Today,technology receives more than just a casual mention in most parenting handbooks and mommy blogs. Parents of school-age kids are in a particularly muddling spot as their kids begin dabbling in digital devices both at school and at home. Insome cases, parents report that their kids know how to navigate tech better than they can. At the same time, parents aren’t always sure how to introduce technology to their kids in a way that’s balanced, educational, and fosters growth and development.
According to the Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima, the government targets to fully digitalise about 3 500 schools countrywide within five years in an effort to enhance e-learning and quality education.
The
projects are part of a country wide push to prepare students for a world that
is increasingly driven by technology.
By age 7 or 8, most kids feel comfortable using devices like smartphones. The age you’ll want to introduce kids to devices like these understandably varies from family to family.
Speakingat the pilot national digital learning programme was launched yesterday at Daluka Primary School in Lupane, Minister Professor Paul Mavima, said “This issponsored by Profuture Spain working with World Vision Spain and Zimbabwe whohave committed to provide e-learning devices such as tablets and servers with content.They are providing at least 48 tablets and laptops as well as audio visual equipment and a projector per school.”
Profuture
of Spain is working with World Vision Spain and Government to provided digigatal
learning to school with funding of $150 000 for the programme.
“We
are very happy as they have committed to do 60 schools here in Lupane and 40 in
Gwanda which is a very big number, but I have challenged them to do all schools
in Lupane,” said Prof Mavima.
It’s a brave new world out there on the wide, open internet. Primary school may be the time to start teaching kids about best practices for browsing the internet, engaging in forums or chat/messaging and using social media even if you don’t plan to permit them to have a public-facing profile until a certain age. Establishing a healthy relationship with technology early on helps kids have an ingrained sense of appropriate online behaviors as they progress into their teenage years.
