Technology is good for kids

What if we didn’t have technology? We wouldn’t be doing this blog and I wouldn’t be able to get to know you great people. I agree that video games can be bad for kids. But technology is so much more than video games. Without technology researching, keeping in touch with friends, spreading the gospel and even learning another language would be much harder. Therefore, I believe technology is good for kids.

Before we get started let me define the words good and technology. I’m arguing that technology is good for kids. Good means effective, easier, faster, beneficial and helpful. For this debate I am defining technology as the internet and everything related to it. I believe there are many ways technology is good for kids but I will focus on the areas of education, spreading the gospel and learning new languages.   

Education is made easier through technology. When kids write an assignment in a notebook only their teacher will see it. According to John Page technology allows kids to share their information through: powerpoint, digital photography, video, web based school radio or TV station, digital music, website or even their own blog. Students need piles of books, pencils, notepaper, binders and the list goes on and on. All those things can now be put on an iPad. Instead of carrying ten to twenty pounds of books the students can slip a less then one pound iPad into his/her backpack. Many times students find it hard to be organized with all this stuff, technology allows them to be more effective.

Spreading the gospel has become easier with technology. Mission groups use catalogs, websites, blogs and Facebook pages to spread the gospel. The gospel is also spreading fast and even faster with technology. Now kids are given the chance to buy chickens, ducks, goats, soccer balls and even fishing poles to share Gods love with others all over the world. Walt Wilson, founder and chairman of Global Media Outreach said “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this device (cell phone) is where we will present the Gospel to every living person on the earth in the next 3-5 years.” Technology is also allowing us to give U.S. troops a chance to hear the Bible without having “the Bible”.  Faith comes by hearing is a ministry that has worked so hard to translate the Bible into almost 900 languages. They have developed The Military Bible Stick. It is an amazing tool that brings the word of God to U.S. troops. The Bible Stick is an audio player the size of a pack of gum. Technology is allowing for the spread of the gospel in many exciting and far reaching ways.

Technology has advanced the learning of languages. Kids around the world are learning new languages everyday, through programs like Rosetta stone, Fluenz.com, Duolingo.com, Livemocha.com and Babbel.com. Kids can learn any language they want by just looking up “How do I learn different languages?” "There are more people actively learning a language through DuoLingo than in the entire US public school system," says Luis von Ahn, founder of the free language learning app. These apps and websites are filled with color, sounds, voices, videos and pictures. The websites walk the student through the world of languages. Instead of kids sitting in a boring classroom watching a teacher talk for hours they can see pictures, hear different sounds, different colors and cultures through these websites. Now kids want to learn different languages instead of counting down the seconds until their class is released. 

Education, spreading the gospel and learning new languages are just scratching the surface of what you can do with technology. While all things can be used for evil we can’t let that keep us from using it for good.  So many opportunities are provided for learning and spreading the gospel through technology that we must see this as good. Kids need opportunities for education and hearing about God’s Kingdom. Technology can provide this more effectively than just pen and paper. Therefore, we must conclude that Technology is good for kids.

Natalie Hawkins