I have just read the Alan November article. I really enjoyed reading this, it puts our "relationaship" with technology in a different way.
I really like how he asks: "What relationships do you want to have? and What technology do you want to have?"
This is something that we face daily. How do we want people to see us and how will we make them see us that way?
This goes back to my Did you know 4.0 post about posting your life on facebook.
You decide at that point that you want people to know you life and your going to use facebook to air it and probably use a computer and of course a smartphone to get it onto facebook.
This really makes us think about all of the technology around us.
I chose to have a smartphone because I felt the need to be connected to everything, I like to know NOW whats going on. My dad on the other hand refuses to get anymore than a regular phone because he does not want his whole life to be in his hand, he wants to leave work and leave it there unless of course hes on call.
I also really appreciated his discussion of: If your going to teach students to use the internet teach them how to think and discriminate.
This I love because I feel like it forces us to really use our brains to figure things out in a time when many think that technology has taken that from us.
In one of my previous college classes we had the same "If its on the internet it must by true" idea and we found this website that backed the idea that the Earth is flat this is a group of people with a .org site (which we have all been taught that if its .org or .edu site its probably good) still promoting the idea that the world is flat. While it is ok to think as you please you need to have a student that can look at this and know that there is all proof that the world is in fact NOT flat but is Round. A student not thought to think critically and discriminate could find this site as fact as the authors example of the student believing the Holocaust was a hoax.
This was just a really amazing article, I could probably discuss it for a while but I will spare all!
Good thoughts Sasha, Even thought I have a smart phone, I often resist the urge to be completely connected all the time. I find, perhaps like your father, that I need a certain amount of space to effectively process the information that I choose to assimilate.
ReplyDeleteI have been duped by the "if its on the internet it must be true scenario" too! I have had a smartphone for about a year and a half and I find it's really helpful to have google maps and email all the time. I never realized how attached I had become to my smart phone and constant internet connectivity until my phone broke and I had to take a regular loaner phone for a few days until they shipped me a new one..it certainly has its advantages but I hadnt realized how much it had taken over my life until it got taken away!
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to be forced to think critically when it comes to determining whether a website is accurate or "truthful." We're doing so much with technology without even thinking about it anymore. How often do we hear about people making mindless mistakes with technology? People drive and text, or type impulsive emails to their bosses on a bad day and end up in a position that could have been easily avoided if they'd only thought about it. This training is important!
ReplyDeleteI like that you discussed how the internet is full of false information. This is something I addressed in my blog post as well.
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