Looking at the cover of this book gives me goosebumps. While i agree that, yes, my generation has become quite obsessed with new technologies ( take a look around the quad, more than half the people you would pass walking to class would have an Ipod, cell phone, or PDA out ) I would not go as far as saying that you couldn't trust us. It's a bold statement that I am not willing to take laying down.
"those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
- George Santayana
I am a firm believer in this statement. Our country has gone through so much change and growth over such a short amount of time, that to forget where we came from and how we got here is absurd. Without history we would be lost when it comes to making decisions about our future, whether its to make a good change, or correct a bad one. We would never have a black president without the civil rights movement and we'd be speaking a different language if we had allied with a place like Japan during WW2. When a survey is conducted and a good portion of people my age can't answer these questions correctly, it makes me have to agree with the basic premise Bauerlein is bringing to attention.
In contrast though, I do have to say that my generation has a lot going for them. Education programs around the country are using these technologies to help us better understand the information that is coming at us. By using new technology to introduce and teach America's youth it is allowing more students to become interested in new topics more than they would be if a blackboard and chalk were in front of them. The people in the following video are real students and educators opinions of how technology is helping us.
Yes, we are more inclined to 'google' something if we do not know the answer, but once we do search it we are capable to apply it to other sources of knowledge that we have acquired over time. This also ties into the idea of an "information overload" that was discussed in Culture Jam. If so much information wasn't being thrown at us at one time maybe we'd be more inclined to remember more of it? Just an idea.
I feel as though the generations above us are putting too much emphasis on what we do not know, and not enough on what we do know. Yes, saying that American Idol is more important than knowing who the speaker of the house is, is out of hand, I do believe that we are not as "dumb" as you may think. We are making positive changes in our country and have been for awhile. We are more capable of finding a cure to a rare disease than we were even 50 years ago. Without technology, and our knowledge/ "obsession" with it these advances would be dismal.
So yes, Mr. Baurelein, my generation may be oblivious to some important information, but to point the finger and say that we are dumb is out of hand. Take a look at what we can do with our knowledge instead of what we aren't doing with it.
"By using new technology to introduce and teach America's youth it is allowing more students to become interested in new topics more than they would be if a blackboard and chalk were in front of them."
ReplyDeleteThis quote went along with the video clip that you posted too. I can't help but agree with how true this is. I can account first hand on how much easier it is to learn about something by visualizing it on a computer or television screen that just writing something down about it. I think that most teachers/professors would even agree; it's easier to teach this way sometimes too! It's just a great way to emphasize your main point: "Take a look at what we can do with our knowledge instead of what we aren't doing with it." If humans are constantly evolving then how can we not expect their knowledge to do the same?
" Yes, we are more inclined to 'google' something if we do not know the answer, but once we do search it we are capable to apply it to other sources of knowledge that we have acquired over time."
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you here. Google searching can , in reality, help us figure out things. Search engines mess up sometimes, so it might end up taking us to something that we never knew about it. In a sense, isn't that learning something new?? That is pretty cool. Google does help us seek out the answers we are looking for but it also provides sites with even more information for us to become knowledgeable about.
I also liked your video clip. I can also agree that I learn better by seeing things in front of me. For me, learning hands on is so much easier than just reading things from a book. Though visualizing things is important, the book does also add another dimension that is important.
I liked how you advocated for the fact that technology can also be a big part of education and how we are helping children use resources that were not available 20 years ago. Everyone thinks we all just use Wikipedia and Google to get all the answers to everything, but that isn't always the case. I myself have read online journals and many current event articles to help me grasp an idea I came upon. Many kids nowadays are learning well by "seeing it", and not so much "reading it". Good point to bring up, I feel technology is more of an aid in many ways than just harm and obsession to us.
ReplyDeleteI agree that technology is helping our generation and future generations learn and develop. Schools definitely have a better chance of getting across to students with this new technology because not only is it on a cool "smart board" but teachers can teach different learning styles and ideas that are hard to explain with just a black board and chalk. But when you think about how technology is making our WORLD better, it is amazing to think about the things we can DO that our grandparents have only DREAMT about.
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