Technology - Eww

To be honest, I seriously HATE technology. It may have short-term benefits and may make life a little easier for some, but I really wish we could all live like our indigenous ancestors. Life back then was so much simpler; eat, sleep, and partake in spiritual rituals. Sure, we would have to hunt, fish, or farm for food, but we would all appreciate it a lot more, and we would certainly be a lot healthier. We would be living off the land instead of trying to conquer it by spilling our technology’s pollutants into the ground, water, and air. There may even be an occasional war, but it would be over something meaningful, like food, instead of something that civilization gave meaning to in order to keep our technologies running (money/oil). Besides, if there ever was a quarrel, it could be easily settled with a gathering around the peace pipe. I could go on and on about how badly I wish I were hanging out in the forest right now getting ready to go on a week long buffalo raid with my good friends, carrying a hatchet-like weapon and wearing minimal clothing made out of bear skin, but I know that the technology we’re discussing here is supposed to be about the modern classroom.

So, since we’re stuck in this time period, I took the quiz and only answered about half of the questions correctly. I thought “wiki” was an abbreviated term for “Wikipedia,” “smart mobs” were a group of really tough Russians that like to read and solve crossword puzzles, and “modding”…well, I don’t even know how to translate the definition. I have played video games, but never online, nor do I know how, this is officially my first blog, and I used to instant message when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. I definitely think that some technology can be beneficial for the classroom. But more often than not, it seems like there is as much time spent trying to figure out how to use the technology than there is actually using it. In my field placement, if our teacher can’t fix a problem on the computer, she asks one of her 2^nd grade students. Learning technology seems to be a lot like learning a second language: the older you get, the harder it is to catch up to those that are fluent. In this sense, it seems like I am still in the “emergent” stage of technological fluency. Although I grew up in - “Generation-D,” my parents bought an old black and white screen computer from my uncle when I was in 7^th grade, and I didn’t own a cell phone until I was a freshman in college. On the other hand, today’s students are using the same technology I am trying to learn how to use as soon as they enter their first classroom, and there are rules preventing them from carrying their cell phones in school. There is no doubt that they are “digital natives.” As a result, as they are emerging in their literacy skills, they may be simultaneously emerging in their technological skills. In order to get through today’s world successfully, it seems like we will need to teach students both types of skills.