Make the difficult choice

Technology is cool
but I prefer it when my five-year-old son
flips through a hard copy of a book.

I have nothing against the fact that technology, like other tools used in the classroom (and life in general), plays an important role in the process of learning. However, I sometimes get the feeling that technology is seen as a substitute for teachers or even worse, as a substitute for parents. Being an educator and a mother of three sons myself, I believe and hope that it will never be possible to replace well-trained teachers and caring parents with computers.

I love watching my five-year-old son flipping through his books and leporellos each night. And honestly, however old-fashioned I may sound, I wouldn't like to see him in bed with a laptop or a Kindle. Also, I know that one can make amazing things such as gifts, posters or collages via technology, but I still prefer when I get a paper birthday card, photo or a drawing from my little one.

On the other hand, I realize that the importance of technology will keep increasing; that's why we cannot teach our children in the same manner in which we were taught in the past. I'm amazed whenever I see my baby nephew walk around the living room pointing the remote control at the TV set hoping that he'll make things happen. I'm astonished when I observe him with a mobile phone at his ear pretending he's telephoning (mind you, he doesn't even speak yet). I can't believe my eyes when he grabs my hand and tries to tap the PC keyboard with it - something his dad does every day. The baby probably knows already that every action has a reaction, so he hopes that by pressing the keys we'll change things.

So although I'm an old-fashioned lady with all her routines of behaviour and sets of beliefs, I've made the difficult choice - I've accepted the idea that technology, if used intelligently, sensibly and carefully, can contribute to human well-being and happiness. By having access to valuable information and by sharing all the vast knowledge of human race we can make each other more educated and thus happier. Without technology it would be virtually impossible nowadays. So once my little son sends me a birthday e-card, I'll know that he's entered a new period of life - a new dimension - and I dare say it will happen very soon. And I know this is something I can't stop, no matter what I believe in and what my preferences are.