Find out how technology shapes the way young students think and act, an analysis by a student at Lancers, one of the best schools in Gurgaon.

Effects of Technology
Schools in Gurgaon

Schools in Gurgaon

Most adults around the world are hesitant to give children gadgets, such as tablets, phones or a PC. This is primarily due to the fact that children tend to get fond of such devices and get an addiction to them. Typically, teens use these gadgets to connect with their friends via social networking sites. And adults believe that it hampers their education and makes them stay at home for the majority of their time.

Moreover, giving youths access to these gadgets leaves them more vulnerable to cyber-bullying. When schools in Gurgaon are trying so hard to remove physical forms of bullying from their premises, there emerges cyberbullying. It is a whole new level of bullying itself. It is the only form of bullying which exists out of the school 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This has made it harder to banish bullying in our societies, hence resulting in more psychological problems in the younger generation.

Also, over usage of gadgets not only weakens their thinking skills but increases their chances of becoming obese. This is an increasingly common problem in many youths in this modern age.

Nevertheless, there are some positive points to giving children access to these gadgets, too. Using technology, children can have access to an infinite number of online resources which are only for them. But, children don’t often realize this and hence tend to use them for socializing and wasting their time on other useless stuff. As said by the founder of Microsoft Corporation, Mr. Bill Gates: “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is very important.”

Research and its observation

Lancers, being one of the best schools in Gurgaon, realizes the need to integrate technology in the education systems. But many other schools in India do not realize this. Hence, there arises a need to change these education systems soon. Some schools are also incorporating video games as a part of their education systems.

In certain research in the Queen Mary University of London and the University College of London, 72 volunteers were recruited and got their ‘cognitive flexibility’ measured. It is a person’s ability to adapt and switch between tasks and think about multiple ideas at a given time to solve problems. Then, two groups of volunteers were trained to play different versions of a real-time strategy game, StarCraft. The players needed to construct and organize armies to battle an enemy. A third group played a life simulation game called The Sims, which does not require much strategy or tactics. The researchers had observed that those who had played StarCraft were quicker and more accurate in performing cognitive flexibility tasks, compared to those who had played The Sims.

Another Research

Dr. Brian Glass, a professor at Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, said that one previous research has also demonstrated something similar. The action video games, such as Halo, can also speed up decision making. But the current work finds that real-time strategy games can promote our ability to think on the fly and learn from past mistakes. “Our paper shows that cognitive flexibility, a cornerstone of human intelligence, is not a static trait but can be trained and improved, and improved using fun learning tools like gaming.” “Creative problem solving and ‘thinking outside the box’ require cognitive flexibility. Perhaps in contrast to the repetitive nature of work in past centuries, modern knowledge economy places a premium on cognitive flexibility”, said Dr. Glass.

Quite recently, Stirling University’s school of education had conducted some research. It said that the family’s attitude towards technology at home is one of the most influential factors governing a child’s relationship with it.

Research conclusion

The conclusion of the research was fairly simple: “The experiences of three to five-year-olds are mediated by each family’s distinct socio-cultural context and each child’s preferences. The technology did not dominate or drive the children’s experiences; rather their desires and their family culture shape their forms of engagement.”

Therefore, this is the fact that parents and teachers should set up rules on screen time to keep addiction at bay. Also, encourage children to engage in outdoor activities; this may actually make children do what they must do and learn. Hence, to conclude, while there is substantial evidence that children are getting the negative impact of modern technology. The research also suggests children can make the maximum use out of technology, through strategy gaming, exploring the internet, pursuing their dreams, and much more under proper monitoring.

Early Years Benchmarks at Lancers, One of the Best Schools in Gurgaon

Early Years at Lancers, one of the top schools in Gurgaon, is a holistic and child-centric programme. The emphasis is on making them global citizens. The programme takes care of the needs, interests and competencies of the students.

Early years programme at Lancers is a part of the Primary Years Programme. The balance is sought between essential knowledge and skills, development of conceptual understanding, demonstration of positive attitudes and taking of responsible actions.

In the early years, the benchmark encourages students” to think out of the box.” To develop their questioning skills and to impart high quality early learning. A high-quality early care and education program has positive effects on a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development. All this relates to self-confidence, curiosity and love for learning. All of these factors help prepare a child for school and life. When students enter kindergarten, a comprehensive approach toward ensuring school readiness is necessary.