Monday, April 21, 2008
Digitally-native children
Gordon Crovitz has a fairly banal piece in today's Wall Street Journal on the intersection of technology and optimism. I liked this bit particularly:
Our digital-native children simultaneously instant message one another, listen to iPods and watch videos – while doing their homework. Scientists now suspect that this next generation may be developing a different brain structure, reflecting online activity from toddler age.
Watching my daughter, who does her homework in the digital presence of her friends in New York and Cleveland via video chat, I would have to say this is spot on.
[Scheduled]
6 Comments:
By 
SR, at
Mon Apr 21, 09:13:00 AM:
Gotta envy that. I used to be able to read or do homework while listening to the radio (Giants' football on Sunday). Now I can either read or listen to music, but only one of the modalities gets in. The ipod generation will have the same problem, I fear.
The real fear, of course is that they are having the problem now.
By 
, at
Mon Apr 21, 11:44:00 AM:
Perhaps people should remember this isn't the first generation to do this. I'm 31 and I did the same thing. I used to watch TV< talk on the phone, and go visit BBSes on my modem, where (yes!) we actually had forums, chats and email! Go figure!
As soon as you have a baby, all that ability goes out the window, because your brain shrinks. ;)
By Dawnfire82, at
Mon Apr 21, 01:13:00 PM:
I fail to see why this is different from cooking three different sub-dishes at different temperatures for different times, while watching a TV program and making sure that baby doesn't pull a pot of boiling water onto himself. Napoleon used to dictate multiple letters to different people at the same time.
It's just multi-tasking. Slapping on 'digital' to the tagline doesn't really change the basic thought processes. It just gets readers.
By Unknown, at
Mon Apr 21, 03:18:00 PM:
The first generation of computer-savvy kids has grown up (I'm 40 and have been using computers since I was 8). Hopefully, some of the myths (perpetuated by both kids and "researchers") will get punctured at some point. We multi-tasked with computers, stereos, homework, videogames. And the truth is - we kids were no better at multitasking than anyone else. And that fancy computer lab in school? A glorified videogame.
In many respects, the new generation is the same as the old generation. But there are also some key differences. Kids are adapting to the new Google/cell phone world by memorizing less and keeping reference facts out of their brains. Who remembers anyone's phone number now?
This has happened before - people used to be able to memorize The Iliad or Bible when these skills were more valuable.
I don't know about the value of these changes. It surely frees up some mental RAM to never memorize trivia. But are kids able to build coherent thoughts?
I'm keeping my tykes away from the telescreen as long as possible. They surely have time to develop into digibberers like me.
By joated, at
Mon Apr 21, 08:28:00 PM:
So, if your daughter can do her homework while video chatting/collaberating with her buds across the country while still in your home, why the heck can't Al Gore and all the other Global Warming schmucks lear to use video conferencing? Didn't good ole Al invent the internet for just such a purpose?
By , at
Mon Apr 21, 11:36:00 PM:
To be fair, your daughter's father always claimed to be able to multi-task. Many of us were, of course, skeptical, but he made the claim nonetheless, repeatedly. So we at least know where she gets it from.
