In the opening, it is said that all of this technology has snuck up on us. That is the absolute truth to it. Look back ten years ago and I was using a computer maybe once a week. I wouldn’t have even imagined needing my own computer or a cell phone, let alone a smart phone. My brother was born ten years ago. By the time he was eight, he had his own cell phone and laptop in which he used all the time. Digital Natives provides insight to how such immersion in technology makes us feel like masters of multitasking while at the same time, it is probably distracting us far too much.
Kids reportedly spend fifty hours a week with digital media. “Geeks are normal now.” When I hear this, I think back to my little brother. When I ask him if he’s been spending time with friends, he tells me that he has. My next question is whether he goes to their house or whether they go to his and he looks at me strangely and tells me that he spends time with his friends online. While I always thought I spent far too much time immersed in technology such as videogames or instant messaging or text messaging, I look at my brother and worry because he far exceeds me in what I feel is somewhat a bad habit.
What fascinated me in the beginning of Digital Natives was when the professor talked about how he gave an exam to his students that he allowed to have laptops in class. He said that the question would have been easy to answer if his students had been paying attention and focusing on the reading and the in-class lectures. He said that the mean score was 75%. The thing is, students think that multitasking is one of their strong suits. “All multitaskers think that they are great at multitasking.” I would say that too, but deep down, I know that I’m saying it to excuse how much I multitask. I took my Praxis exam this past week and it was numbing for me to just focus on the simple computerized test in front of me. There was no cell phone, no internet, no games, no media, and no noise through the sound dampening headphones. It is a feeling akin to being thrown out into the woods without supplies or tools. I felt out of my element. But, what do I do when the media element that I’m comfortable in is both addictive and harmful to my learning?
The South Korean portion of the video was eye opening. It deals with the idea of internet addiction. I feel discomforted when my cell phone is dead or removed from my person. Some people will go into internet withdrawal when they go camping or just have to go a short period of time without it. It actually deeply stresses people out. They can’t go without the fix.
One of the interesting things is wondering why we feel like we need internet or cell phones for interaction. When it was said that it is because we are dropping out of contact with people, I couldn’t agree more. When I don’t have my cell phone, I worry that people can’t get in touch with me and I don’t even know it. I feel like I’m letting my friends down.
Thing is, the world is a technological world. As teachers, we must find a way to correct some of these problems while still immersing students in the medium that they are most comfortable in. That’s what I hope to get out of this class - to use technology to excite students about learning. I understand that this is instant gratification that is very distracting. How do I balance the pros and cons of technology in the classroom? I can only equip myself the best I can in order to be an advocate for my students.
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