Next week's
Fred Forward Conference boasts a compelling schedule of presentations and discussions about the role of media in kids' lives. But perhaps the most crucial will be the conference's final session on Mar. 23: a discussion about potential changes to the
NAEYC's position statement on technology and media use in early childhood.
The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)'s position statement, which currently dates from 1996, is designed to guide early childhood educators on how and when to integrate technology into early childhood learning. Our technological landscape has, of course, changed dramatically in the years since that statement was released. Progress has been fast and furious, and a lucrative market for educational and "educational" children's media has bloomed.
Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that children under age two avoid TV viewing, screen time has become a way of life for many of the nation's babies and toddlers. It seems especially crucial right now to ask exactly what role technology and media should play in children's lives and how best these children can be served by it.
This conference, which aims to keep Rogers' wisdom and values at the forefront of children's media in the 21st century, seems the perfect place to explore the subject. Part of the genius of Fred Rogers' long-running television series, "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," was its deliberately low-tech approach.
The show ran from 1968 to 2001. As the decades passed, quick-cut editing and splashy digital effects became the norm in children's television. But even into the 21st century, Mr. Rogers' living room remained a place where the camera slowly panned from one place to another, just as a child's own eyes might do. And the hand-crafted puppets who populated the Neighborhood of Make Believe were never replaced by CGI animation.
Participants at the conference will be able to propose language for the NAEYC's new national position statement, which is being development in partnership with the Fred Rogers Center, and can expect a spirited discussion about this controversial topic.
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Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Bob Fayfich, Fred Forward
Image courtesy of Family Communications