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Irish Camille Cruz

Sutter
English 4 AP
25 March 2015
Tech-Savvy Babies
Fascinatingly, in this era, it is impossible to not walk by something that is electronic: a
phone, a flat screen television, a computer, a video game console, a microwave. What is even
more interesting is the person behind (or in front of) that device. Over the years, peoples
constant reliance on their everyday technology has increased. Among these people, the little ones
have also started to partake in this trend: children are now the ones that are constantly in front of
the television, quickly learning how to perfect the use of the computer at a faster rate than their
conservative, aging parents. The percent of children with access to some type of smart mobile
device at home (e.g., smartphone, tablet) has jumped from half (52%) to three-quarters (75%) of
all children in just two years (Rideout, Zero). Many argue that this is a ruthless thing because
of all the explicit images and videos that the media is projecting on air and online. While it is
true that children must be supervised, parents have to face the fact that kids today are visual
learners. In preparation to join any media-reliant culture, like the United States, all students must
have access to technology both in and out of the classroom.
The use of technology should be allowed, especially in the educational world, because it
has been proven to increase the youths skills in various activities. Long term studies conducted
comparing kids who watched television shows like Blues Clues and Sesame Street and those
who did not showed that the kids that watch these beneficial shows have outperformed their
non-viewing peers, showing better results in solving and strategizing problems compared to
those who did not watch on a regular basis. The kids that watched had increased and improved
levels of their school-readiness abilities (Kirkorian). Watching certain television programs are the

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building blocks to securing better futures for posterity. Though some people claim that kids need
to go out and learn about the outside world, and not through screens of pixels and sound, studies
like aforementioned, show that children can learn from educational media. Television
programs designed with a specific goal to teach academic or social skills can be effective with
potentially long-lasting effects (Kirkorian). These media tools have proven to be effective and
can serve to be the foundation of helping future generations and children today to be wiser and
well-prepared when they enter school. Some public television programs stimulate visits to the
zoo, libraries, bookstores, museums and other active recreational settings, and educational videos
can certainly serve as powerful prosocial teaching devices (Ford-Jones and Nieman). The effect
of many sources of media is a positive one, because it creates many positive learners and
provides varying forms and mediums of learning. Varied forms of learning create happy learners
because they become enthused to learn, partly due to the fact that their methods of learning are
different, exciting, unique, and out-of-routine. Television, among other media forms, helps the
youth build their school-readiness abilities and promotes happy learning environments and
students.
Other entertaining forms of media, such as video games, are known to strengthen
valuable life skills. Although many consider video games as a waste and a useless form of media
that could not possibly benefit anyone in any way, studies have shown the opposite. Researchers
in Italy have conducted experiments on students with dyslexia and the effect of video games on
them (Guarini). After having played these video games, these dyslexic students reading skills
were tested. The results concluded that those who played the action game were capable of
reading faster and more accurately (Guarini). Results like this show that students are not just
limited to what they were born with. They have so much potential within them, just waiting to be

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found out. A multitude of sources, including the media, television, and video games can be used
as tools to help children and students reveal and extend their current capabilities. Video games,
television programs, the internet, and other forms of non-conventionally-educating media prove
to be a valuable source of helping people succeed academically and repairing themselves
mentally.
Though the media is increasing its influence in students daily lives, the incorporation of
media into activities for their students is still an ongoing debate between teachers. Some teachers
that disagree with the integration of media with education contend that information-technology
has been negatively affecting students academic performances. A survey done by Common
Sense Media had found that the biggest problem area for teachers is students attention span,
with 71% saying entertainment media use has hurt students (Rideout, Children). Many
teachers disagree with the use of this technology, because they assess that it has hurt their
students, rather than help them. Some stress that students are now addicted to the screens in front
of their face, causing a distraction to their education, relationships, and lives. They claim to have
not seen any favorable outcomes coming from the amalgamation of this technology. Since many
contest that childrens exposure to the media cannot be stopped, they believe that it should
neither be furthered. They believe that children exposed to the media are not getting the typical
life of a child and the life lessons that they had been taught. Among these are teachers who
say that entertainment media has hurt students in their ability to communicate face to face
(59%) and their critical thinking (42%) (Rideout, Children). Some teachers claim that the
media world is nothing but pure evil, because it reduces childrens helpful skills and intensifies
unwanted characteristics and attitudes, like rebelliousness, creating more problems than
solutions. Parents strongly voice their opinions on the fact that privacy is an issue, especially

