I remember the first time that my brother and I received a computer. It was amazing, although I was very confused as to what I was doing, exactly. The operating system on the computer was Windows something – the kind that had straight up windows. From this moment on, I have grown up online. I have fallen in love with the quick-paced digital society that we now live in. I am amazed at the things that I can do today that people could not do 10 years ago. However, are there some negative consequences of living in this digital world? Do the benefits outweigh the negatives? Sometimes I feel like technology is taking us aware from who we are. Wow, do I have some socially conservative tendencies?
Negatives:
1.) Distractions:
Scenario: You’re at the table with your friend. You’re pouring your heart out about an important topic. Their text message notification goes off. The conversation comes to a one-on-zero. You are now left talking to yourself while your friends nods and says, “Yah, man.”
I do not believe there is anything more irritating than trying to have a conversation with someone on their phone. It is practically impossible. Now, parents have to institute “no phone time” at the dinner table? This seems ridiculous, but I am guilty of this myself.
Teachers are even feeling the pressure. As one video pointed out, “students should have received a 100% if they paid attention for half of the class, but they didn’t because they were so distracted with other things around them.”
As I type this, I have moved from this screen at least 15 times. Distracted by all the tabs open on top of my browser, no?
2.) Socialization Factors:
I’m finding that more and more students are having a hard time communicating verbally with their peers. However, they will type, type, and type some more online. I understand this is a type of socialization, but the ability for some people to have a random conversation with others, I think, is slowly diminishing.
I suppose, as teachers, we can encourage interactions among students to talk with one another about any given topic inside the classroom.
3.) Grammar:
The group who recently did their lesson online might have hinted at this. Students now believe that since the digital world writes in the new “digital language,” then it is okay from them to write like it in class. To rid the classroom of this problem, teachers need to instruct students from the beginning to write with complete sentences and write correctly. If they don’t, there needs to be some type of consequence.
Positives:
1.) World Connectedness
The thing I like the most, something that we saw emerge out of the 1980s, is how much technology can help us connect to the world. To my generation, this seems like a “duh” comment, but sending and receiving information in previous generations took days, week, and months. I enjoy logging on to Twitter, Facebook, or any news site to find the latest information. Most importantly, I can use this information from these sites in my class to make content relavent to current events. The benefit of world connectedness can also help us connect to different people around the world. This is very beneficial for teachers who want to explore new avenues for information.
2.) Speed:
Being able to find a piece of information is very quick. I no longer have to look in an encyclopedia or search through an index to find an answer. I can simply Google the information to find exactly what I’m looking for. I think this point is pretty understood, but searchers need to consider the message of the author. It is not uncommon for people to be content with the first source that they find. Teachers need to make sure that they teach students at a very young age on how to search creditable sources.
3.) Amount of information.
Google, “The United States of America.” Tell me what you see for search results. Do I need to say anymore?
Wrap up:
I have said this many times and I will say it again. We all need to embrace the change. As soon as children come out of the womb, they are being flooded by a world of technology. A major source of their early education as children’s minds are developing is through technology. I do not seeing any laws being passed that will limit technology “consumption.” So, you can early be a part of the revolution or not. You decide.
Jeffrey Fisher 