Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Thoughts about the video "Digital Nation"
I'm not surprised that mutil-taskers think they are great at multi-tasking when in fact they are pretty bad at it. There is nothing that can replace the quality of work receives from being focused on one thing.
Maybe that would be a wake-up call for these college, high school and even middle school students. however, once in college, these adults are on their own as far as altering their behavior. And that is where I think a failure is evident in setting the tone for kids that live at home--younger kids, from k to 12. It is the responsiblity of the parent to make sure the computer does not completely engulf their child to the point where it becomes a health issue. If technology is not reigned in, then it does affect student learning in a negative way. Yes, technology is fun and can be used for exciting games and a time to either connect or escape, but for students, it should be used in equal time for learning, without it getting out of control.
Yet it is very easy for technology to get out of control. In Chapter 6 of the video, it is said at the start "I'm on my computer 24/7. It's kind of sad, but also kind of a good thing that we should embrace the technology we have." No, we should not embrace the technology in the way that it is being used, if we are on it 24/7, or if a person gets the shakes when their blackberry is out of arm's reach.
Once again, balance is the key. The pendulum was swung too far to the technology side. Maybe it will take the next generation or two to pull back, once the allure of technology immerison has waned.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It will happen. The pendulum will swing back. It seems to be the story of this country that once something new becomes available we use it, and abuse it, until we can't anymore without thinking of the consequences. But, after that initial period of total absorption, we pull back a little bit, moderating ourselves and giving more thought to how we can best take advantage of this new technology, rather than beating it into the ground.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to imagine now, but there will be a time when students discover that they can turn off their phones and shut down their computers. Then they'll go back and sit themselves in front of the television sets like in the good old days.
I have to agree with the video where they said, "I'm on my computer 24/7. It's kind of sad, but also kind of a good thing that we should embrace the technology we have.", because technology is our future. Maybe not 24/7 but we all have use of some sort of technology 24/7....our cell phones, ipods, and even our cars!! Technology is all around us and our world is adapting to this technology so in order to keep up i feel we should embrace the technology that we do have. Nice Post!
ReplyDelete