The Computer Issue
Categories: Léo’s Insights 2024-2025
As previously mentioned, Education Unlimited has been at the forefront of digital technology usage since our very beginning. In fact, my wife, Faye, and I were the first to perform our facilitation duties as a couple while using one of the first laptop computers available. This presented us with the ability to complete all our reporting on site without needing to retroactively make changes or later type things into a computer. All this when the rest of the home education world was still using pen and paper.
Most families were unmoved when it came to us using our computer, with the exception of the Mennonite community. The first time I removed our computer from its case in a Mennonite home, the mother quickly gathered up all her children and sent them to their rooms. Apparently I had unknowingly exposed them to something evil. From this initial experience, we learned to ask permission BEFORE taking our laptop out of the bag so parents could take the necessary precautions to “protect” their children.
The requirement to ask permission eventually faded, as digital technology became more common, but many families from this religious sect still avoid the use of computers and associated technology, confusing their own fear of the unknown with technology being evil. Knowing fear can be easily exploited, there is a home education provider that has found the perpetuation of ignorance to be an attractive sales gimmick. Unfortunately, this agency’s promise to avoid the use of computers is in contradiction to the fact that all business transactions are now conducted digitally, including education. It is shameful that anyone would want to manipulate ignorance to their advantage, but it can and does happen.
Today, in a rather confusing manner, folks believe they are immune from the internet’s negative influence when they avoid digital technologies; however, they think nothing of having cell phones which are easily a hundred times more computer than my original black and white laptop. The contradiction between what is being said and what is being done are legion and amazingly unrecognized. It is ironic how avoiding the use of modern digital technology to mitigate the corruption of the children has led to an entire generation of young people lacking the proper training in its use, resulting in the very problems the digitally fearful wanted to avoid in the first place.
The moral is simple: We are to prepare our children for their future, not our antiquated past, regardless of how that future may frighten us. We should be equipping them for the reality of this age, in addition to sheltering them from it.
Previous Post: Who Has Your Back?
Next Post: Where To Sit