reflexiones

I was so grateful to be able to listen to and talk to the three MAC alumni who were kind enough to come and share their experiences with us. It's great to hear about the different kinds of situations (great tech help like Andrea has; little interest in tech like in the school that Kevin student taught in) we might encounter.

Each of them were (as was the point, no doubt!) inspiring in their use of technology. I loved the idea of Facebook "office hours"; using cell phones to access internet in classrooms (or schools) with few computers. I'm also really curious about Moodle--if it's like C-Tools, I can certain see the benefit of it; I can't imagine my university career (I did my undergrad at UM, too) without it.  I loved Larry's idea, too, about using FB to connect with students and to get them excited about their subject *and* to teach them a bit about internet etiquette. And I will remember Kevin's suggestion to look into funds for things when their is something that I want for my class or for the school--that there might be things out there that aren't openly advertised and to look for them.

I also enjoyed our (brief) discussion about the readings and it has me particularly excited about the point-counterpoint looking into whether schools should conform to students or students to school. I have been fairly optimistic up to this point about the possibilities technology offers to students; this week's readings, however, have reminded me of what I'm convinced are very real downsides that have to be examined.

I asked Lauren about her evolution as a teacher and, goddess though she apparently is, was very reassuring and hopefully suggested that one doesn't really become the teacher they are going to be until (as everyone says) the third year; she says she made lots of mistakes along the way. As inspired as I have been by all these teachers we have met (in this class, and also in Shari's class), sometimes I feel overwhelmed. It's great to remember that now I'm taking it all in, and it's a process, and I will become the teacher I want to be.

Finally, it's been a really interesting, rewarding, challenging (and SHORT!) semester and I am genuinely looking forward to returning in the fall.

Not, however--truth be told--until enjoying a bit of Spanish sun!

Saludes desde España y que todos lo pasen bien el agosto!!!! Hasta septiembre!

Mindless chasing

After talking a lot in class about how technology can provide really great teaching tools, I think these were the first two articles that we've read that directly (and ominously!) articulated some of the fears that have been expressed by many throughout the class.

Who can't relate to the seeking behavior described in Emily Yoffe's article? At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, I have had days where I blow hours of my life on the internet, checking with glee my round of things I like to look at and finishing with a sort of empty feeling like, What have I really done here? What have I really accomplished? Why do I get so excited to check my email or see if so-and-so has updated their blog?

I remember the same feeling when I finished high school and traveled for a year around the U.S. and Europe--we'd have mail days where mail (as in, actual letters and packages and things) were forwarded to our group wherever we were and I remember relishing them and looking excitedly in my mail box to see if there was anything there. But I feel like that's different. Why? Maybe simply because checking my (real, physical) mailbox to see if I'd gotten mail wasn't something I could do repeatedly, constantly, or which could turn into other activities like googling for hours on end. And even if I did, I would at least get exercise walking to the post!

A couple other personal observations: if I am on the internet before bed, even if I'm exhausted, I get this weird little second wind and wind up staying up too late. I have heard that the internet (and TV, too--but we don't have TV) really stimulate the brain and so you shouldn't go online before bed. I have made it a rule not to bring my laptop into my bed! On the other hand, I *have* to read before I go to bed. It relaxes me! On the one hand it seems like, well, why should the two be so different--aren't I "reading" online, too? But we do really interact differently with books than with the internet. My attention span online is much less than it is with a book (god, even with a book sometimes I find my attention span is not what it used to be! Especially after spending a lot of time online!) But online sometimes I'll read like a few words of an article and start kind of itching to read something else! Much has been said and written about this, I know, so I mention it just to say that, yeah, my personal experience bears it out.

In terms of the Klapperstuck article, I appreciated the acknowledgment that the attributes of Generation M mentioned in the article are generalizations--they are not shared by all supposed members of that generation, and they *are* shared by people outside of that generation. I have already mentioned ways in which my patience and attention span have been reduced since actively using technology and I'm not a member of this generation.

Yet this is (again, generally) the first *whole generation* to be connected the way Generation M is, and that is worth examining. My daughter, who is four, says to me sometimes, "Mommy, I want to watch baby tigers on your computer." And I marvel that for her, seeing whatever she wants whenever she wants is just a given ("When I was her age! Blah blah blah ten feet of snow blah blah blah Dewey Decimal System blah blah blah"!) (Ah--the internet also makes being a parent easier, though!--when my daughter asks me "Mommy, why do leaves changes colors?" I can say, "Um, I'll tell you in a minute" *google: p-h-o-t-o-s-y-n-t-h-e-s-i-s*)

I read a book years ago called Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, and have read a bit from an emerging field of psychology that looks at the same problem, and I really think people need to be invested in things other than technology. I really believe there is something to be said for the connection that people form to their environment when they are NOT distracted from it and NOT multitasking and are just there, in nature. Don't we have a responsibility as educators and citizens to encourage students to develop this connection? To experience life "disconnected" from technology in order to connect to other things that technology (I suspect) prevents them from connecting with.

On that note, I'm off in a few days to spend ten days in the mountains on the sea in Valencia with my family where I will have not internet connection! But oh the joy of checking my email and going back online when we return!!!