This book is copywrite 2008. Since it has been written, the technological world has advanced so much that some of the information sounds strange to hear. MySpace was from middle school which seems like a different world. Texting is now unlimited...but this reminds me of when you only had a certain amount to use per month. When I got my first cell phone...one of those flip phones that don't even exist now... I had 200 texts a month. I use more that that in a day. Buying CDs seems ancient as well. We download all of our music online- I doubt if some teenagers know if they even sell CDs anymore.
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I do believe that children can learn things from technology. Programs that teach children about diversity will benifit them in elementary school. Shows like Dora the Explorer teach kids Spanish. I remember Barney the Dinosaur taught me my ABCs in 3 or 4 different languages. There are benifits to technology, but it SHOULD NOT be used as a means of babysitting!!! Parents who sit there child in front of the tv or the computer while they cook dinner are using movies as an easy way of occupying their kids.
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People are abandoning paper books for the digital versions, but can you blame us? Carrying an iPad, kindle fire, or laptop is much easier and less cumbersome than a stack of books. I personally like the non digital versions of textbooks. For pleasure reading, the kindle is fantastic. its easy, portable, and turns into an internet connection when I need it. However, I like being able to flip easily back and forth between pages or jump to a different chapter in my textbook. The digital versions make that more difficult.
You make some great points about the newest technologies. I also disagree with the fact that parents use technology to babysit their children, because you cannot learn important life skills through technology, you can only learn those through experience and interactions with others. I feel that when parents do this, they are hindering their child's ability to make friends in the real world. I myself also prefer a real, paperback book to read instead of online material. Once I have finished the book, I feel more accomplished when I can physically look at the pages I have just read. Something about holding a book and turning each page is just different and better than scrolling down an internet page.
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