After watching the Shift Happens YouTube video, I have to say I was a little shocked. It was incredible to see just how much time we spend watching television, on the internet, and sending text messages. Although these technologies are convenient, I feel that perhaps we are taking a leap into something that is making us unsocial. I am a little old fashion and believe that taking in person is the best way to get to know someone and cracking a book open is better than just using Google. Email can be so impersonal. Of course there are many cases where the internet is ideal, but I believe that it is not the solution for everything.
It is amazing to think just how far we have advanced over the years. We have gone from the days of horse drawn buggies to cars with built in navigators. With the world rapidly transforming, one has to wonder what is next? How will we change the world for the better? It is strange to think that we can connect the world together with the click of a button, yet we cannot solve world hunger. We may not be able to solve all the problem in the world, but it seems to me that we could do so much more instead of playing on the computer.
2 comments:
These are some quotes gathered by David Thornburg~ I always wonder if there is ever a "best" time or if it is really only dependent upon when you felt most comfortable with modern tools. I feel that what technology has afforded humans most powerfully is communication. It just isn't the kind I was used to when I was younger. What do you think?
Students today can’t prepare bark to calculate their problems. They depend on their slates which are more expensive. What will they do when their slate is dropped and it breaks? They will be unable to write!”
Teachers Conference, 1703
Students today depend upon paper too much. They don’t know how to write on slate without chalk dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?”
Principal’s Association, 1815
Students today depend too much upon ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.”
National Association of Teachers, 1907
Students today depend upon store-bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. When they run out of ink they will be unable to write words of ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education.”
The Rural American Teacher, 1929
Students today depend upon these expensive fountain pens. They can no longer write with a straight pen and nib (not to mention sharpening their own quills). We parents must not allow them to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of learning how to cope in the real business world, which is not so extravagant.”
PTA Gazette, 1941
Ball point pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American virtues of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Business and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.”
Federal Teacher, 1950
This is a fun list of comments. We can go all the way back to the Greeks, who created the first written language, and doomists were predicting that that will be the end of our memory--we'll have to rely on the written word. Technology does have its pluses and minuses, and we have to find ways to increase the benefits and minimize the negative consequences. And we won't be wholly successful, and the world will continue to spin...
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