Has TV made kids smarter, or has it made kids more dumb by taking them away from

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   Shil1978posted 15 years ago

   Has TV made kids smarter, or has it made kids more dumb by taking them away from books?

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   CaribeMposted 15 years ago

   I think it's a matter of what kind of programs they see and how they (their parents and others around them) approach to TV programs. Some programs may get children interested in history, science and culture, among other topics; in other cases it may also encourage them to do some research.
   
   On the other hand, I believe that to develop a culture of media literacy is better than to ban or censor the media or to not allow children to watch TV.
   
   TV should not be view as a "nanny", neither children as a pure uncritical consumers or repositories of TV's contents and styles. Instead, TV may be seen as a potential tool for learning, and children must be encouraged to develop a critical thinking about what they see and hear in TV.

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   Antionette1167posted 15 years ago

   I know that some people refer to the television as an idiot box, honestly, I believe that it depends on the program.  There are some programs to help further childrens learning, and of course there are some that are just for entertainment, but its the parents responsibility to authorize what their children is watching.  If they don't then I believe they can't sit back and say they blame the media.
   
   Im not saying that the children can learn everything they need to know by just watching TV, because I know that can't happen.  Programs such as Clifford, Blues Clues, and Dora can teach how to share, count, and even how to solve minor problems.  But, their are limits to what the programs can teach children. And, that's when the parent's or guardians have to step in and take action.

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   Wayne Brownposted 15 years ago

   Television and moreso video games have not significant improved the imagination of our children.  Television has done some good thing and I suppose the same case can be made for video games.  In either case, I don't think the good is related so much to imagination.  Children of my generation took simple toys and created a world of make believe around it.  It was a world that existed in detail only in the mind of that child.  That exercise allowed us to apply that ability in later years to the books we would read, those we might write, etc.  Today, reality television has replaced much of the other types of programming.  Video games are detailed and anitimated beyond anything we could have ever imagined.  We can even get some systems that allow us to become a virtual particpant in the game.  I think this ultimately detracts from the process of imagination much in the same way that "texting" has undermined the face to face communications process.  Thanks. WB

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