This week, I've read a lot about the age gap in terms of attitudes towards technology. When it comes to attitudes regarding cell phones, the internet and the use of technology in the classroom, viewpoints are normally split along age lines. I know this is a bit of a generalization, because we do in fact have professors who embrace technology, but these are some of the first adults I have encountered who have had a positive attitude towards the use of technology in the classroom.
For instance, my grandfather launches into a tirade every time my cell phone rings, let alone when I pick it up. Blasphemy! I think I'll hold back from telling him about using cell phones or blogs in my classroom for fear that he might have a heart attack. Either that, or he'd just think 'Blogger' was America's hottest new microbrew.
I think because a lot of adults are ignorant of what a wiki or an RSS feed is, they respond to this ignorance not with an open-mind, but with anger or resentment. I kind of sympathize with this ignorance because I feel that many adults, including my parents, feel left behind by the (rather precipitous) rise in the amount of technology used in everyday life.
I often feel resentful of the fact that students get cell phones at younger and younger ages and the use of 'lolspeak' in daily conversation and I count myself among those who were raised in the age of technology. But, all this has got me wondering, when I'm a parent, will I understand?
At the same time, because most school administrators are older than their students, I think this anti-technology identity takes on a life of it's own and we end up with policies that completely ban cell phones or filters that neuter the internet to the point at which it is utterly useless. Is this really the way to go?
In other news, I actually taught my boyfriend a little about RSS feeds. If all of my celebration points weren't taken up by the fact that I finally finished that inane Substantive Conversation assignment, I'd allocate a few for this monumental event.
School's. Out. For. Summer.
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2 comments:
Stephanie
I'm so pleased to read that you are not letting current school policies make decisions for you about technology and technology tools for learning.
You bring up a great point about cell phones and 21st Century technology...Age is a factor (although not always as you smartly pointed out). There is a great article on this exact issue called Digital Natives/Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky. The point being that people over the age of 20 are Digital Immigrants---not born into Cell Phone culture (but having to adopt)...while Digital Natives (19 and under) were really raised in this culture and are more comfortable with it.
First, I'm sorry that you had to complete the Substantive Conversation assignment...that one was painful.
Second, I agree with a lot of what you said about cell phones in the classroom. I often find my self conflicted about whether to have them use their phones for things like brainstorming. I really worry that once they take them out I will have a hard time getting them to put them away and how do I make sure they are participating and not texting their friends? I don't think there is an easy solution to this but I'd rather try it and have to deal with the few that abuse the privilege than never try anything new and creative.
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