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MEDIA EDUCATION: The Impact of

Information Technology on
Children’s Development

C. Lalhmachhuana
Academy of Integrated Christian
Studies, Tanhril, Aizawl.

20th November 2009.


Acknowledgment

Thanks to Divine Intervention School for


Inviting me to present Media Education on
the Impact of Information Technology on
children’s development this afternoon.
Information Technology
What is Information
Technology?

 any technology that helps to


produce, manipulate, store,
communicate, and/or disseminate
information
Functions of IT

 Inform
 Entertain
 Educate
Information
Entertainment
Education
…thus…

Information technology
helps a person to be a
better person if it is use
in appropriate manner
…we will discuss…

The three dominant information


technologies in our life today.

…Can somebody try naming…


The 3 dominant IT in our Society

 Television
 Cell Phones
 Computer/Video Games
TELEVISION
Television Gives Us
 News
 Movie
 Weather Forecast
 Sports
 Advertisement
 Live Telecast of Events
 Travelers’ Guide etc.
Is Television
Good or Bad?
Lessons from America

 99% of
American
househol
ds have
at least 1
TV set.
54% of children have a TV set in their rooms
The average American child watches 3-5
hours a day which means 28 hours a week
What they see on TV…
 57% of TV program contain violence
 Children programming contains 5
times more violence than prime time
television.
 25% of violent acts involve handguns
 Children’s TV shows contain about 20
violent acts each hour
57% of TV program contain violence
Immediate Effect….
 Children can’t tell what is real from fiction
 lack of real-life experience
 believe what they see
 they imitate what they see
 accepting violence as normal
 builds a desire to watch more violence
They Believe and imitate what
they see
Frequent, prolonged viewing of
television by children leads to:

 their diminished capacity for


concentration
 less skillful use of large muscles
 decreased ability to distinguish
between reality & fantasy
Result: Failure in Exam
Television is Good…

When used
with the
instruction
of
Parents
Television is Bad…

When used
by our
own
without
Parental
Control
COMMERCIAL
BREAK
Computer/Video Games
What Game Do You Play?

Your Favorite Game Matters for What you


are going to be…

Be Careful about the Selection of Your


Game
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto
 Game-play revolves around gang warfare
 Heavily influenced by gangster films
 Free-form ‘sandbox’ play
• Steal
• Rob
• Kill
• Mass destruction
Shylo Kujawski caught stealing a car

 Hardcore GTA
fan (tattoo on
the back)
 Is he really
influenced by
the game?
Counter-Strike
Evil Dead
Computer/Video games must be used
appropriately
Obsessive use of video games has been shown to
lead to players spending several hours a day
interacting with game
Obsessive game players have been shown to
neglect certain basic needs and obligations:

• Eating
• Sleep
• Personal hygiene
• Other responsibilities
The Negative Effects of Video/Computer
Games on Children /Teens

 Amount of time spent


 Lost of time on home and school activities
 Visual Problems
 Sleep effects
– Nightmares, difficulty falling asleep
Dangerous than AIDS
 AVIDS (“acquired violence immune deficiency
syndrome”)
Neurological effects (Weber, 2006)

Game players who


committed virtual
violence
displayed the
same kind of
brain activity
pattern as those
who commit real-
life violence!
Questions ???
 Should we avoid computer games
completely?
 Is there any game that helps in
learning?
Computer/Video Games Can Help Children’s
Learning

 Educational video
games have
potential to create
renewed interest in
learner while also
conveying
important concepts
and accomplishing
curriculum
objectives
Educational Games
 Food Force
 Games for Healthcare
• School Food Trust
• Rehabilitation of stroke patients
• Therapy
• Emergency 112 (911)
Food Force

• UN games
about food
distribution
• Several
different
types of
missions
– Scouting
– Delivering #1
– Delivering #2
– Resource
Management
School Food Trust

• Junk
food
makes
you
slower
• Healthy
food
faster
Therapy
• Virtual Reality
Exposure
Therapy
• Controlled
environment
to face
situations
• High Anxiety
• Experiences of
bus bombs
• 9/11
Emergency 112 (911)

• Mobile phone game


• Teaches first aid techniques
 Gameplay
• keep vital functions in emergency situations
• prevent cardiac and respiratory arrest
• know how to access to the medical emergency
services system
Emergency 112 (911)
Warning !! Addiction!!
Teachers & Parents
 teachers and parents were
reluctant to set aside time for
playing games because these
skills were not part of the
assessment criteria
COMMERCIAL
BREAK
Cell Phone
What is Mobile Communications?
 A wireless form of communication in which voice and
data information is emitted, transmitted and received
via microwaves. This type of communication allows
individuals to converse with one another and/or
transmit and receive data while moving from place to
place. Some examples include: cellular and digital
cordless telephones; pagers; telephone answering
devices; air-to-ground telecommunications; and
satellite-based communications.
Satellite-based communications
What is a Mobile?
 A cellular phone is a
portable telephone
that does not use a
wired connection. It
connects to a
wireless carrier
network using radio
waves.
Issues related with Cell Phones
 Mobile phone
radiation and health
concerns have been
raised, because
mobile phones use
electromagnetic
radiation in the
microwave range.
Radiation
Health Risk
 burning and tingling sensations in the skin of the head
 Fatigue (low energy),
 Sleep,
 disturbances,
 dizziness,
 loss of mental attention,
 headaches,
 Malaise (depression),
 tachycardia (heart palpitations)
 disturbances of the digestive system
 Tumor risk
Radiation is emitted by base stations
 People living within
300 meters of GSM
cell towers in rural
areas or within 100 m
of base stations in
urban areas
complained
• Headache
• Sleep
• Disruption
• loss of memory
• Fatigue
The Body is an Electrical Organism
 Heartbeat

