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Thoughts for those Sleepless
Nights
This weekend I sat at home and watched as our
six month old son decided it was time to move.
He had been observing us for some time and was fascinated by
all of the toys surrounding him but something just kept him from
moving. Well, he
decided to get serious about moving and during the course of this
weekend, he went from rolling onto his stomach once to rolling over
5 feet to get to what seemed of interest at the time.
In fact, he continued to roll every time his back touched the
floor.
You might ask, ‘how does this relate to
anything'? Well, think
about it, this child lives in a world where he must be entertained
by what he can see or hear or maybe even by something that is
brought to him. What
he can see or hear as well as which toy he plays with is limited by
where he is placed, in what position and who is willing to
help. We however, are entertained without ever having
to leave our chair. Our
society has developed to the extent that we could live in our house
without leaving for months, potentially our whole lives.
We can order almost everything we need enabling us to
live through technology. Technology
gives us computers, computer games, television, cell phones,
cordless phones, and
other similar items to entertain us which makes it simple to never
move or at least never leave the house if we so choose.
What is the difference between the baby and us
- we can be entertained without moving, on the other hand the
baby must move to be entertained.
So, is technology a good thing or a bad thing?
You decide but first read
through the issue.
This issue includes information that might
influence your decision. You
will find numerous ways that technology helps teachers and may even
be used to motivate kids to be more active.
The negative side presented is that the tremendous
technological advancements may actually be contributory partners in
the increased levels of obesity in children and the rising health
care costs.
So is
technology the primary culprit of the lack of physical activity in
children? Maybe
societal improvements are making our lives easier. . . but
is easier what is needed? Will
we be able to change the downward trend so that healthcare costs can
be decreased? The
answer may rely on you as teachers since technological developments
keep making it easier NOT to move.
Are you a positive contributor to the activity levels of
children? What do you do that makes these kids WANT to
move?
Just a few thoughts to ponder during those nice summer sleepless
nights.
KirkMathias
PELINKS4U
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