Shapiro is a world-renown expert on digital education. However, too much of his argument would appear as if he is convincing his (ex) wife that cake is ok for breakfast. Good analysis of the fear of technological change, and he could have delved more into those comparisons to soothe parental fears of digital experience. Overall, too utopian, not focused on problems. It seems to enable bad behavior only to connect with his own kids.

The aim of the book is to make sure parents are all right with children getting hooked on playing video games and having all kinds of social media. That is crazy.

As Shapiro writes in the middle of the book (a theme he starts and ends with btw): ''Begin using social media with your kids. Let them get an account even if you think they're not old enough. Don't wait for them to ask. You are kore than just a gatekeeper. Your job is to prepare them. Parents need to introduce children to digital social media spaces early and with clear intentions.....When my kids were toddlers I read them Mr. Pine's Purple House. As preschoolers I introduced them to the Star Wars movies. And we played New super Mario Brothers as soon as they were physically capable of working the controllers. I wasn't just sharing the things I loved, I was also actively shaping their personalities. I was introducing them to an aesthetic sensibility. I was exposing them to a set of values, tastes and preferences that are expressed through specific tool set.'

We played Super Mario Brothers too - as teenagers, but frankly thinking and saying in a book that you will learn something from Marios is simply stretching it a bit far. Just when the world is warning of the dangers of over-emphasis on gaming technology and facebook / selfie culture that is leading to isolation, depression and anti-social behavior - not to mention the physical problems (eyesight, changing brain chemistry, shoulder and back problems), Shapiro comes out with a book giving the opposite reaction. You can either take his view or that of medical and social scientists and developmental psychologists!

I'm totally on board with Shapiro here. He makes the case that technology is a medium. It is one way we interact socially, and we better learn how best to use and navigate it because it is here to stay. It is not to be feared in and of itself. It is a tool that when used smartly can greatly enhance our relationships within our families and out in the global world. Shapiro uses the history of technology to give context to our current advances and provide guidance to embrace these tools to love one another better and expand our world.

This book is an interesting and in depth examination about childhood, its evolution, and what that means for parents in this digital age. Full of insights into what exactly children are learning through digital media and why it is that parents tend to be so adverse to their children using it. Definitely a must read for parents, caregivers, and anyone else helping to raise kids today.

THE NEW CHILDHOOD by Jordan Shapiro is subtitled "Raising Kids to Thrive in a Digitally Connected World" and will certainly get attention from the subset of parents who are troubled by this issue. That, in fact, is one of my concerns with this book: Shapiro includes many examples, but does he adequately profile all types of children and/or a wide set of parents? He writes in a rather conversational -- sometimes almost "preachy" and repetitive – style. For example, he points out "one of the first things kids learn during their school careers. They adjust to what it means to be 'on the clock.'" By challenging my thinking about school bells as a factory metaphor versus a monastery setting, Shapiro actually prompted me to reflect on what about the "sacred" are we losing? Is the increased exposure to technology and constant alerts related to the idea that mindfulness is becoming more and more a part of the school day?

I did like how Shapiro structured this book – with chapters grouped under headings for Self, Home, School, and Society and with "takeaways" provided at the end of each chapter. Overall, I am respectful of this author's perspective and experiences with Sesame Workshop, Brookings Institution, and Temple University, but I did not see any truly concrete suggestions – at least in the "school section" which was my focus. Shapiro's comments are provocative, though, and THE NEW CHILDHOOD could make for an interesting all school read. Here are a few quick quotes that merit reflection, especially about future logistics:

"Schools need more interdisciplinary activities that provide students with opportunities to extract information from mixed data sets and turn it into knowledge that becomes relevant in unexpected contexts."
"Our current education system teaches kids to see themselves as rigid vessels. But the world demands that they be porous membranes."
"Education can no longer focus on destinations, milestones or fence posts. Now, it's all about bandwidth. And, therefore, we need to assess children's flow capacity rather than their retention."

Again, I wish that THE NEW CHILDHOOD had provided some actual examples of these ideas being applied. He says, "We are preparing people to receive data, to decode it into information, and to exchange it as knowledge." Certainly thinking about Junior Theme, I feel that we do this now. Could we do more? Yes, and we keep talking about ideas (e.g., how to exchange reactions amongst students to their new research), but don't our students also need a basic, foundational understanding, a commonly accepted set of terms and tools in the academic disciplines? That is the tension.

This was interesting. I've got two kids under the age of four, and certainly there's an ongoing question of how much technology/media/screen time they should have. (There's also a lot of should-ing in the parenting world, but that's a different conversation.) I appreciated the perspective here that it's important for kids to learn how to navigate the current world and the technology they'll need to know how to use, but at the same time, I don't want to lose the value in being outdoors, interacting with other humans, and picking up a real book, so this was a mixed bag for me. Interesting read, though.

A thought-provoking book that opens the mind to the benefits of technology in childhood growth as opposed to fearing it. I have paraphrased the text that compares the responses to the first printing presses to today’s screens. Get this book...in any format... study it and know.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this author made some valid and provocative statements about today's kids and the digital age. The author believes we should allow kids to play video games and interact with technology the same way we would play outside and play with our toys. He states that video games allow kids to focus, interact with others on a global scale and motives them to be critical thinkers and innovators since video games works a different part of the brain.

While I certainly agree that computers and technology is the future and we need to train our kids to be able to navigate that world, I still feel we cannot fully disconnect from the physical world. We still need to interact with people, appreciate nature and explore the real world. How else would we care about it if we don't take the time to live and enjoy it.
Still a compelling novel.

This was a very thoughtful and interesting take on parenting in the digital age and I quite enjoyed reading it - although after a while the chapters did feel a bit repetitive...

As the parent of a five-year old, I do struggle with screen time and competing ideas about allowing my daughter to explore online and wanting her to explore the "real" world, and Shapiro provided a thoughtful and provocative take on these ideas. His anecdotes about his own experiences were heartfelt and engaging. His factoids and history lessons were informative and interesting. His takeaway messages at the end of each chapter were great summaries. BUT, the chapters themselves are not that long and the takeaways felt like either cheat-sheets or repetition. I found myself skimming them because the longer bits of detail and history/personal story were where I found most of the enjoyment and value in the book.

If you're looking for an insightful and thoughtful commentary on modern childhood experience, it's a great place to start though... It made me think about my own opinions and biases in a different way, and consider not only how I approach electronics and social media with my children, but why I do so - a perspective and question I had honestly never given much thought before. As a parent, I found that invaluable and worth a little repetition...

Video games and the digital world are not going to go away. They are part of our lives, whether we like it or not. The New Childhood made me think. I think that balance and guidance when dealing with children and the digital world is best. The hard part is figuring out what that balance should be. This book says a lot, but does not really offer any concrete guidelines about what the balance should be.

#TheNewChildhood #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of this book.
The New Childhood is an excellent read. It's for anyone who's ever questioned a child's addiction to technology or their need to be connected to it at all times. The psychology of how our children function in this decade and probably beyond is a real eye opening education.