Thursday, January 22, 2009

Response to Video

It was very interesting to watch a documentary about a culture in which we all feed into. After watching the video, I became more aware of the constant need to always be connected. It’s a harsh reality that we often depend on the Internet and text messaging to communicate with our friends and family. We have become less personal even though through these technologies we expose our true selves even more.
The impact of technology on adolescences and our society truly is an issue that needs to be address. I agreed with many aspects that were brought up in the video, for example cyber bulling, inappropriate images and materials, are issues that we need to talk to our students about. I felt it was extremely funny when the lady was giving a lecture about Internet predators and how you should “STOP, BLOCK, and TELL”. Instead of learning about “stop, drop and roll”, children these days are “Blocking”.
Overall, I felt the general view on technology was very negative. To a certain extent, the dependence on technology is not a good thing because we are learning that we can be entertained all the time and instantly gratified. Children these days seem to be more hyperactive with the constant stimulus. As soon as they are doing something that isn’t related to Internet games or texting friends, they become “bored”. However, times are changing and there will always be something new and different that will challenge our culture. There are many benefits to technology in our daily lives and if people really do feel concerned about the overused of it, then we need to learn to balance. As far as technology in the schools, we can’t allow it to consume the way we teach but we could use it to reach our students. Either way, in any aspect of life, there needs to be healthy balance.