Educational Influences of the Modern Environment on Children
Technological progress influences how people work with information, learn, and behave in society. In economically developed countries, society services, digital media, and information technologies surround modern man from early childhood. As such, one can expect that today’s students quickly embrace new realities as they grow up. These children are more open to using modes of education based on personal autonomy and high speed of content consumption. Ultimately, new ways of learning affect children’s behavioral patterns, making them more resilient and capable of multitasking at the cost of becoming less patient and more malleable.
In particular, younger students favor interactive and fast-paced styles of learning. Szymkowiak et al. (2021) surveyed 498 Indian children and adolescents aged between 11 and 17 and found that students from this age group prefer self-directed learning via mobile apps. In that regard, a new generation of students values freedom of time and place provided by media and information technologies (Szymkowiak et al., 2021). As digital natives, the first generation born into easy access to society services and information technologies, modern-day children crave flexibility and freedom in learning.
Behavioral Impacts of Today’s Environment on Children
Regarding behavioral outcomes, the evidence of exact changes stemming from early exposure to social services, media, and information technologies is relatively scarce. However, researchers managed to implicate specific neural pathways in children and adolescents who actively use social media. In particular, peer influence seemingly affects modern youth more (Gottschalk, 2019).
For instance, adolescents tend to like “popular” photos more, even if the images depict risky behaviors, such as drinking or smoking marijuana. In addition, more “liked” photos produced greater activation of the visual cortex, meaning that youth might pay more attention to popular content (Sherman et al., 2016, as cited in Gottschalk, 2019, p. 20). As such, an educator should be aware of the power of peer influence in modern children and be ready to use it in the educational process.
References
Gottschalk, F. (2019). Impacts of technology use on children: Exploring literature on the brain, cognition and well-being. OECD Education Working Papers, 95. Web.
Szymkowiak, A., Melović, B., Dabić, M., Jeganathan, K., & Kundi, G. S. (2021). Information technology and Gen Z: The role of teachers, the internet, and technology in the education of young people. Technology in Society, 65. Web.