Well, I do enjoy technology, but I also have to wonder why so many people waste so much of their time with technology. I appreciate how much my life has been changed for the better, time saved, easier communication, faster services, etc. by technology, but I worry that many humans (especially teens) are disconnecting themselves from other humans by connecting with machines 18 hours+ a day.
I love my cell phone, but only use it about once or twice a day. I enjoy digital photography, but still like the unpredictability of film. I like the portablility of an MP3 player, but don't listen to it when I am with other people. I guess what I'd like to see is a balance...but I don't think kids today understand, nor are they getting enough guidance to teach them how to find this balance between relating to humans as well as technology.
So that's my vent. Love it, hate it, but we can't live without it, technology is here to stay!
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3 comments:
I agree with your assessment of technology and balance.
While I agree with the balance part of your post, it does make me think of David Warlick's assertion that the true essence (& power) of web2.0 tools is precisely that they do promote communication. For example, he states that millennials' gaming is less about the technology and more about the story. As always, he puts it so well:
"They are tech-savvy, adaptive, fast learners, always connected, and ultra-communicators. The children in our classrooms today are a species of learner who can see, hear, and speak through walls and around the planet."
(http://davidwarlick.com/wordpress/?page_id=62)
I often have to stop myself and wonder if there's something more that I should be learning from my students rather than the other way around....
I agree with everyone! Thus, I'm a bit conflicted. I had the wonderful opportunity to have lunch with David Warlick at my first CUE conference years ago, due to a fluke encounter with someone I used to teach with who was presenting at the conference. I know, TMI. Regardless, the man helped turn around my thinking about technology. I had previously thought of it as an isolating, time-consuming, somewhat evil thing (think teenagers spending hours in front of a videogame), but have come to realize that technology can be just another form of communication. It isn't going away, and as they say, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." We're all joining up by participating in this School Library Learning 2.0 experience. Hooray for us!
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