Obsession with electronic gadgetry unhealthy

Two reports in yesterday’s Nation tell the same story, but in rather different ways. 

It is good to hear that the authorities have now decided against the automatic provision of more IT gadgetry in all schoolrooms, preferring – wisely – to install this additional equipment only where it is really needed.

Other factors can have a greater benefit at school, and these factors also could be enhanced. They include having well-qualified and motivational teachers, having a small class size, having back-up facilities such as a school library, and last but certainly not least, having the active support of parents to encourage and guide the pupil in his studies and his all-round personal development. 

Complementing the “Smart classrooms” report was the unsurprising news that attending a nature camp held in California, where there was no access to computers or mobile electronic devices, has resulted in a marked improvement in the interpersonal skills of the young attendees. The organisers rightly put that down to the participants having more “downtime” available to build up their face-to-face interpersonal skills.

What works at a rural nature camp can work equally well in a schoolroom.

Paul Surtees

Chiang Mai