Modern children and digital technologies. Gordon Neufeld, How to Raise Children in the Digital Age

Children's Day is a reason for every parent to think not only about what he is doing for his child today, but also how he can prepare him for tomorrow. What knowledge, skills, and qualities should children be equipped with so that they can live happily and fully realize themselves?

IN modern world change is happening rapidly. This means that we must adapt to new realities more flexibly, quickly and professionally. According to the famous philosopher Alvin Toffler, the illiterate in the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. At the same time, experts suggest that current schoolchildren will have to change their profession in the future, perhaps every 10 to 15 years. Our task is not just to know, but also to take into account such forecasts, preparing our children for life in the digital age.

Today, the so-called generation Z is entering active life. These are people born after 1995 who have been using digital technologies since childhood. They are not afraid of the virtual world; for them it is a habitat that is as familiar and understandable as the real world. Not only communication takes place here, but also, to a large extent, the formation, development, and formation of the child. And very soon, as they say, a new generation of super-digital people will appear, for whom many of the things we are used to will become an anachronism, preventing development, moving forward, and mastering new technologies and knowledge. Therefore, it is extremely important to help children get comfortable in such a world, to do everything to make the digital environment as useful, comfortable and safe for the child as possible.

The state, including us legislators, is already taking serious steps in this direction. The approach must be comprehensive. On the one hand, it is necessary to accelerate the pace of transition to digital in all subject areas of education. On the other hand, pay attention not only to the set of knowledge that the student receives, but also to developing the skill of constantly independently obtaining it using online platforms and other opportunities - existing and those that will appear in the future. We must prepare them for life in an actively developing society with a changing economy.

A long-awaited event is the approval by the Government of the Action Plan until 2020 within the framework of the Decade of Childhood announced by the President of the Russian Federation. The Federation Council took an active part in this work, placing, among other things, emphasis on the need to ensure that children are prepared for life in a new, digital, rapidly changing world.

Senators pay special attention adoption of regional action plans within the framework of the Decade of Childhood. This became not only a matter for the authorities - representatives of the parental and pedagogical community, and civil society institutions were involved in the development of programs. We receive regular information from the constituent entities of the Federation - plans have been prepared almost everywhere, and the implementation of measures has begun.

Another expected event is a new priority project “Digital School”, aimed at developing in schoolchildren the skills necessary in the modern world - data processing and analysis, elements of programming. A very right step. This knowledge will be useful to a person of any profession, whatever his field of activity. Not only a techie, but also a humanitarian and a representative creative profession will have skills that in his parents’ generation only programmers and engineers had.

I think that we need to launch the priority project “Digital School” without delay, we don’t have time left to ramp it up. This is a global task, because we are talking not only about the technical aspect - the “digitization” of individual processes, but about changing the structure and content of the educational process. And for this it is necessary that teachers themselves learn to think in a new way, to take into account the constantly changing digital landscape in their work.

It is important for all of us, and especially teachers working with children, to understand that the digital environment gives freedom of choice; this distinguishes the new, “digital” generation from their “analogue” parents. It is impossible to impose anything on today's schoolchildren and students; they are accustomed to the fact that they need to use several sources of information and take into account alternative approaches and points of view.

Moreover, in the era of the Internet - the availability of constant online access to scientific libraries and databases - the role of the teacher is objectively changing. His qualities as a mentor in the fullest sense of the word are becoming more in demand: a person who teaches how to learn, helps to decide on the choice of profession, type of activity. It is likely that new conditions will require adjustments to plans for academic and extracurricular work with children.

Russian schools are facing a transition to “blended lessons”, combining teacher explanation and learning using digital technologies in a ratio of approximately 50 to 50.

Even 10 - 15 years ago, the task of internetizing schools was urgent. Today it has, in general, been resolved. But new goals arise: providing high-speed Internet, creating unified educational platforms, creating conditions for online learning and distance learning formats, which should receive official status. This is especially important for our regions - schools in small towns, villages, and remote areas. It is necessary to create an all-Russian school digital space, which will include all our schools, regardless of where they are located.

Every Russian schoolchild should have equal access to educational resources and new technologies for acquiring knowledge. Including children from large families and low-income families, families with disabled children. The implementation of a set of measures within the framework of the “Decade of Childhood” should provide all children with equal digital opportunities, regardless of the status and income of their families.

