Comments for "Principles for the wise use of computers by children" by Straker

Some comments upon reading “Principles for the wise use of computers by children” by Straker.
I find the article “Principles for the wise use of computers by children” very useful, because it gave readers a rather comprehensive picture of advantages and disadvantages of ICT for children. The 6 principles presented by the author sound good, too. But after reading the positive and negative influences of ICT and looking at the principles, I can’t help doubting: if we follow these principles, can we ensure the negative influences of ICT on our children are minimized? I doubt about that. The following is what I think:
1-We cannot deny the fact that ICT bring about great impacts for our children. But this only happens when our educators know how to use technology tools in the right way to make their teaching content meaningful and to maximize the learners’ potentials. But the teaching method and the content are still under discussion. It is still a long way to go for teachers to be able to well apply ICT in class.
2-In terms of the negative impacts of ICT for children, I feel that ICT advances develop with such a speed that no one can control. Every minute there are new invents of ICTs. In a commercial world, children are those who access to these invents and they can be easily victims of ICTs which are developing too fast for us to control and therefore, it is very difficult to protect our children.
3-I think if we just apply rules and guidelines, this may not work, because children need to understand why we have to apply these rules. If not following this guideline, how they can be in danger. They need the right to know about that. We teach children lessons about sex education, the topic used to be a taboo, because we decide that it is very necessary for them to know to make choice and protect themselves. The same can be said about technology safety. We need something more than just simply rules and guidelines. Sometimes only children can protect themselves and they can do that only when they understand the matter.