Module 3 Post 2

I believe that technology has shaped the zeitgeist of the current generation in a major way. I was just at dinner the other night with my husband and I was observing a family at a table. Each one of the children in the family was on their phone! I believe that this generation is less engaged in some of the values that were perceived to be important to past generations. These values include personal interaction face to face, family time, and live engagement in live situations. Today's generation is glued to what is happening in everyone else's life and does not care to pay attention to what is happening right in front of their face. I think of all of the time, interaction and personal conversation that is missed out on when people are on their phones and seeking the company of technology instead of the company of the loved one in front of them. I speak with my own husband about this. Sometimes I really feel like I have to emphasize to him that there is life outside of his computer, Facebook, and video games. I guess I worry about what is going to happen to the way people connect with each other? Are people going to base interaction on how people make them feel over their phone or over the internet instead of how they make them feel in person? Are people going to forget the importance of spending one on one time with significant others and will people focus on connecting with each other electronic to electronic sitting side by side in the same location?

Module 2 Post 4

Being a member of the millennial generation, I am partial to technology. Now, believe me I still struggle, but I am pretty receptive to the fact that I will just get the hang of some new technology and a year or even 6 months later it will upgrade or change. My sisters who are Gen Xers are the same way. They also grew up with technology changing and new technological advances being introduced. My parents are Baby Boomers and they are actually more comfortable with technology than I am. My dad had an IPad, and was using all of the features before I even owned one. My grandparents who were part of the Silent generation were involved with technology as well. Both sets of my grandparents had a computer and the internet. Both of my grandpa's were more eager to use the computer though, and my grandma's chose to stay away from it.  The point behind the generational look into my own family is that I believe that some generational barriers exist with using technology, but if one is eager and accepting of the use and new constant development of technology the generational barriers will blend together.  I believe there are barriers to technology with older generations teaching the millennial generations solely because some of the older generation instructors have not fully embraced technology, or feel that their teaching is in a good place without it. It is very hard to completely doubt something without trying it or implementing it. Now, this brings me to my last point. The barriers to technology start at home. I grew up and was surrounded by people who embraced technology and technological advances, therefore I easily accept the fact that technology changes.  But I could easily see how one would not accept technology if they were not surrounded by technology and technology was not accepted by their peer group.

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Module 2 Post 3

The integration of technology into the classroom is an interesting topic. As I stated in my first post this semester, I can remember playing learning games in class that taught about geography. I think that our society has built on that and using technology in the classroom has exploded. Using games, interactive learning on laptops, and second life virtual reality characters is a good thing. Teaching students about technology and letting them apply it in different ways is going to benefit them in their future careers. The use of the second life characters for IBM is completely realistic and I can see that being done by more corporations to save on budgets. In the hospital setting we are having more of our learning be online instead of in seat because of budget and because of the amount of mandatory information that has to be communicated. As for implementation, I could see video games and second life characters used to teach foreign language quickly and effectively in healthcare workers. I think if I would be able to play a game, interact with a Spanish speaking person, and have them teach me how to appropriately speak Spanish, I could be more successful in serving my Spanish speaking population. The game could be used to teach the basics of the language and second life could be used to practice the language with a real person. I think this concept could be used in the classroom as well. For example in history or geography, second life could be used to travel to different destinations around the world and take virtual tours of historical landmarks. Overall, the use of gaming can be productive in the classroom. It is ultimately the instructors decision how to embrace gaming in the classroom and which games to choose. Therefore, the instructor still has the control and the students have a chance to be more purposefully engaged in learning.

Module 2 Post 2

The "catch" in the video was that students believe that they can multitask, but in reality they can only focus on one thing at a time. Students believe that they can focus on many different things at once and that they are masters at it. I believe in the video students were surprised that they were not as good at multitasking as they thought they were. When students try to do many different things at once and neglect doing one thing at a time, the tasks do not get completed as well as they would have if they were given their own separate attention. So, if a student needs to focus on one class, and they are texting their friends, and answering email at the same time, they will not retain some of the important information that is taught during the class.  I have experienced this in my own life with my own classes. If I am trying to focus on many different things at one time, all of the things get a little bit of attention, but it takes me longer to complete all of the tasks. It is almost more efficient for me to complete one task at a time.
Instructors can address the catch by maybe running their own experiments with the students and their multitasking abilities. The instructor could assign the students to do an assignment that involves multitasking on one subject. Then they could take the results of that assignment and compare it to the results of an assignment where the students focus on one part of the subject at a time. The instructor could then present those results to the class. After the class experiences the feel of completing the assignments being able to focus on one thing at a time and then having to multitask, the student can than make a decision on which way they prefer learning. I would bet that a good majority of students would prefer an assignment that focused on one part.  

Module 2 Post 1

I think the recent developments in technology have ignited a forced evolution rather than an evolution that is being gracefully accepted. In the PBS video one of the traditional style English teachers stated that, "I feel like I am fighting the good fight," while another History teacher was visibly embracing all of the accepted technological advances. Why does one teacher feel like technology is a thing that needs to be fought, while another teacher feels like technology is here, might as well embrace it? Is that English teacher fighting a battle because she is personally fighting a battle with technology, while the other is more easily understanding it? Bottom line is that if society did not rely so heavily on technology, and if the younger generations did not rely so heavily on technology, I do not believe that schools would feel the pressure to integrate it into their curriculum. Another interesting point of discussion was the use of online resources to skip out of reading a whole book. My personal take on that is that in a future students professional life, is there going to be a time when they do not have access to the internet for information or for a quick resource? Probably not. So, I agree with the History teacher in the PBS documentary that commented on the fact that we need to decide what is really cheating and what is not. Technology is only going to be relied on more heavily, not only with a students "work" life but also with their social life. The social life of today's teenagers is continuous. There is not a break. One student stated that he would read books more if he had the time. I don't think not having time is the issue, I think that it is time management, and the fact that teenagers today are bombarded with social media on a continuous basis. If a student watches TV, goes to the store, goes to the mall, what do they see? Most likely they will see signs like, "Like us on Facebook" "Follow us on Twitter" "Shop online for more options." Society is pulling people toward their computer and encouraging continuous computer use. Even as an adult you can save a percentage on some of your bills if you switch to online paying and paperless bill statements.  Technology and the internet are not going to leave and the amount of computer usage without face to face interaction is going to get worse. So now the question becomes management. How are we going to teach our students and children to effectively and responsibly manage online education and social media?

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