To ensure all these innovations, serious legislative work will be required. It is necessary to react quickly and professionally: the legislative framework must correspond to the demands of the time, give schools the opportunity to use modern technologies, but at the same time - to guarantee the safety of their use.

Senators are ready to actively get involved in solving all of the listed tasks, working closely with relevant departments and executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Federation.

We have experience in this kind of work and opportunities. The Temporary Commission of the Federation Council for the Development of the Information Society is working successfully. One of the main directions of its activities today is participation in the implementation of the Concept of Information Security for Children. Parliamentary hearings “Topical issues of ensuring the safety and development of children in the information space” are being prepared.

There is a lot of work to be done: parents and teachers need to be armed with advanced knowledge about ways to ensure the protection of children on the Internet, and they need to be familiarized with the latest hardware and software in this area. In order not only to teach children to use information, but also to instill an understanding of the boundaries of what is permitted in the digital world, to explain that everything that ends up on the Internet will remain there forever.

Last week the St. Petersburg Economic Forum took place. It discussed new dimensions of the coming era associated with the use artificial intelligence in the real sector, digital infrastructure and blockchain technology - in business and management. They talked in detail about human capital in the digital economy, about the ways of development of society, about opportunities, risks and challenges. The “children's dimension” of digitalization was also considered—though not in such detail. I am convinced that now this particular topic is becoming increasingly important, since modernity is challenging the educational system.

Russian school and higher education, undoubtedly, must meet modern requirements, be of high quality and effective. But when switching to digital, it is important not to lose that valuable thing that makes up the soul of our people, its ethical basis. To convey to young people not only digital, but also cultural, ethical, moral codes that will allow them to be true citizens of our great country.

This is not the first year that I have sadly stated: it is becoming more and more difficult for me to work, students are changing and they need to be taught differently. I wish I knew how...
Therefore, the interview with Anna Varga, one of the main Russian specialists in family psychotherapy, a bright and extraordinary person (we crossed paths several times), caused both relief and horror. Relief - because everything is sorted out, the diagnoses are made, the verdict is passed. Horror - because “the doctor said to the morgue, then to the morgue”: if not ourselves, then our methods of teaching and communicating with the younger generation - for sure.

Especially this semester, I struggled with the second year: a very difficult subject, cute kids (about half are trying very hard, half are enjoying life, studying at a minimum). You set the text. Have you read it? They read it (not all of them, of course, but some definitely read it). Answering questions based on the text (which is in front of them) is a complete torment for both them and me. From the middle of the semester, I stopped attending seminars, dictated the main points to them, read stories from life, tried to explain something not so much for the exam, but for life.
And on last lesson I decided to read the article itself to them. She explained that even if they are not “Generation Z”, they are only a couple of years older (mostly they were born in 97-98) - and they have to teach this generation, they hold all the cards, because they themselves are like that or almost like that.

So, the article caused shock and an almost unanimous reaction: no, it’s not us, we’re not like that! I hope that with all due respect to A. Varga, they are at least partially right, and the reality is not as shocking as in the interview.
And yesterday they passed the exam much better than I expected. They taught, tried, and everyone understood at least something. Those who studied during the semester left with A's, those who enjoyed life - mostly with C's, but they also had something left from the course.

Below the cut are excerpts from the interview. Your opinion is very interesting to me. I’m going to take some of these points out from under the kata so that you can understand a little what we’re talking about and why the interview is causing.... mmm... an ambiguous reaction.

Parents and children belong not only to different generations, but also to different communication systems.

Generally accepted standards have disappeared, what is good child and what he needs to be taught.

School requires voluntary attention, and the child is not ready to listen voluntarily - today he is captured by the screen of a TV, computer or smartphone.

Children are little Martians; today they are the ones at the forefront of progress, so the world must adapt to them. Now previous generations cannot give anything to subsequent ones.

If (the child) goes to school, copes with his studies, communicates with his family, and the rest of the time he sits at the computer - it’s okay, this is now normal.

The type of culture has changed, and our knowledge will not be useful to children. But we can help emotionally.

