, 20)