The
Value of an Informed Parent
As an older parent
of a teenaged daughter in middle school, I am not as technologically savvy as a
younger parent. Thank goodness, the
school districts have taken into account all the different ability levels of
the parents in their student body population.
When our daughter was in elementary school, she would tell us all about
her day and bring home all her projects she had made that day but also any
notes the teacher had put in her backpack.
We always knew what she was doing, what was due, and any needs she
had. As a teenager, she is not so
forthcoming with relaying information.
Today,
we as parents have the benefit of new and advanced technology of the internet
to ease accessing our children’s progress in their educational endeavors. Schools now have internet access sites where
parents can keep abreast of their child’s activities. The site keeps track of attendance,
tardiness, grades, upcoming meetings or parent teacher conferences, even what
their child is eating for lunch. The site
for our child’s school in Clark County is Infinite Campus. The site informs parents about school programs,
before or after school, to assist kids with homework and/or assignments needed.
The teacher can make additional money,
aid the student to achieve better grades and understanding, and alleviate the
limited home/family time spent doing extra homework. The technology and programs not only benefit
the student but help eliminate the time available that parents have to take away
from work, traveling to schools, and time spent in lengthy parent/teacher
meetings.
This
technology helps students of all ages, from K-12 and beyond. At Great Basin College, we have WebCampus
that allow students to inbox our instructors at any time and receive timely, if
not immediate responses. We also can
access Cranium Café where we can communicate and brainstorm with other classmates. We can see upcoming assignments due and
grades earned on our dashboard. Another
advantage is if an ordered textbook arrives later than the class started, the
instructor has the ability to send a pdf of the needed text.
Teachers spend so much time in the classroom
presenting information, preparing lesson plans, grading papers, trying to keep
parents informed, while still trying to make learning fun yet dealing with
discipline issues. The internet also can assist teachers in the previously said
tasks by aiding in preparing lesson plans.
The teacher can input a subject and learn several options for that
educational discipline. Specifically, the
website I researched gave five sites found as valuable to both students and
teachers. Technology & Young People, 21st Century Business and Education,
The Leading Organization for Educational
Technology, Internet Student
Information Systems, and finally, Teachers
Web. All of these modern technologies benefit
students, teachers, and parents, all with the same goal in mind.
The
only limitations I can foresee are a parent’s lack of availability of internet
access and the knowledge of how to take advantage of the technology assessable
to them. Once again, as an older parent,
I am not as technologically savvy to take advantage of all the mediums available,
but I am learning.
Times have changed and I think that parenting in this modern information age where digital information is available to anyone in seconds, have become even more difficult, than it was for the baby boomer generation. Monitoring what information your child has access to is the right of any parent and should be taken very seriously. Depending on the type of content a child of early age is exposed to can greatly determine the type of person that they will eventually turn into. Unfortunately, I never raised children, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand how difficult parents these days have it or that I don’t care, because I do. Anyone who takes the chance of trying to raise a family, not only has my respect, but also has my support.
ReplyDeleteThe internet can be a wonderful tool. Schools, teachers, and parents are using it to monitor their child. It offers unlimited information at the tip of the finger. It is convenient, simple, and anyone can use it. Teachers can talk with each other all over the world to see how different techniques worked and how others didn't. There are so many useful resources available.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the internet shouldn't replace all interaction. I have seen parents check online to see how their child is doing instead of asking the child. There is a huge disconnect among those families. The child does bad on someone and is grilled for it, but when the child does good the parents don't even acknowledge the good. The internet isn't entirely to blame, but it makes it so that parents can act like a better parent than they are being at times. The internet also opens up child to be easily manipulated by someone who they don't really know that is pretending to be the child's friend. This can be dangerous and I hope that this is made clear to parents who let their child onto domains such as Facebook.
This is an issue that is difficult to maneuver. There are pros and cons to the ever expanding use of technology. As you mentioned, there are so many ways in which technology makes our lives easier. But Debra also has a point; there is also a very real danger that this technology can create disconnects within the family. Each family has its own rules, and I believe intense care should be taken when it comes to setting standards on technological usage. There should be a safe but rational balance between the amount of technology used and human interaction.
ReplyDelete