Screen-time and Gaming in the time of COVID-19
I have 2 sons.. age 5 and 7 .. Elder one is 7 Years old and is currently attending primary One in Singapore.
During the Pandemic lockdown period.. they already have issues attending the "Home Base Learning" , as they are not used to a small laptop screen and so much distractions (notification pop-ups) using those tablets and PC desktop.. their attention is too short.
Now as a parent with kids attending schools, I am facing more issue. My P1 son need to start using the Educational Tool - Student Learning Space>.. so much screen time!.. Now as a smart parent I need to focus and control on his exposure to "screen time" in his coming digital e-learning journey.
When I stumbled upon this article -
"Rethinking screen-time in the time of COVID-19
How can families make the most of increased reliance on screens — which are helping to maintain a sense of normalcy during lockdown — while also finding the right balance with other important activities?
Daniel Kardefelt Winther (Office of Research - Innocenti) in collaboration with Jasmina Byrne"
I realised that some value of e-paper or ebook reader values must be shared! But before that we need to understand this below comments and recommendations.
Relatively, a normal kids will be exposed to E-learning, Educational Games, ZOOM meeting by teachers, Google Classroom for additional learning and activities... total sum of about 8 hours of screen time per day! Not mentioning his peers' and cousin's social media collaboration and engagement time online??
Now, on top of mental health, how about his Eyesight Health care? - such as blah blah blah .... "Eat a healthy, balanced diet. ... Maintain a healthy weight. ... Get regular exercise. ... Wear sunglasses. ... Wear protective eye wear. .... ... Know your family medical history. ... Know your other risk factors."
Schools are giving out Apple iPad for multi-media educational tools! We cannot avoid it, we cannot fight it.. then how to live side-by-side with it?
I would like to suggest a Balanced Digital Cocktail diet.. like the Covid Cocktail Vaccine!
Simple -
Step 1 - A computer laptop for his Student Learning Space.. not iPad, as he need to learn to use the Mouse and type with a proper keyboard.. not one-finger type.. like in Taiwan... high school student facing hand writing issue in their Chinese lesson.
Step 2 - An iPad or Phone for his collaboration and chatting with his peers. In a full digital age, we cannot avoid this. As a parent we have to provide the best educational tool in the world now - Mobile Phone. But with great care. Blue Light is definitely a big issue. Research - Blue light excited retinal intercepts. Restrict it to about 1 hour a day. Why not.. read on.
cellular signaling! Download for your reading.
Step 3 - Print textbooks! The best medium in the world since the stone age. We still have a mixture of educational materials around. Going full digital in this part of the World is near to impossible. Look around, kids with severe myopia is a common sight now.
Step 4 - Get a dedicated ebook reader. A device that uses E-ink Technology. https://www.eink.com/
Step 4 is going to make those Blue Light issues and problem a parent always have goes away. Value of an eBook E-ink device will be shared in next blog.
In conclusion, all kids or student in a new Digital Age need a balanced digital diet. A laptop for normal e-learning and assessment. A mobile phone for social activities and urban mobility. An ipad for Gaming, news and etc... video.... chatting.. and finally the most important missing part of a digital age learner... dedicated e-paper or e-ink reader. A device that allows you to spend hours and hours of in-depth reading and study without compromising your eyesight health and your mental health.
