OK, I am a dinosaur. I agree with the premise of the use of technology in the classroom. Our students must be able to use technology in order to become proficient tech users. Also, I know the jobs of the future will require these skills; however my concern is that our children are going to grow up not being able to communicate face to face with people. They will not be able to discuss, work cooperatively, and disagree civilly with real people because they spend their time, daily for many hours, plugged into something.
I drive down the road and see children hooked up to DVD's. I eat in restaurants where children are gaming at the table. I walk through stores and teenagers are plugged into their IPODs. Where is the communication occurring? What happened to talking to your kids? People are so busy with their everyday lives working, playing, eating, and sleeping. When do they communicate with their kids. It used to be driving in the car and eating. Mealtime used to be the greatest time to see how your kids day went: what did they learn, what did you and your friends do today at school, or did anything exciting happen today. I fear that all of this us of technology, possibly misuse, is contributing to the downfall of the family and our children's future.
As a teacher of kindergarteners and first graders, I see our children coming to school not academically prepared. They lack pre-reading skills, normally obtained through "lap time" with their parents. I can not remember the exact number of "lap time" hours our kids should have to get them prepared for school, but it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 plus hours.
Integration of technology into the school and family.... YES, but do not replace face to face communication.
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You make great points. There definitely needs to be a balance and many employers of the "wired" generation are expressing concerns about their non-digital communication skills. I remember having conversations with students about the proper way to speak and write for a variety of situations. So the conversations we need to have with this new generation of students must include the topic of a balance between digital and non-digital communication. Will there be a time when we never have to speak to people face to face? I hope not!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observations. We have to find a balance between the use of technology and the ways we communicate with one another. In fact, I have already seen this happening in and around town. For example, at the L.J. post office, drive-thru windows posted signs, "please turn off cell phones" when entering building or drive-thru. It's a shame that our community feels the need to post signs for the public in order to have "communication etiquette" while conducting business.
ReplyDeleteI am excited after reading the introduction. I am hoping that this class will launch me into the 21st century of technology. One of the reasons listed on page 2 of teacher comments and frustrations,"I know technology is important, but I just don't have time to learn all of these programs" has always been my frustration. My husband says, "I learned how to use that program at work". I have never had the opportunity to learn programs at work. My learning time is in the evening when I am tired and worn out from the day at work, plus my evenings are normally spent doing "wife and mom" jobs. I am counting on this summer of technology giving me the resources and experiences to launch into technology and its integration into my school job.
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