outdoor
just a g
ame
As technology develops, we keep moving further and further away from
our environment. As we gain the ability to do things we could never do
before, we also lose the ability to do things that were once second
nature. For example, your ancestors were brilliant trackers who could
follow a kudu for miles over rocky ground. Yes, they were. If they
hadn’t been, you wouldn’t be here. But we no longer need those
skills, so we lost them – ooh – a few thousand years ago.
And, more recently, but still not exactly yesterday, Socrates
It’s ser
ious –
it’s
bemoaned the invention of writing, saying it would “create
forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use
their memories. They will trust to the external written characters
and not remember of themselves.” He went on to say that it
gave users “not truth, but only the semblance of truth”, and
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learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will
generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company,
having the show of wisdom without the reality”.
Uhm, are we talking about Socrates and writing here,
or are we talking about the Luddite fringe whingeing
at kids spending all their time playing computer
games and watching TV? Both, I guess. And what it all goes to
show is that new technology does change the way we perceive
the world, how we interact with it, and what skills we end up
mastering. But what does that mean in the real world – in the
playground and in the classroom? I think it’s safe to say that
the increasing use of computers by children is likely to result
in learning difficulties to much the same extent that reading
and writing did in Ancient Greece. By that, I mean it will
have an impact – and some of it may well be negative,
but some will be positive too. It’s also a fact that exposure
to electronic gadgets and gizmos should not be at the
expense of time out – time outside, play time. Real play
time, unstructured, creative, independent play time.
Let’s face it, that’s probably one of the reasons you moved
to an estate – so your children could ride their bicycles
to their friends’ houses and play outside, something I
took for granted when I was growing up. As a child I
spent ages with my two best friends trying to dam the
LANDSCAPING
that “they will be hearers of many things and will have