Representatives of Generation Z are not yet more than 16 years old, but even now “digital” children are causing surprise and concern among parents. Why have gadgets replaced books for them? Is it worth worrying about Internet addiction, and how does attention deficit disorder arise? Anna Varga, candidate of psychological sciences, board member of the Society of Family Counselors and Psychotherapists, academic director of the master's program "Systemic Family Psychotherapy" at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, member of IFTA (International Association of Family Psychotherapists), member of EFTA TIC (Training Committee of the European Association of Family Psychotherapists) talks about this.

What problems worry modern parents?
The problems are different, but the essence is the same - loss of contact with the child, lack of mutual understanding and difficulty with control. This has been the case at all times, but now, perhaps, it is felt more acutely, because parents and children belong not only to different generations, but also to different communication systems. Children are already completely in the computer world, and parents still sometimes indulge in books.
What to do? Force children to read?
Of course not. They won't read. And forcing them is pointless; it will only lead to quarrels. In the history of mankind, communication technologies change periodically. This natural process, it’s just that now we are at the very beginning. The sensory modality has changed - children no longer read, but watch. While reading, you must imagine, that is, imagine everything you are reading about. And when you look, imagination is not needed. The signal goes directly to the occipital cortex of the brain, this is a different perception. Children already belong to a new communicative culture. The most that parents can do is read themselves, taking advantage of the fact that children like to be around. Or give them audiobooks.
What do you understand by communication culture?
Representatives of the Toronto school of communication theory believe that communication technologies determine the type of culture and mentality of people. For example, a person of the Middle Ages is different from a representative of the New Age; they have a different picture of the world and values. Consciousness depends on the structure of society; after all, we are social animals. And society is determined by how people interact with each other. The emergence of a new way of communication always leads to major changes in personality, culture and society. Researchers distinguish three stages of communication development - oral, written and audiovisual. So, in the Middle Ages, people used speech and hearing to communicate, the main thing here was to understand each other’s language... A person must first learn to read and write, and this information gap divided people into those who could obtain information from books and those who could not to do this... (In the information age) We are gradually abandoning imagination and moving to the visual register. The generally accepted standards of what a good child is and what he should be taught have disappeared. The volume of knowledge has grown so much that no one is able to remember everything that humanity has accumulated to date...
The school is not ready to adapt to the modern child and the type of society in which he will have to live. Schoolchildren are still being crammed with a volume of information, but today it is necessary to teach competencies, tracks through which the child can acquire knowledge himself. Advanced educational institutions They don’t force you to learn anything, they stimulate discussions, use games, online education, children prepare reports and presentations. Attention deficit disorder is a consequence of the fact that modern child fell into the gap between the old and new generations. And adults are now very worried about children and their future. School requires voluntary attention, and the child is not ready to voluntarily pay attention - today he is captured by the screen of a TV, computer or smartphone.
So, we need to take away gadgets from children?
No. Children need to be taught based on their involuntary attention. This is an objective fact, and there is nothing you can do about it. Apparently, when teachers from the new generation come, they will already use new methods and teach children correctly. In the meantime, the child is forced to study in a system that is not adapted to his way of perception and communication... The school is trying to pull the family to a solution school problems. We need to treat this correctly. Be on the side of the child, help him with his studies and hope that, having gone through rather senseless school years, he will find his interest and learn to develop voluntary attention.
It turns out that we should forget about good grades at school?
If parents struggle with the child at home, and teachers at school, then he will face not only ADHD, but also severe neuroticism and loss of cognitive motivation. Children are little Martians; today they are the ones at the forefront of progress, so the world must adapt to them. Now previous generations cannot give anything to subsequent ones. In 10-20 years, this gap between generations will close, but for now it will be very difficult for us.
What else distinguishes children and teenagers today from their parents at the same age?
Today's children socialize on the Internet, whereas parents at their age communicated in person... They prefer to communicate online. There is no need to be horrified by this. It is normal that you do not understand your child. He will understand his children better.
Remember the story of the boy Styopa? Friends laughed at his page on the social network and called him small. Then Styopa’s mother asked her friends to “like” his page and pictures of dinosaurs. And Styopa suddenly became mega-popular. Did mom do the right thing?
Of course, that’s right, children need to be helped. The mother took advantage of the communications her child needed. Parents always intervened if their children did not communicate well, just earlier help was in a different form. Mom invited the child’s friends home, treated him to delicious food, and dad offered to play football. Today you can discuss with your child how to decorate your Internet page and give a beautiful performance. And then, there are now a huge number of online communities, you can look for the right one together.
Many children spend hours online. How to recognize Internet addiction?
If you see that a child will not part with a gadget, and if it is taken away, he falls into rage or despair, this is already an addiction. It is a terrible sign when a child does not leave the room, you cannot enter him, and food must be left at the door. It's time to seek professional help. If he goes to school, copes with his studies, communicates with his family, and the rest of the time he sits at the computer - it’s okay, this is now normal.
It is unlikely that parents will come to terms with their child’s total passion for computers.
I can only sympathize with them - they will have a difficult parenting journey. You know, there is an expression “parents are the people who give me pocket money.” So, a parent is someone who can caress, console, and support. The child will not find this on the Internet. It would be wrong if, instead of supporting, we start teaching, reproaching, yelling and punishing.
What else should parents of digital children learn?
Give up your own ambitions. The type of culture has changed, and our knowledge will not be useful to children. But we can help emotionally. The subcortical areas of the brain develop more slowly than the cortex, so the emotional functioning of a child, like an adult, does not change - we feel the same way as primitive people. The child will benefit from the mental health that children receive in a family with high psychotherapeutic potential. This is a family where people are calm, spend time together and support each other. This creates emotional support, which is important for the child.
What do you think about punishments - is it worth using them?
Modern children are little susceptible to punishment. That is why it is necessary to build an emotional connection with the child, so that the distance in this zone creates discomfort in him, fear of loss of emotional warmth. This is the main lever. There are no others anymore...
How can you teach a child to set goals and achieve them if he is not particularly interested in anything?
Goals arise if there is a need for something. We need a deficit. Children are now growing up late, because we now have no childhood and no adulthood. If it weren’t for the army, which wildly scares many people, then it would be worth leaving your child alone. If he doesn’t know what to do after finishing school, let him work, then he’ll understand. And we need to try different opportunities at school. If football didn’t work out, quit and go to robotics. If you don't like it, we'll look further. See where your child's friends go. Boys usually rarely want anything, but with girls it’s easier - at least they want to be with their friends. And a lot depends on the teacher or coach...
Today parents are fighting for best schools and universities. Will any of them accept the fact that their child will be left without a higher education?
This is not the parents' business, they are the passing generations. Or, as one of my colleagues says, “it’s all manure.” We need to focus on children, not parents. If a child does not pass the Unified State Exam or does not complete higher education, it means that he will have a different fate. And somehow it will work out. It is necessary to explain to the child that the main thing is to find something he likes. And he will do the rest himself.

