Monday 9 March 2009

How can I persuade my family that spending lots of time on the computer is ok?

This afternoon my mum said to me, "You spend way to much time on the computer" and then she said, "It's no good for you." I then said, "Look at the benefits, it is helping me with my education and improving my skills such as communication."

I use my laptop almost every afternoon/evening and I feel that since I got an Apple laptop I use it even more.

What else can I say to persuade her?
How often do you go on the computer and for how long?
What do you think the benefits are and do you think there are any negative effects?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

What would you do instead?

I spend a lot of time on my computer sometimes up to 7 hours, I dont see that as a bad thing. Computers used all the time at school from taking the register to creating fims (even maths are using them in there lessons).

Me said...

I can see where my mum is coming from, the technology has improved so much from when she was a teenager and now she thinks that i spend to much time on the computer which is quite understandable, how ever if i didn't have my computer i would probably read more books, watch more tv, play more board games, and certainly socialize a lot more.
but if you think about it you can do most of those things on the computer.

Jon said...

I must say that since I have used a Mac my time on the computer has increased. I think this is because I use it more creatively than I was able to do with my PC. I don't feel passive when I am working on the computer like I sometimes do when I am watching TV. I also like the feeling of being connected to other people via the computer. I spend a lot of time working on the computer, rather than relaxing. When I work late, I sometimes find it hard to switch off and go to sleep. I think you should encourage your mum to read Steven Johnson's book "Everything Bad Is Good For You". The biggest argument for spending time on a good computer is that it can enhance your creativity. There is no doubt that your generation have grown up as digital natives and think about the world in very different ways to us old folks. However, you must be careful that you maintain a balance. Beware the feeling that you "have" to get your laptop fix.

Anonymous said...

Why do people feel more creative on a Mac rather then a PC?. - Just wondering...

Anonymous said...

because Mac's are made for Creativity,
al the applications on a mac are built around learning if you think about it.
well all teachers are using them.

Mr Nicholls why do you use them in lessons?
would you prefer to use a PC?

Anonymous said...

I have had this argument lots of times and belive me I do love macs... (this is a geekey conv) but I am just wondering what is the huge diffrence you can get a PC with the same CPU power, RAM and HDD size for about £500 less then a mac book pro. Also the Adobe range is multi platform. Its not a bad thing macs are cool! Just was wondering what makes people like them more?

Anonymous said...

this wasn't a geeky convo till that comment lol
there were a lot of numbers in that lol

but yeah i see that they are both really good in different ways, if you want to edit a film then mac's are probably better but if you want to erm (sorry this may be hard i don't use pc's) erm (sorry i got nothing lol) I just think people find Mac's more fun to use

Amber Rowe said...

Too much of anything is bad for you.

Soren Hawes said...

I think it might be worth thinking about ways of sharing your work so that people have the chance to see the results of your labours and also include them in the creative decisions you make so they feel more involved.

Mr Hawes

Me said...

I might do that Mr Hawes.