Article Assessment of "The Overdominance of Computers" by Lowell W. Monke

The article begins with the quote “ Our students need inner resources and real-life experiences to balance their high-tech lives”. This sums of the focus for the article as the author explores the when, what age and how to use technology appropriately in a school setting. The emphasis is made as a cry to educators to concentrate, especially at the elementary and middle school level, on helping students development their innately human qualities. Only then will they be able to be responsible, educated and competent users of technology.

The author makes a very compelling argument that include the following points I particularly liked:

• Preparation (for living in a high-tech society) does not necessarily warrant early participation (in the use of technology).
• Preparing young people for life in modern society should begin with “strengthening their inner resources- like self-discipline, moral judgment and empathy.
• It would take years to instill the ethical discipline to say no to the harmful activities that youth can easily access on the internet and with basic technological skills.
• Schools and educators need to help balance student machine dominated lives by helping them develop their distinctly human capacities away from the use of technology.
• “What is keeping today’s youth from succeeding academically has nothing to do with a lack of technical skills or access to computers.”
• “Keep the essentials in the early years”. Such as: close, loving relationships with responsible adults, outdoor activity, time for unstructured play, music, drama, the arts, conversation with adults.
• “Study technology in depth after the elementary years”.
• “By high school digital technologies should have a more prominent place in the classroom, both as tools of learning and tools to learn about.”
• During the last two years of high school teachers should spend considerable time outfitting students with the high-tech skills they will need when they graduate. “This ‘just-in-time’ approach to teaching technical skills is far more efficient”.

I appreciated this article and had many “yes” moments when reading it. I am an educator at the high school level, so I would have liked some more concrete examples for use at the high school level. I do see technology as a distraction at the high school level more than as an efficient tool. I think educators need training in using technology as a way to enhance content and in the later high school years us some technological programs in the class apart from powerpoint, internet research and word processing.
I appreciated the statement that “What is keeping today’s youth from succeeding academically has nothing to do with access to technology”, but lacking the development of their human qualities. This resonated with me when I think of the schools in rural Alaska, they can be achieving at the same level with quality instructors and relevant curriculum that gives them a sense of hope and purpose.