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with regards to social media and the anonymity of the internet. Regardless of this opinion, they
are ignorant to the fact that incorporating media into the curriculum at learning sites will not
succumb their children to the frauds of the internet; in fact, schools even try to limit the exposure
to these deceptions. Through administrative actions, specific non-school related or inconvenient
websites are blocked, and are inaccessible to the students and most faculty, preventing any
distractions or any illicit or illegal activity from pursuing. It may be an issue in some individuals
homes, but privacy will not be an issue when media is unified with the school syllabus. There are
overwhelmingly positive aspects of integrating the use of media in core curriculums, including
the amplified encouragement to learn. Many teachers are more open to the idea of uniting
education and the media, noting that it has helped children become more resourceful and
engaged in the class, rather than created problems. In another survey by Common Sense Media,
they have noticed that nearly two-thirds of teachers (63%) say their students media use has
helped their ability to find information quickly and efficiently (Rideout, Children). Students
that have had access to technology in their schools were shown to have benefited greatly from
their experiences through their technology-accepted classrooms. Pupils in schools that have
allowed technology to exist in their curriculum were found to be completing extra assignments
for no credit; grades had gone up more than 50 percent, and chronic absenteeism was reduced by
more than a third (Fine). Kids with a media-accepted learning environment motivated
themselves to try harder in their classes and through this, a positive significant change in grades
occurred. Now the students being released into the outside world are all the more eager to learn
and determined to succeed. Young scholars start gaining skills to help them become prepared to
face, live, and survive in the real world. An illustration of this can be seen in the fact that
children have become more resourceful in using todays technology. They are at an advantage

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because they have access to a wide range of limitless, current, and sensible information. The fact
that these resources are available today and were not recently public-accessible proves that this
world is growing and changing at a rapid rate. The world is rooted in technology. The only way
the world can progress is through the use and new creations of technology.
Since the media cannot be easily avoided by anyone, the proper methods of how and
when to use the media should be monitored. The media is a good and convenient instrument
when used right. Marjorie Hogan, a respected pediatrician at Hennepin County Medical Center
in Minneapolis and a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that
[media is] going to be a part of everybody's lives increasingly, encouraging that the use of
multimedia, when properly controlled, will be effective in the learning environment (Summers).
If teachers carefully plan their lessons and acknowledge the presence of the media by
incorporating it into their curriculums, students will be on their way to brighter futures, because
of their tendency to become more resourceful, especially in this age of technology. For example,
internet sources provide a range of opinions on an abundant number of topics; with everyone
having access to this, people can form their own beliefs without any bias from their family,
school, or immediate surroundings. They have the opportunity to explore others views and have
the chance to make these opinions their own, oppose them, or build upon them. When learning,
the media is a great influence. Almost anything can be considered as instructional media;
therefore, it must be chosen carefully to execute its full potential. Examples of instructional
media include traditional means of delivering instruction, mass media used for education, and the
newer "electronic" instructional media. All instruction requires the selection and use of at least
one medium to deliver instruction (Clark and Morrison). Everyone is constantly learning,
whether it be from newspapers, cellphones, televisions, the internet, peers, family, coworkers,

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classmates, manuals, textbooks, computers, etc.; people learn through numerous methods. Media
is inevitably one of them.
It is practically unavoidable for humans to learn without the use of media, so
discouraging the current generation and the generations to come from using resourceful media is
useless. Especially today, students have all the more become reliant on visual learning. It has
become easier for students to memorize information by looking at pictures, videos,
charts/graphs, and the like. The only way to progress is to accept this fact; if the case is that
students are visual learners in todays society, then society can choose to work around it or work
with it. Either choice that society makes, the media can side with both options or be altered to
support one side. Media can help push students away from visual learning and more towards
verbal-linguistic (auditory) learning through the use of videos or recordings on the internet.
Conversely, the media can be used to support the age of visual-learners by pictures and
computer-assisted learning programs. The world cannot avoid technology, so it is best to use it to
benefit the people. Technology, media, and electronics should be used to benefit the people of
society by giving them access to think freely and an ample amount of resources. This could
ultimately be the key to a more independent and a wiser generation.
Technology in the twenty-first century is inexorable. Accordingly, it must be properly
used and controlled. The media, when given the chance to be fused with the academic
curriculum, can create wonders. Studies have shown that media technology, including television
programs and the internet, can help improve infants school-readiness capabilities, and increase
students resourcefulness, productivity, and enthusiasm to learn. The media has been proven to be
beneficial and can help lead and create brighter futures for people, despite the small negatives
that media-in-school protestors may claim. Incorporating and working with the technology

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already on hand will help further this heavily-reliant technological world progress as it creates
better futures for everyone.

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Works Cited
Clarke, Richard E., and Gary R. Morrison. "Media and Learning." Encyclopedia of Education.
Ed. James W. Guthrie. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
1575-1579. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

Fine, Victoria. "Social Networking In Schools: Educators Debate The Merits Of Technology In
Classrooms." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Mar. 2011. Web. 15 Dec.
2014.
Ford-Jones, Anthony, and Peter Nieman. "Impact of Media Use on Children and Youth." US
National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 1 June 2003. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Guarini, Drew. "9 Ways Video Games Can Actually Be Good For You." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Kirkorian, Heather L., Ellen Wartella, and Daniel R. Anderson. "Journal Issue: Children and
Electronic Media." The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing Research
and Analysis to Promote Effective Policies and Programs for Children. The Future of
Children, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Rideout, Victoria. Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media: The View From The
Classroom. San Francisco, CA. Common Sense Media. 1 Nov. 2012. PDF.
Rideout, Victoria. Zero to Eight: Childrens Media Use in America 2013. San Francisco, CA:
Common Sense Media, 28 Oct. 2013. PDF.
Summers, Juana. "Kids And Screen Time: What Does The Research Say?" NPR. NPR, 28 Aug.
2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.