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Book Review of
Failure to Connect
Summary Critique Bibliography & Endnotes
Failure to connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds -- and What We Can Do About It, by Jane Healy, is an ambitious book that looks at North America's ongoing absorption and uncritical fascination with technology. As an experienced educator and a devoted researcher Healy brings her expertise and mountains of data together into a sizable book, that grapples with a complexity of issues involving technology and the classroom. Part position paper, part exhaustive checklist this book has a slight identity crisis, but it discusses some extremely important and timely issues.
The main thrust of this book revolves around the malleability of childrens' minds and the unproven, yet seemingly promising, nature of technology. Childrens' minds adapt to, and adopt ways of understanding, perceiving and engaging the world quickly and permanently. In the early stages of the development of a human being, the senses and neurological processes develop according to the patterns of stimulation in the environment. Healy believes that we must be careful of the type and kind of stimulation involved, or we may bring up children that are very different from ourselves. For example, a child that is exposed to computer use from a very early age may develop into an emotionally incapable visually oriented adult.
Technology, according to Healy, is too readily accepted, and uncritically adopted into our classrooms. She believes that technology does hold promise but mostly the promises it holds have been unrealized and unverified. Understated within this important element of Healy's argument is the unquestioning value society places on new technology. A society that seems to follow the axiom:
If it is new and it has plenty of bells and whistles then it is good. If it is good then it is great for our children.
Healy does not disagree that computers, and other advances in technology are ‘wondrous’, and have a tremendously positive impact on society. However, after two years of research in U.S. schools, she has determined that we need evidence before we support widespread funding, and computer use, on a massive scale. Especially when that funding diminishes the already meagre resources put to the arts, music and recreation in the classrooms of today.
Finally, I believe I can accurately conclude Healy's main argument. We think technology will be good for our children, but what if we are wrong. There is no evidence that computers will turn our children into bright shining geniuses, therefore we must slow down, spend less money and consider the consequences of computer use in the classroom. We have high expectations based on promises that are wonderful and enticing but these are largely unmet and probably unachievable! In addition, we may be causing more harm than good. Very young children can be harmed developmentally if they are 'taught' by computers. The young (ages 4-8, or 4-12) should not be exposed to computers; they have too many important things to learn.