Technology

Those of us born before 1980 learned by literally reading. Page by page.

Not any more for the newer generations. So often in the current day-to-day lives we're inundated with information from the Internet, with twenty-four-hour accessible information juxtaposed with digital images. Click after click.

Embedded in devices like the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad are clues to the whole new world - be it the virtual world of Pikachu or that of Khan Academy's electronic blackboard. The fact that we're all hooked on technology means there is no exception, not even my seven-year-old daughter. Rather than saying either an absolute yes or no to the screen, we can still be a wise guide to our kids, finding ways to navigate the electronic pedagogue. A wise parent knows at what point in the learning tool each is best.

That also calls for a careful balance between form and freedom. When we travel, my daughter is often glued to her book on my wife's car. Of course I love this activity (and that of selecting books for her trip). But heigh-ho. There is no point trying to bring her books every time. (And by "every time" I mean "almost daily and twice on Sundays.") For that matter, wouldn't it be great to give her a break? I passed my iPhone to her, for example, after she'd finished reading the picture book Zen Socks on our way home tonight. That's for her to scroll down the National Geographic pages on my Instagram app. And, voila, what followed are hundreds of "likes" she gave those pictures of natural beauty and landscapes.