My morning started as usual calling the kids for school, forcing some food into their mouths and rushing to the car to beat the traffic. Finally I arrived and while walking my son into his classroom I was distract by the signt of those white earbud we all associate with the ipod. On closer inspection my eyes confirmed my first instint and yes if was securely attached to a nano ipod sitting in the rear pocket of a 5-6 yr old boy. He was listening and chatting with friends while waiting for the teacher to come in.
I think this is a sign that technology has infected the very young and if so why noy encourage it by providing audio lessons for young children that parents can download for their education. Teachers could provide additional lessons by offering audio classes to the class as part of their learning for example, maths tables could be recorded in class and replayed at home to the pupil I know spending an hour with each of my kids going over tables can be tiring when all you want to do is rest or as in the local school they use letterland to teach letters and each letter is a charactor in the book. All of the above could be applied to an audio lesson recorderd in class and availiable for download or take home lessons. In years to come these audio recordings could age into memories of schooldays long forgotten. Technology is advancing faster then the planet can absorbe and the children of today will grow up depending on this tech stuff for everything, from coping with everyday tasks to buying the groceries.
The primetopic of tomorrow will be how we evolved from pen and paper to keyboard and tablet pc's. I know the future holds amazing inventions and how we intergrate these inventions into our daily life will depend on the children of today. Mobile phones are common now with children as young as 8 (even younger ) and ipods the same. The new PSP (PlayStationPortable) incorporates a wireless connection as well as the gameboy advanced. Young children of today have access to communication which allows them to talk, text, email, and more to others anywhere in the modern world. Pen pals have taken a leap into the future and the boundaries are gone. I cant wait to see what's in the primary classroom 20 years from now and wonder what others forsee in the local schools in 20 years.