The Arthur Interactive Media study argued that digital technologies can be useful for conversation and reflection to promote character development in students. The goals that AIM focuses on are empathy, honesty, forgiveness, generosity, and learning from others in order to develop a positive social and emotional character. In the AIM project: “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh,” students are able to interact with the story and give their own responses to the situation which gives them the chance to reflect on everyone’s feelings. In the NPR “Doras Lasting Magic,” the creators of Dora emphasize all of the well-thought out details that go into developing an interactive show for children while also representing a very large portion of the U.S. population.
Throughout my k-12 education, my school didn’t have the funds to provide every student with a laptop, so my school’s curriculum focused on traditional textbook lessons. My school also solely focused on teaching academic subjects and not on whether their students were getting along or not. 10 years later I am given the opportunity to tutor a third grade classroom and I can see how that curriculum has changed into giving students the freedom to navigate educational programs/ websites on their laptops. The school I work for also has an emphasis on pro-social interactions between students, in and out of the classroom, in their curriculum. When I compare the students that I tutor to the classmates I had in grade school, my students are a lot more emotionally communicative and socially mature. They can address their problems in a safe manner (communication) while also acknowledging the other person’s feelings (listening). When they do not attempt to follow this process, their teachers remind them of how conflict can be appropriately fixed. At home, I remember practicing my second language with Dora’s help. As a kid, I thought it was simple to make a show like Dora the Explorer, but as I listened to the podcast, I realize that shows like Dora are a result of the social and political climate at the moment.
If digital interactive programs are statistically improving children’s social and emotional development, why does research continue to argue that the media and TV time is bad for children?
Graciela Rivera 