We often talk about behavior, user experience, triggers and needs of our consumers who are already 18+. The favorites of Internet marketers are the so-called millennial generation - one of the most advanced, active, purchasing groups of consumers. But after a few years, under their close attention a generation of “digital” children will fall. These are children under 12 years old, surrounded by digital devices from the cradle. What to expect from them and how to interact with them? To do this, you need to understand how these children feel in the media space right now. Moreover, eMarketer has prepared an excellent study on this topic. Unfortunately, it only covers US families, and the numbers for Russia will be lower; however, the trends are global.

IN early age children are already doing everything the same as their parents: watching TV, reading, surfing the Internet, using mobile devices, a computer and... playing.

But this is not the end – the numbers related to the use of digital devices will continue to grow. Nowadays, children’s interaction with media is limited by a number of factors such as parental control, inability to read/write, lack of their own phones, tablets and iPods, etc. Read more about these factors and children’s “media perception” below.

Despite the fact that many adults believe that television is outdated, among children the TV remains the most popular device that shows cartoons and interesting shows. According to the study, the time children watch TV is 3-4 times greater than the time spent on other media activities.

This popularity of the “blue screen” is due to a number of factors that should be taken into account:

• 26% of surveyed families admitted that the TV is on at home almost all day long. And when a child watches a cartoon or a children’s show, he, as a rule, is doing something else at the same time: sculpting, playing with traditional toys or his mother’s smartphone, etc. That is, the TV playing acts as a background;
• Very often, children watch TV in company with their parents, not on their own initiative. According to the survey, children watch TV with the whole family for 49 minutes a day (more than 50% of the specified time);
• In addition, 36% of children have their own TV in their room. This feeling of joy from owning your own device directly affects the frequency of its use.

