I was in the doctors waiting room last week back in Cardiff and whilst I was waiting I overheard two mothers having a conversation. One mother was with her son, who was sat on her lap playing on an iPad, he must have been no older than 3. The other mother was presently pregnant, asking how long the boy had been playing on the iPad and whether the mum of the young boy felt it was suitable for someone of such a young age. She replied saying at first she was a bit restricted, but the boy had taken a great love for the iPad and educational games that helped him with his learning, although saying she only allows him to play on it for an hour each day. She explained that in schools these days they have an iPad available for each child in a classroom, and joked that soon technology will be all that is needed to educate the children of the future.
Should early years children be able to play on such technology gadgets such as iPads, iPhones, tablets and so on, from such an early age?
For me it is just a natural progression, technology is in their everyday lives, why would you stop them exploring them. Parents often try to buy their children the best Christmas gifts, the most popular things on the market at the time, often knowing that they will be outdated by boxing day. Technology is no different. We learn in many ways, as long as we are encouraging learners to explore and be innovative. Does it matter how they learn?
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