Play has been considered a child’s main activity where he learns many things about life. Seeing his parents, teachers and adults using the digital technology, he is exposed to this stuff and will also use them either at a young age or later. Hence, he and all other children become digital natives or citizens, growing up with technologies as a domesticated aspect of their modern lives in the 21st Century kind of living.
At the emergence of the digital age, digital play has been introduced and used as a cultural context for the growth and development of young children at home, in the school, anywhere. It all started when a transistor was invented as researchers say.
There have been a lot of viewpoints regarding the exact nature and purpose of play. Research targets the direction of theorizing digital play and understanding the convergence of traditional play with the technological activity as a form of digital play. Early childhood education is directed towards digital citizenship. Now in this regard, I am thinking my place or status- Am I a digital native or a digital immigrant? Whatever. I just like to recommend that the use of digital technology, internet, games, apps, and other mobile devices won't hinder and hamper- social interaction, focus in the school, reading books, going to church and/or fellowships and family life, most especially in helping and doing the household chores. And by the way, may I just add something? I am a literacy advocate. In this connection, my upcoming book, "The Joys of Junior" is all about the natural and traditional play of the child. The boy, the main character here, is not much on digital technology that commonly dominates children's lives nowadays. Anyway, the boy is open to get tech-savvy very soon. Technology, after all, is here to stay. He will be into it pretty good and he'll engage himself in it, and do well at the right time and place. I recommend that parents and educators should guide and monitor the child's activity especially when he and other children out there play, getting the right combination of traditional and digital play at home and in the school and wherever they go.
- Lucy Lombos,
Children's books author, Memoirist, Novelist and Academy Directress/Teacher
