Educator and author Gail Lovely recently stopped in Lincolnshire to share with parents the different kinds of applications available for children at a time when tablets and other devices are being integrated into classrooms.
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At the invitation of the suburban Community Parent Network, Lovely shared her tips during a pair of speaking sessions Sept. 22 at Vernon Area Public Library and Stevenson High School. Along with colleague Gayle Berthiaume, Lovely helped write “Suddenly it Clicks,” a guide for parents on how they can use their iPad with their preschooler.
Lovely also has addressed educational conferences around the country. She lives near Houston.
“This is a tool to leverage the excitement of kids,” Lovely said. “We wait until we think they’re ready, and they’re ready all the time.”
Q: Schools across the country have gobbled tablets up. What is it about the tablet? Why do so many kids prefer to paint on a screen than with real paint on a canvas?
A: There’s a couple of things. I could take this from a bunch of different directions, but I’ll try to be concise. The fact that you can take it anywhere and use it anywhere, that’s a huge breakthrough. You can put it in a ziplock baggie and use it in the pool. And the software, the contents are inexpensive. I’m not anti-book, but I’m just saying, we have access to a wide variety of content, in one place. That’s a huge breakthrough.
Q: Hackers hijacked one of your previous websites — one of the millions of examples of people, presumably young people, misusing technology. How can parents keep digital natives from abusing these opportunities?
A: The answer’s actually simpler than you think. You’ve got to teach your moral code — whatever that is. We passed mean notes in junior high because we’re all learning social positions. It comes down to modeling and teaching what your expectations are. The thing is we don’t know which direction things are going in, so it’s really scary for us. And it’s all so public. But the rules don’t change just because we’re online. I tried to hammer it here: You’re still the boss.
Q: Every aspect of parenting is loaded with emotional landmines. You advocate putting a tablet in a preschooler’s hands, but other educators and plenty of moms withhold technology until middle school. Everyone is convinced that they are right. Working in such a volatile environment, how do you stay sane?
A: It’s a part of learning. I should always stop and question what I’m doing. I spend I can’t tell you how many hours experimenting with apps, seeing how it could be misused. Every parent has the job of raising their own children. When parents say they don’t want their kids to have any access, that’s their choice. My job is to share with them what I think and what I know.
Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.
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