 Brainwaves

 Cell Division
Health Effects from exposure to
electromagnetic fields
 Expanding use of
cellular technology
has led to some
speculations that
‘electromagnetic
pollution’ is
causing significant
risks to human
health.
Does Cell Phone Cause Brain Cancer?

the World Health


Organization (WHO) suggest
there may be a
"significantly increased risk"
of some types of brain
tumors after use of mobile
phones for a decade or
more
The investigation lasted a decade
and covered studies of 12,800
people in 13 countries during the
period 2000 to 2004. Six of eight
studies on brain tumors found a
link between an increased risk of
the most common type of brain
tumor, glioma, and heavy use of
mobile phones, with one finding
a 39 percent increase.
High Risk Group: Children & Teenage
Because…
 In 2005, the Journal of the American
Academy of Pediatrics confirmed that
children are especially sensitive to all
electromagnetic fields because their
developing nervous systems are fragile,
their brain tissues more conductive and
their smaller skeletons more easily
penetrated by the waves
Scan Showing Human Brain Cell
Phone Microwave Penetration

Adult | Ten Year Old |Five Year Old


 According to research presented in 2007 by
the American Academy of Otolaryngology,
cell phone radiation incrementally
damages the inner ear, causing high
frequency hearing loss. Those who talk an
hour a day or more, sustain the most
damage
 “Hands-free” mobile
speaker-phones
cause even more
crashes because they
typically emit 10-
times more
brainwave
interference than
handheld units
Finally…
 The Bio-Initiative Report published in
September 2007 by the University of Albany,
New York brings together extensive
findings by medical doctors and research
scientists from the US, Sweden, Denmark,
Austria, China and the UK.
 The report states, in
connection with
wireless devices (cell
phones), ―there is
enough evidence of
increased risk of
brain tumors to
warrant intervention
with respect to their
use . . . good public
health policy requires
preventative action.
 Research published by Professors
Mild and Hardell of Orebro
University, Sweden, in the journal
Occupational and Environmental
Medicine, identified 1,429 people
living in central Sweden identified
with brain tumors in 2 and 1/2
year period (2007).
 An important
section in the
Report sets forth
substantive
evidence that
transmitter
radiation is
particularly
harmful to
children and
teenagers.
Precautions in Some
Countries
New Zealand…

In New Zealand,
cell phone
towers are
prohibited on
school property
because of
possible health
effects.
Russia…
 Russian scientists responsible for public
health have issued an urgent warning
about wireless health damage,
recommending that children under 18 limit
the use of cell phones to emergency calls
only
Canada…
 Canadian officials say that children should
limit cell phone use until health science
catches up with technology
Germany…
 In 2007 Germany
declared that cell
phone usage is
hazardous to
humans.
How Can We Respond?
 Avoid using Cell Phones as far as Possible
 Use SMS rather than calling
Phones that emit less radiation
 1. Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) [AT&T]
 2. Motorola RAZR V8 [CellularONE]
 3. Samsung SGH-t229 [T-Mobile]
 4. Samsung Rugby (SGH-a837) [AT&T]
 5. Samsung Propel Pro (SGH-i627) [AT&T]
 6. Samsung Gravity (SGH-t459) [CellularONE, T-Mobile]
 7. T-Mobile Sidekick [T-Mobile]
 8. LG Xenon (GR500) [AT&T]
 9. Motorola Karma QA1 [AT&T]
 10. Sanyo Katana II [Kajeet]
Phones That Emit the Most Radiation
 1. Motorola MOTO VU204 [Verizon Wireless]
 2. T-Mobile myTouch 3G [T-Mobile]
 3. Kyocera Jax S1300 [Virgin Mobile]
 4. Blackberry Curve 8330 [Sprint, U.S. Cellular, Verizon
Wireless, MetroPCS]
 5. Motorola W385 [U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless]
 6. T-Mobile Shadow [T-Mobile]
 7. Motorola C290 [Sprint, Kajeet]
 8. Motorola i335 [Sprint]
 9. Motorola MOTO VE240 [Cricket, MetroPCS]
 10. Blackberry Bold 9000 [AT&T]
 More information: http://www.ewg.org/cellphone
Do You Know…?
 Human being are the greatest technology
ever made by God.
 Information Technologies are human-made
 You are placed above all the other
information technologies
 Don’t allow IT controls your life
 You should rather control them

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