Cognition and Development are Affected by Media

Have you ever wondered how you ever learned to do things such as balancing yourself, walking or learning to analyze the meaning of life? Many studies conducted by famous psychologists such as Piaget and Vygotsky proved that we when we are young is when our brains begin to develop and this tends to occur starting at the brain stem and ends in the frontal lobe where we conducted our higher order thinking skills (Cox, June 2015). 

Jean Piaget, for example, arranged a child's development into four different stages. These stages are known as the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. 

           Sensorimotor 0-2 years old: child uses sensory and motor skills to 
                   explore surroundings. object permanence

           
           Preoperational 2-6 years old: no logical reasoning yet. words and 
                     pictures are used to represent things egocentric

           Concrete operational 7-12 years old: no longer egocentric. other's 
                    opinions are taken into account; child can think logically and the 
                    concept of conservation is understood.                                     

           Formal operational 12 years-adult: can use higher order thinking skills 
                     to analyze and think abstractly.

All these developments certainly do not happen overnight therefore our brains are not fully developed until we are between 25-35 years old. Even when we reach this age range, it has been found that the brain is still developing. It is a never ending process which is supported by Vygotsky's theory of Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD. The ZPD is in effect when an individual can master a task if given the appropriate scaffolding and support by a more knowledgeable other, usually a teacher or an expert in that specific content, who provides the means to acquire new knowledge and skills. 

Though we know the stages of development, how can children develop more knowledge in today's world- the digital age? Technology usage, of course. However, many articles still only focus on the negative impact technology is causing in our youth from lack of social skills to physical health issues such as obesity as stated by Kaveri Subrahmanyam in The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children’s Activities and Development. As we continue to discover more ways that media usage can help students learn better by providing concrete research, more people will be willing give the technology the credit it deserves.  Subrahmanyam also wrote about how parents are buying their children computers because they think it will help their children academically. I think the problem is that parents just don't know all the tools and resources out there that can actually provide their children with appropriate learning techniques. Many parents are still under the impression that the point of computers, laptops, or tablets is to just surf the net or to write papers. If they actually took the time to learn about educational apps that can further aid the child's brain development by encouraging them to use their higher order thinking skills, then their view on media will change for the better. 

A site that my Ed Tech professor mentioned that is quite helpful to children, and has different activities depending on their grade level, is UEN Educational Interactives for your Kids. I tried a few of these and it is safe to safe that I was a bit addicted to them for a few minutes. I am going to have my 4 year old try these and see how she enjoys them at the same time that she is improving her cognitive development. Go check it out!