{"id":7412,"date":"2024-07-03T13:42:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T17:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=7412"},"modified":"2024-07-03T13:42:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T17:42:25","slug":"internet-over-imagination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=7412","title":{"rendered":"Internet over imagination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1st Place, In-Depth Feature
<\/strong>2023-24, Division 2, News Writing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Katie VandeWyngerade & Evelyn Young
<\/strong>The Tower Pulse
Grosse Pointe South HS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The light from an ipad illuminates the smooth skin of a young face. Each swipe pulls them deeper into endless adventures of digital advancements. The vibrant colors, rapid responses, sharp sounds and clear graphics intrigue the minds of adolescents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking into a room and the first thing you see is a young child with their head down and their eyes locked onto a screen. You immediately assume they\u2019re constantly playing games and not interacting with those around them. Is this true? Six year old Will Wiegand disagrees with this. A lot of the time he is on his ipad, he said, is spent learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like to watch shows and play games where I learn about dinosaurs,\u201d Will Wiegand said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will\u2019s mom, Heather Wiegand, agrees. Her three older children were not exposed to technology at as young of an age as Will is; however, she feels there are some pros that come along with the increase in access to technology with younger children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill developed a keen interest in dinosaurs from a couple different shows and he has retained and shared a lot of what he learns with others,\u201d Heather Wiegand said. \u201cAdditionally, many of the programs he watches expose him to a vast amount of concepts, places, cultures, time periods and experiences that we aren\u2019t always able to give him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although this is the case for Will, this may not be the case for every child. You can\u2019t completely eliminate accessibility. A lot of what kids are able to access on the internet depends on their parents, and how they choose to regulate what they\u2019re able to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOther than trying to monitor it as best as I can, put some safeguards in place and keep him off social media as long as I can, I don\u2019t think there is a simple way to stop the exposure,\u201d Heather Wiegand said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack Wiegand \u201924, Will\u2019s older brother by 11 years, got his first piece of technology in second grade. This differs greatly from Will, who got his ipad in preschool. Jack is aware of this drastic difference and does his best to make sure this new normal doesn\u2019t have a negative impact on his younger brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI definitely think technology and the internet has kind of taken over some kids to the point where they just rather be inside on their iPad or watching TV. This is different from my childhood where I did a lot of stuff outside,\u201d Jack Wiegand said. \u201cI play with my brother often and I feel like this really helps him not feel as attached to the screen as some are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ellen Miller, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Pointe Therapy, the way people, from early childhood to adulthood, develop, navigate and perceive the world has been significantly altered due to the decline in children engaging in outdoor activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re connecting with a screen and an object rather than connecting with a person,\u201d Miller said. \u201cA part of it robs us of those parts of childhood and adolescence that we need to go through to be able to handle the next stages as they come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to interact with people face to face plays a huge role in the lives of growing minds. Heather Wiegand said that having a household full of active children inspires Will and gives him an urge to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo be honest, simply having older siblings around him has been a bigger factor in exposing him to more mature content than simply having access to the internet,\u201d Heather Wiegand said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family dynamic is really the most important factor in protecting young kids from (the cons of technology), Miller adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really does fall on the parents to manage it and to be the ones that are responsible for setting the boundaries, creating a family narrative,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going anywhere. And right now, it\u2019s not slowing down. So rather than say, either you have it or you don\u2019t, if it\u2019s going to be here, let\u2019s learn to relate to it in a safe and healthy way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miller believes that the way we interact with technology will continue to improve through generations. As Millennials and Gen Z become more familiar with technology, and become parents, Miller hopes that they will be more aware of its impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause we know what it\u2019s like to have tech and we know the pros and the cons, we can instill that in our children,\u201d Miller said. \u201cMaking it easier to monitor their usage and be really mindful and cognizant of their relationship with technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although family dynamic and parenting style makes a drastic difference, we can\u2019t ignore the fact that the cons of technology are advancing every day. Miller adds that it\u2019s changing how our bodies are operating from the way our brains are processing what they\u2019re seeing on screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the flashing lights and overstimulating impact, they\u2019re seeing a lot more content quicker and more sensibly than they would otherwise and that can cause a flood of emotions,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWhen you put an iPad in front of a child, their brains are not equipped to put the parameters and boundaries around their use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miller explains how because the access to technology and exposure to things is much more rapid and more accessible than it has ever been, it is fast forwarding through stages of development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re missing some of the key turning points and development because we\u2019re speeding through things at a faster pace than maybe we should be,\u201d Miller said. \u201cBut if we rush through things without taking the necessary time to learn the things we need to learn, we\u2019re not going to be equipped to handle the things as we need to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This loss of developmental stages includes identity development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re still trying to learn yourself, but you\u2019re looking at TikTok and seeing all these other people telling you what you should and shouldn\u2019t be doing,\u201d Miller said. \u201cYou are sort of robbed of the opportunity to stay true to your own voice of what you need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a childhood where you\u2019re able to explore and learn who you want to be and what you like to do is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe prefrontal cortex is the part of our brain that\u2019s in charge of logic and reasoning, and is not fully developed until we\u2019re in our mid 20s. So, when we give something to a six, seven, eight year old, a preteen or a child, their brains are firing quickly,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThey\u2019re meant to learn, they\u2019re meant to absorb, they\u2019re meant to take in new experiences. And that partner with the stimulation of technology is like a runaway train.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the numerous benefits that come along with technology, it is nearly impossible to eliminate the negative effects that accompany it. Nevertheless, there are strategies available to limit and control the drawbacks in children as they are still developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think you just have to have continuous conversations about what the expectations are, how to be responsible on the internet and parents have to be ready to talk with their children if they do get exposed to something,\u201d Heather Wiegand said. \u201cUnfortunately, we live in an age where children are going to be exposed to more mature content sooner than in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NW-11. In-Depth Feature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The entry should be a single story. Judges will not consider sidebars, infographics or other elements packaged with the story. The story must stand on its own. Entries should concern subjects of a substantive and contemporary nature and go beyond the surface facts, give the reader detailed background information with interpretation based upon the facts and background information and often (but not necessarily) an analysis as to its meaning. It is an elaboration of the WHY. Multiple sources are necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging Criteria<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Lead captures attention, arouses curiosity<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Topic relevant to interests and\/or welfare of school or students<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Extensive, intensive and thorough investigation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Effectively combines basics of good news and feature writing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Effectively organized with smooth transitions; carefully outlined<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Proper diction\/grammar<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Balanced and fair presentation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Story relies on information from primary sources gathered\/interviewed directly by the journalist(s); general Internet sources and secondary media reports are used sparingly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    1st Place, In-Depth Feature2023-24, Division 2, News Writing By Katie VandeWyngerade & Evelyn YoungThe Tower PulseGrosse Pointe South HS The light from an ipad illuminates the smooth skin of a young face. Each swipe pulls them deeper into endless adventures of digital advancements. The vibrant colors, rapid responses, sharp sounds and clear graphics intrigue the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[59,4],"tags":[207,21],"class_list":["post-7412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-indepthfeature","category-nw","tag-2023-24","tag-division2","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"PJ Pfeiffer","author_link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?author=15"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6K0n6-1Vy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}