Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis- Michael Wesch
As I read both of the articles this week I thought about my own technology use and how it affected my life now. I thought about how I like to always have my phone with in reach, how my iPad sits beside my bed, and my computer is always charged up waiting to be used. I thought about the social media side of the equation. "Texting and e-mail and posting let us present the self we want to be. This means we can edit. And if we wish, we can delete. Or retouch: the voice, the flesh, the face, the body. Not too much, not too little - just right." (Turkle pg. 2) I thought about how I present myself to others through social media. I am a pretty avid use of Instagram and Snapchat. I love photos, and I love seeing what others are doing through photos and videos. I still use Facebook for communication and organization of events. Do I use technology too much? Could I go a day, a week without my phone? Tablet?
I'm in awe of technology and also scared of what it might become. I think that we use technology in so many wonderful ways and their have been amazing advancements because of technology. But I also worry about people loosing their ability to communicate with each other.
Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education are great examples of positive uses of technology in the classroom and Technology in Education: A Future Classroom is a great example of what technology in the classroom might look like in the future. I agree with Welsh that we need to help "students recognize their own importance in helping to shape the future of this increasingly global, interconnected society..." (pg. 7). The internet and technology has done so many wonderful things for our society, creating a more global world. I think it is important to incorporate technology into the classroom, because it is the way of the future, and it is important that we set our students up for success, but at the same time we need to make sure that our students are well rounded and still can carry on discussions and conversations with other people.
Jenny,
ReplyDelete"Do I use technology too much?" I think that is a question that I asked myself. I think it is by default that we are constantly engaged with our devices. For example watching a television show/commercial which promote their hashtags, facebook, or have apps for Android and iPhone, enables us to be constantly around social media. I know certain shows that I watch engages me in using hashtags and twitter and want to share my comments with others.
So when I asked myself the same question if I use technology too much. I guess there is no right or wrong answer. I use technology more than my parents, but I don't use technology as much as my students. I think comparing yourself to generations looks very different. I am seeing a pattern of exponential growth in the future. What will the conversation be in 5 years or 10 years? I am sure the landscape of the tech world will change drastically in the coming years.
Jenny, I really loved the quote you pulled from Turkle: "Texting and e-mail and posting let us present the self we want to be. This means we can edit. And if we wish, we can delete. Or retouch: the voice, the flesh, the face, the body. Not too much, not too little - just right." (Turkle pg. 2). I think this is such an important aspect of social media (or any media or text for that matter) for students to keep in mind. I worry so much about the images that bombard teenagers about what is "expected" from society and what is "normal" - especially young girls. During student teaching, my group of junior girls were angry with me when I tried to have them analyze the covers of Seventeen magazine. They were excited to look at magazines, but struggled to see how pervasive cultural norms influenced their definitions of "beauty." Of course, there have always been some type of sources advertising this, but now with computers on our wrists (my friend has a crazy internet watch!), it is inescapable. Especially as an ELA teacher, I want to encourage kids to see the world through critical eyes.
ReplyDeleteJenny, you used the word retouch...and I'm thinking how true that is. We "retouch" not only our pictures but our words as well. It's like we are trying to present a perfect version of ourselves to the world. I guess this is ok, as long as we are aware that we are doing it. Which I think we all are...but why do we need to portray ourselves as perfect/flawless??
ReplyDeleteExactly Brittany...we edit who we are. It is not authentic. And I think you bring it a step further by suggesting that this ability actually ties into the ideal of perfection our society is so obsessed with.
I also agree with you Jenny that we need to find a balance...between technology and conversation. And I'm not quite sure what this balance is going to look like in the future but I think it definitely needs to exist.
(Sorry this comment is a bit jumbled!)