TV not only gives children what they expect - amazing and interesting stories, a fairy tale brought to life - but is also the most popular social network. At this age, being social means watching cartoons and shows that friends watch, and not likes and comments on Facebook, Vkontakte and Instagram, as we used to think.

By the way, this is surprising, but such “adults” of social media. networks have a place in the “digital” life of modern children.

12% of children under the age of 12 log into their Facebook profile at least once a month. And this is despite the age limit set by FB. It turns out that many parents help their children get around this restriction and “join” adult social life.

Here are the numbers from eMarketer showing the age of active FB members:

In other social networks On networks, the generation of “digital” children is represented even less: Twitter – 3%, Instagram and Pinterest – less than one percent.

Today there are a large number of social networks. networks for children. These are online platforms where children can play social games or become part of some kind of virtual world. In Russia these are the sites Smeshariki, In the World of Luntik, Bibigosh and others. According to parents, 23% of children visit such sites regularly, 40% sometimes.

Children go online not only for the sake of socialization. According to the study, children most often like to watch videos online - of the 4 hours and 19 minutes they spend online on a PC, 3 hours and 40 minutes are spent watching cartoons and children's shows.

In general, “digital” children are quite advanced Internet surfers. 60% of children over 8 years old use the World Wide Web at least once a day. For the age category from 0 to 12 years, this figure is slightly lower – 50%.

Children's initiative to use a computer and surf the Internet is limited, first of all, by parents - they want their children to spend more time with traditional toys, in addition, they are worried about the confidentiality of their personal “digital” life and are reluctant to let children near their own PCs. stuffed with personal information.

The cross-platform nature of various children's TV shows is now only gaining momentum - increasingly, the characters of their favorite cartoons encourage children to go to the web page to watch the continuation of the story, play a game with them, or help them get out of difficult situation. This cannot but affect the rapid growth of Internet activity among children of the digital generation.

In addition, mobile devices that also have Internet access are becoming increasingly accessible to children.

Children under 6 years old, as a rule, do not have their own personal smartphone or tablet, but for children aged 6 to 12 years old, parents willingly buy modern gadgets. If in 2011 there were 25% of happy young owners of an e-reader, iPod, tablet or smartphone, then in 2014 the figure was already 63%.

The remaining 37% actively use their parents’ devices.

Accordingly, than older child, the more time he spends “communicating” with a mobile gadget. The survey showed that children under 8 years old devote 15 minutes a day to this, and children aged 10 to 12 years – from 3 hours.

What keeps children so busy with smartphones and tablets? As with the Internet, one of the most popular activities is watching videos: 26% of total time spent interacting with a smartphone and 28% with a tablet. Quite expected, since this is a great way to keep a child occupied on the road, in line, etc.

But most of all, children are, of course, interested in games – 43% on smartphones and 37% on tablets.

There are several factors hindering the growth of popularity of mobile games/applications among children.

Firstly, there are not many developers of such applications, and they are still learning how to create game mechanics that are fun for children, exciting scenarios and designs. Secondly, parents are concerned about in-app purchases, which children often make without realizing it. Thirdly, it's quite low level"mobile literacy" of parents. 28% of moms and dads who download apps on their smartphones say that more than half of them are for children. For tablets this figure is higher – 54%.

Many parents are concerned about what children prefer virtual games traditional games. Even the time spent on the Internet is spent by the majority of children (45% of boys and 39% of girls) playing games.

Therefore, parents try to combine business with pleasure and draw their children’s attention to educational games. Unfortunately, as the study shows, it is not very successful - only 18% of the time children spend playing is spent usefully.

Otherwise, it's racing that boys love and social games that girls prefer. By the way, such a separation of tastes begins to appear only after 8 years.

Parents themselves are also not averse to remembering their childhood - 42% of mothers and fathers whose children love games are happy to join them at least once a week.

The childhood of modern children born in the digital era is very different from our childhood - yes, we also loved games, cartoons and fairy tales, but we didn’t get any of this by “tapping” on the screen of the latest iPad. Communication of “digital” children with the media available today is limited by parents, inability to read, and other factors described above. But what will happen in a few years? How advanced will these children become? How deeply will they immerse themselves in the “digital” world when there are no barriers left? It's hard to imagine. Time will show.

We talk about the technological side of modern lifestyle and how to adapt children to the digital world.