The Montessori White Papers - Volume 4: Digital Technologies and Development

By Laura Flores Shaw

Digital technologies have changed our lives. At home, at work, and at play, we spend more and more of our time interacting in what sociologist Manuel Castells calls "the space of flows": the disembodied digital networks connecting people in the same house and around the globe. And as the engines of innovation motor on, these technologies, or "screens," will only continue to bring more changes more rapidly-changes we can't at this moment even imagine. Our response to these changes is similar to every other generation that has experienced major technological innovation: moral panic. We're panicked that digital devices are wiring our children's brains for inattention; that violent video games will create a violent society; and that smartphones are making our adolescents depressed and suicidal. While to a certain extent this panic is understandable, we have to stop and ask ourselves: Does moral panic help us prepare our children for the digital age? Or does it nudge us toward binary no-screen-versus-screen choices, influencing us to perceive our children as blank slates rather than complex people with innate tendencies and their own agency? And are the concerns that fuel our moral panic even true?This volume of The Montessori White Papers examines these questions, providing evidence from research without unhelpful moral panic. If you're interested in how to effectively guide your children in the digital age, this volume is for you.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1983880582
• ISBN13: 9781983880582
• Release Date: January 2018
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 62 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.1" x 6.0"