Hello Everybody, my name is Destiney and I am addicted to technology.
*Claps* "Hello, Destiney."
*Claps* "Hello, Destiney."
Even though my brain did not really function at too high of
a level in class today, there are a few thoughts I would like to get out before
my brain shuts down for the night (its not even 10:30pm yet..uh oh)
In class, we talked about the efficiency, the quantity and
currency of information, the organization, excitement, and the standardization
of technology in our age; but we did not address the expectations that come
along with those qualities.
I think that one HUGE aspect of technology is how readily available
it is to the average..again, average person.
We answer emails on our phones because we can
We text because we can,
We Facebook because we can
We Google because we can
We do everything but call people because we don’t have to!
I mean…why actually speak to someone when you can just have
an impersonal text-based conversation that has no emotion what so ever? (except
for those who use emoticons incessantly, like myself J) Because WE CAN!
On a personal level, I am embarrassed to say that I am
attached to my iphone like its an appendage. I don’t want to be but in an age
when you don’t have a landline and are never home I feel as though I don’t have
a choice (in reality I do, let me be honest with myself). We also mentioned in class that we give up on discussions because we
can simply Google the answer to a question, so much that we’re losing touch
with the conversation.
So the point of all of that was to address the expectations
that come with everyone having technology. We all expect everyone to be easily
accessible, everyone will respond in a timely fashion to everything. When
shockingly! This is not the case. I am making it a personal mission to not be
as accessible as I normally am..which is proving to be quite difficult for me
as some can imagine.
So kind of in conclusion, I think we as individuals and
especially as teachers need to pay close attention to the delicate balance of
technology within our everyday lives because if we don’t keep it in locked down
we will have tv shows like “Intervention iphone” or something before we know
it!
I appreciate the fact that you are taking the challenging step of more closely examining your personal tech habits, Destiney. Whatever you ultimately conclude, I'll wager that your thinking/decision-making about how/when/if to use so-called "everyday technologies" in your teaching will be much the richer for this more nuanced perspective. Sometimes making a small change like this can be illuminating for us personally, but it also can offer great ways to unlock the philosopher in your students.
ReplyDeleteI have a few people to recommend for "Intervention iPhone."
ReplyDeleteI think we should re-visit this topic and this post in a couple of months and see where we are all at with tech in the classrooms and, possibly, with BYOD opinions and policies at our intern placements.
I like the points you bring up. For all the emphasis on being "real" and engaging in dialogue, there seems to be far more emphasis on computers and phones. I appreciate your points regarding "because we can". It reminds me of the WDSLS chapter...we're just innately lazy when it comes to thinking. Maybe this is no exception.
ReplyDelete