Since we had articles online to read, I want to talk about them in this blog. The one that I identified the most was The Multitasking Generation. This article talks about how people are age are overwhelming themselves by having too much going on. I think that my schedule can sometimes be seen as hectic, but let's face it, schedules have to be if we want to get everything done. The article says that people are surrounding themselves with too much visual and audio stimulation in times where concentration is needed. When I'm working I usually have a DVD playing in the background, my phone by my side, and most times or not, Facebook will be up. My attention is diverted between all those things quite a bit, but when I sit in complete silence, I find that I will daydream and have my attention elsewhere considerably more than if a DVD is playing. The article also says that we need to cut down out technology time. This is something I agree with. In my house, if we're all home, we eat at the table. And when we eat, no one is allowed to have their phones out. We try and have a family night at least once every two weeks so that we're not 'roommates' but a family. The only difficulty is, when we live in a technology based world, and the majority of the work that we have to do is online, how do we cut that down to a manageable time? We kind of can't.
I think the article Don't fear the Digital is one that represents students and young adults more fully. Digital technology isn't making us dumber, it's making us more capable I think. My parents are fairly good with computers because computers where becoming household items when my parents were in their twenties, but cell phones and new technologies...they're not so good at. When my dad first got a camera phone I had to show him how to take/send pictures. When my mom got her first mp3, I had to show her how to upload music and save copies of the songs so they wouldn't be lost if her library got wiped. I still have to show my grandpa how to work his DVD player. My skills like, writing, have improved because I can type at about the same pace I think. New technologies aren't destroying students; it's all about finding a healthy balance between technologies and real life interaction, that will make a student successful.
The last article On your Mark Get Set, Wait, is about technology and special needs. My research paper was about using assistive technology with visually impaired students. I have to agree that teachers should have a better understanding of new technologies before they are thrust out into the workforce. Not every student is going to have the same abilities or the same learning styles, some may need technological help. If teachers aren't able to work that into their knowledge base, then how can they be successful educators.
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I like how you talked about your parents and how they deal with technology. My mom absolutely hates the computer. She and the comp do NOT get along. I always have to help her with it, and she's gotten better, but she still would rather throw it out the window. I guess some people are just stubborn. Teachers definitely need to be able to work with the changing technology.
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