The Victorian Internet is a story of the Telegraph and it’s pioneers. In class we discussed technology and it’s positive and negative consequences. As we internalize technology, it promotes thinking and logic with the spread of information. It also expands interaction and the world gets bigger in the sense that we are able to interact with people further and further away. This is true of the telegraph. People could now reach distances across the oceans and communicate easier with cultures and societies on other continents. But with this also comes social and cognitive consequences. Human nature remains human nature no matter what the technology is. Good people use technology and bad people use technology. Also, the slow nature of social change does not keep up with the quick changing nature of technology and this causes negative consequences. This is a cycle that happens over and over again through the ages as technology replaces technology.
In the big picture, it easy to recognize this cycle. But living in the midst of it, I don’t always recognize it. There are times when I am resistant with my own children when they are on their devices. My logic tells me that moderation and balance are good but I fail to see that my perception of moderation and balance is “old fashioned” compared to what it is today. Also, in my classroom, why can’t my students use a calculator to multiply or divide large numbers? That’s what I do in real life. Or, why can’t my students go on the internet to look up a definition of a word they don’t know? That’s what I do. Priscilla mentioned that when we are the experts, we bring along all the consequences associated with new technology. I can’t hold children back because of my perceptions. I need to keep them up with the change. Technology solves problems but brings on problems, too. I need to stay conscious of that and always remember and teach students to remember the ETHICAL when keeping up with technology.
I think helping students keep up with the change is a good point because with new technologies come new responsibilities and children have to understand how to use these tools if they're available. At the same time, they have to understand how to use them for positive reasons as meaningful members of society.
ReplyDeleteI agree that human nature is always the same. New technology develops faster the we can create social norms for. Some people will always find ways to use tool in unethical way to get ahead. This is why we need to teach our children ethical decision making.
ReplyDeleteYour entire post reaffirms the need for the PICKLE! Students must be challenged to solve numerous problems (learning problems, and problems with the technology itself) in an ethical manner. In our day and age, we are seeing this duality of technology play out in our society. There are negatives like hackers and cyberbullying, but there is also an increased awareness and flexibility created by technology. These problems can be solved by both human action and software based solutions, but it will be up to technology leaders AND their students to work on how the negative problems are addressed.
ReplyDeleteI agree and struggle with the same things you mentioned in your post. It comes back to the "why" questions that drive instruction and asking ourselves what is important for students now and in the future. I know you are on the right track with setting the expectations of balance and purpose for your students.
ReplyDeleteAfter last class I had some of the same questions you mentioned in your post. How much of our "moderation rules" are just resistance to new tools? Are we actually limiting our students sometimes? And I think part of the answer is in the affordance analysis. When we think through what a tool brings to our classroom, we can start seeing how our students can use and how it will enhance our instruction.
ReplyDelete