Our grandson, Locke, is going to have a birthday soon \u2014 coming up on six years old! Claire has inquired as to what he\u2019d like for his birthday, and at the top of the list seems to be a watch. Of course this being 2020 and well into the digital age, he doesn\u2019t want just a regular watch \u2014 he wants a \u201cfitbit.\u201d Now before we go any further, let\u2019s get this our of the way \u2014 I readily admit that I\u2019m an old fogey and often don\u2019t understand or appreciate modern technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not sure I really know what a fitbit is \u2014 I think it does tell the time (among other things) but my major problem is that it displays the time digitally. Both faithful readers know that my first watch was a Mickey Mouse watch, and of course it was analog \u2014 not digital. You can check the archives of this site if you\u2019re interested in the details my first watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But back to Locke \u2014 I have nothing against \u201cfitbit\u201d kinds of \u201cwatches.\u201d But \u2014 I think everyone should be able to tell time on an analog clock \u2014 just like I think everyone should be able to read and write cursive. I may be, but I don\u2019t think so, not the only one with that opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most everyone, including kids, love digital tech. I\u2019m sure that Locke can read time on a tablet or maybe even on the microwave oven, but staying focused on a digital interface he misses out on the benefits that come from telling time on an analog watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teachers agree that there are long-term benefits to introducing kids to analog watches early on. I think some of the \u201cadvantages\u201d of learning to tell time on an analog watch include:
It instills the concept of the passage of time \u2014 numbers changing doesn\u2019t, by itself, convey a progression of time, it\u2019s just numbers changing. I think an analog watch illustrates this better.
Telling time in words is better matched with a dial \u2014 if a digital watch says 8:15 pm then it\u2019s not immediately obvious why this is pronounced as \u201ca quarter past.\u201d It\u2019s much more obvious on an analog watch.\u00a0
And \u2014 kids do need to learn to tell time the traditional way anyway, so there\u2019s no better time than the present, for their first watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Locke\u2019s parents and me aren\u2019t necessarily on the same page on this. They\u2019re thinking \u201cfitbit,\u201d and I\u2019m thinking it should be a watch with 12 numbers (and 2 or 3 hands) on the face. So we\u2019ll compromise \u2014 we\u2019ll get him the \u201cfitbit.\u201d
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Our grandson, Locke, is going to have a birthday soon \u2014 coming up on six years old! Claire has inquired as to what he\u2019d like for his birthday, and at the top of the list seems to be a watch. … Continue reading