at last … I’ve made it out into my glorious office and photographed the OHbaby! mag which houses my article about Technoference. Oh, friends and gentlegeeks, if money (and courage!) were limitless I’d rush off to Rome for the World Infant Mental Health Congress in May next year. Just to hear Jenny Radesky and her “Digital Media in the Dyad” prez. Swoon!
But alas … I’m neither rich enough NOR am I sufficiently brave. Travel often feels pretty daunting. I managed a trip to Canada last year, communing with other disciples of the Gospel according to Bruce.
But a foreign language, another whole continent away? For a New Zealander to even think about Rome you’d have to pad it with ages either side, to justify the costs. Both the monetary expense and the time. Uproot the whole family for a good month. Spend as much as it’s going to cost to fix the laundry/kitchen conundrum.
Too much, too soon for this geek.
Ah … a wise local recently reminded me: for everything there is a season, etc.
For today, I’ll stay home with an ailing teen and tend to some office time.
First … may I share some links?
I’ll start with some light reading for the nerdily inclined … a paper published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s by Jenny Radesky and others, and then an awesome longread article by the Guardian about smartphone addiction … the dude who invented the “Like” button and his peers all send their kids to schools without screens.
Mark my bloody words: To learn to think creatively enough to be able to build such immensely complex and innovative things as iPads and apps and pull-down refresh functions. … you gotta have a childhood full of relational richness and hands-on play. Nature and sunshine and eye contact. Opportunities to lose yourself in discovery and enjoyment.
Meanwhile … what are we like?
Honestly, I could go on all day.
Between the angsting about technoference (think of the children! And not just to sell stuff to them!) and the all the coveting I’ve been doing (WANT and WANT) I’ve barely had time for much else. School holidays are over, of course, which changes things a bit.
Speaking of schools, there’s been another conversation about teaching values/life skills (dare I say it! Social and emotional intelligence stuff!) in the classroom. I’m kinda all for it, but remind us all that amazing things like Roots of Empathy, and the Nurture Groups, and other cool things exist. We can call on existing ideas with evidence based results. We can do better than dodgy posture and other forms of self harm. We can find ways to heal.
We bloody well ought to. Digital focus, my eye.
Life, eh! What, ho! What a ride.
