Connecting our lives away!
As we arrive at the end of our course and we begin to reflect upon our process, it must be said that the growth of scholarly discussion on technology, text and digital literacy is exponential. Many more educators are beginning to examine the way technology has influenced the classroom and the way students are learning within these spaces. Ong’s discussion of orality and literacy to the discussion of Dobson and Wilinsky’s Multiliteracies is a reflection on how our learners and our generations today are changing in the ways they express, play, work and LIVE through the advancing developments in computer technology and the growth of the knowledge available online. As educators, where do we stand? I think this course has taken us on an examination of text technology but most importantly reading/writing/technology throughout key points in history.
By examining older technological trends in the past, it gives us some distance to think about the situation. It gives us enough distance to examine our current world. I found that by stepping back and looking at the development of the printing press or photography or the radio, it truly offered an alternative perspective to how we view technology today. It really gave me some new ways to think about the idea of “technology” and the realities that it presents for society.
Wesch’s blog entry about the vision of the future offers a very insightful perspective on our classrooms today. Our students are definitely changing the way we teach whether we want to or not. The change he notices in the educational landscape has shown how our private and public lives are no longer as separate. The institution of school is becoming more fluid and the walls of the classroom space are no longer as solid as they seem. As educators we really need to realize that students are bringing into school so much more than just their backpacks.
Cheers!
Iris
Hi Iris,
I teach adults, and even in that decidedly Not Net Gen group the impact of technology, and computer-mediated communication is striking. The expectations about the availability of not only the content, but also the instructors (and me, the designer) are astronomical when I compare them to what my mother (who was a community college teacher) thought was reasonable. I get emails at all hours of the day, students ask for the home number of the instructors on a regular basis, and they get really put-out if help-desk email is not responded to immediately.
I don’t mind being more available than previous generations of educators – I sort of like being that involved with my students. It does increase the pace and demands though. The walls of educational institutions may be becoming more transparent as the spaces for learning expand, but I think we have to make sure that we have good walls around our private space. Otherwise we will go off the deep-end.
Annette