By Matt Williams

There is no argument that technology has changed the way we absorb information and interact with others. As a father of three, technology has also changed the way my wife and I provide opportunities for our children. We are always looking for ways to expand their horizons and to expose them to a wealth of experiences.

As transplanted Texans to Cincinnati, our children keep in touch with their grandparents through e-mail, a webcam, and soon I am going to encourage our seven-year-old to blog about his baseball season.  Even our one-year old e-mails. It looks a little like this: 34ndf weru80 ehjdjp but it is the thought that counts, right? Technology has helped to bring our family closer to our loved ones as well as teach our children that the world is a mere mouse click away. Some might grumble that it is not the same as face-to-face communication, and no, maybe it isn’t, but it can deepen relationships, provide a platform for frequent and varied contact, and help our children cultivate technical, communication, and written skills, which are all foundations for success in the 21st Century.

Our family computer (and sometimes my laptop) has become a hotbed of exploration. Often our seven-year old will come home from school wanting to research further something he learned that day in school. Recently it was killer whales and polar bears. It was a wonderful opportunity to research online what the two animals eat, their migratory patterns, etc. Our daughter became fascinated with Groundhog Day, so we used it as an opportunity to dive deeper into the world of Punxsutawney Phil. Together, we’ve constructed PowerPoints (we use the open source office suite, Open Office,) made movies, and of course played games. We have used Lego Designer, which allows for a kid (or adult) to design a Lego creation online, print it out, and construct it in real life using real Legos. These are the fundamentals of engineering and architecture being played out in my house. It really is a whole new world.

Our family’s plunge into a more technology rich world has also allowed us to gain greater insight as parents into our children’s likes and dislikes, communication styles, willingness to experiment, ability to logically tackle tasks, and solve problems.