Digital gadgets are electronic devices that require electricity to operate. Ironically speaking, the immoderate usage of Ipads, smartphones, laptops, android tvs., tablets, smartphones etc. makes us unsmart. They are ubiquitous. Checking notifications constantly on phones has become modus vivendi. There must be a stricture on their usage for the commune bonum. A Deloitte study has indicated that electronic gadgets will become indispensable for the posterior anon. Our prime minister rhapsodizes about digitalization and National Education Policy gives a lot of consequence to smartphones. However, just like many other inventions, the devices have their merits and demerits as well.
Let’s discuss their pros. Innovative abilities, innovation adroitness, creativity and strategic cerebration can be enhanced in young children by these devices. Digital mode of payment, on line sale of products, digital books, you-tube classes etc. are some of the bright aspects of digital devices. The usage of computers and phones has eminently ameliorated communication between users several miles apart. The games in the devices develop cognitive learning and enhance the evolution of analytical deftness. Manual dexterity and computer literacy is enhanced by using computers. Students are galvanized and learning becomes easier, if teachers use these gadgets. A lengthy documentation task is expedited when computers are utilized. Several persons at different locations can hold a meeting, using a computer with internet facility and microphones. Hand -eye coordination, aplomb, and precision are evolved when a plethora of computer games is mastered. Websites functioning like virtual stores are used by consumers to order products, diminishing the cost of incepting businesses. Engineering and Mathematical adroitness are developed by certain intensive games. Certain perilous tasks are executed by robots, thus diminishing menace to human lives. Areas inaccessible to humans are cleaned by tiny vacuum cleaners. Trainees are safeguarded from fatal accidents by auto-pilots allowing the training of pilots in real-life situations. The digital technology proved to be a boon or a game-changer during the lockdowns. Even in the world post-lockdown period, it plays a pivotal role in our day-to-day life. The on-line classes and on-line work from home are a boon to us. A lot of QR codes[ for further resources] are furnished by our state curriculum. The research by London School of Economics revealed that constricted usage of digital devices, especially phones, enhances the academic performance. The digital technology aids in accruing erudition and is an ocean of data.
Let’s discuss the cons of using them. These devices being non-biodegradable effectuate pollution. Noxious electro-magnetic rays causing fatal diseases are emitted by some devices. Precious time of children goes down the drain. Violent games make children pugnacious. Sedentary life style and poor time management are brought about as people fetishize electronic gadgets. Burnt gadgets emit toxic substances. Electricity consumption is spiked while using gadgets, leading to a hike in electricity bills.
The UNESCO recommended a universal ban on the usage of digital devices at schools, vindicating that it was imperative to rein in classroom commotion, ameliorate learning, and safeguard children from cyber bullying. The Directorate of Education, Private School Branch, Govt. of National Capital Territory of Delhi, has accentuated the urgency for all stake holders such as students, parents, teachers, and principals to come to a consensus to minimize the usage of electronic devices in the school environment to perpetuate a high level of learning and ingenious ambience in classrooms. But we abuse it more than we avail ourselves of these. Its relentless usage stultifies us. They have made us sloth. The UNESCO has implicitly admonished against an irrational rush to embrace digital products in educational institutes. Its report highlights that mere proximity to digital devices diminishes the concentration level of individuals. Students are easily tempted to check notifications. They play games and remain preoccupied with social media, leading to the wavering in their focus on studies. Parents should be vigilant about this at home too. It is an open secret that the radiations emitted by a plethora of digital devices are deleterious to health. They bring about ocular ailments, auricular ailments, and even cancer. Psychologists postulate that digital devices being addictive in nature can impede the development of concentration level and social deftness, and effectuate aggravated anxiety and mental ailments. The digital devices have impacted children and adults so much that they tend to lose sleep. They are so much addicted to such devices that if they don’t use it frequently throughout the day, they tend to evince emotional, mental, and behavioral issues. They get peeved and evince mood- swings. The ubiquitousness of digital devices at schools will raise disparities among students belonging to different strata of society. Students with access to the latest digital expensive devices will have an advantage, while those with limited resources or privileges might suffer from inferiority complex or feel stigmatized. It will stimulate larceny of devices and jealousy too. Thus, the environment of the school will be vitiated. Even adults fall a quarry to these devices. They are swindled by on-line scammers and coquettes. Their bank accounts are hacked. Cyber-crime is on the ascent. The viewership pf pornography has gone to a different level. People have more facebook friends than real-life friends. Socialization has taken a back seat. Very few children and adults go to parks or fields for recreation. They love to dwell in the digital world. They are detached from nature and society. So, a medley of ailments plagues them. Huge amount of money is spent on digital gadgets to buy and repair them. It renders a middle class family financially-straitened. It’s high time we struck a balance between dwelling in the digital world and the real world. Speaking broadly, If the balance is lost, we will have to pay the piper. Ipso facto, they are more noxious than beneficial. They should not be banned at schools or anywhere root and branch. Schools and parents have to play an instrumental role in this regard.
