Dear Parents,
I am not a natural DIY expert but do I need to be these days with the ‘power of the internet’ at my fingertips? I have self-taught all manner of home DIY techniques over the years, with my crowning achievement being the cleaning and decarbonising of an oil fuelled AGA in our previous house – all I needed it seems was a screwdriver, spanner and most importantly of all, a laptop and decent Wi-Fi connection so the You Tube tutorial could talk me through the process. It’s not a solve all though, and this past weekend I could find no solution to a stuck sash window that every version of ‘AI’ insisted was because it was paint sealed shut or that warm weather had swollen the wood, neither of which was relevant in the case of my window. The answer therefore was to “call a carpenter” who promptly came round, diagnosed the issue (an errant and dislodged tack in the mechanism) and fixed it within minutes. A lesson therefore to embrace ‘AI’ and all of its benefits but also appreciate that there are still limitations, and to resist becoming over-reliant on the technology. This is a fast-moving world and our young people need educating more than ever about the opportunities afforded by tech but also the dangers, particularly as the learning curve is as steep for us as parents.
To this end, we are looking forward to welcoming Dr Aric Sigman to The Beacon on Monday to talk to Years 5 to 8 about Smartphone use and then follow up a little later at 6pm with a presentation to parents. Dr Sigman has written many interesting and thought-provoking papers over the years specifically regarding the biological impact of social networking, screen dependency in the young and AI in childhood and will be talking about his findings and guidance for parents on Monday. Aric is an engaging speaker who has presented at many schools, both locally and nationwide. If you would like to attend, please sign up HERE – I look forward to seeing you there.
Have a good weekend,
Nick Baker