More reading, less talking.
In the staffroom at my school it is common to hear teachers complaining about how students nowadays are less social than previous generations. The cause attributed to this perceived social decline is often the rise in cell phones. Instead of talking to the people within their vicinity students are interacting with the inanimate object in front of them, reading texts, playing games, or watching videos. When I was reading Plato’s Phaedrus I noticed that Plato seems to be making the same complaints found today in staffrooms. In his situation he is lamenting how with the rise of writing he is seeing the decline of face to face interaction. After readings the chapters in Ong(2003) a sentence stuck out at me, it states that “Writing and print isolate”(p. 72). I have never thought of the advance of literacy in terms of its cost to community.
Growing up in a literate society we are well versed in the benefits that literacy has provided, especially in terms of higher reasoning. This fact is evidenced by the research of A.R Luria. In his research with illiterate groups within Yugoslavia, Luria details the inability of an illiterate person to move beyond situational reasoning. Additionally the non-literate subjects of the study were found to find abstract reasoning to be off-putting or a waste of time. (Ong 2003, p.51) I recognize that stating that a literate person’s ability to reasons abstractly being beneficial is a bit biased. I understand that I am stating this as someone who knows no different, I was not raised in a non-text based community. I would state however that it has been through abstract reasoning that humans have been able to make advancements beneficial to society. Writing has allowed us to move our thoughts beyond the here and now, and towards ideas and concepts beyond the scope of our personal experience.
Have the benefits of writing come at the cost of human to human interaction however? In Phaedrus, Plato discusses the impersonal nature of the written word. To him learning through the written word does not hold the same level of power as the understanding achieved through a discussion. He states that the written word is used only for “amusement and recreation”. (plato, 2013) The spoken word requires a listener, therefore, in non-literate societies all information is passed person to person. As Ong (2003) states, “the spoken word forms human beings into close-knit groups.” (p. 72) On the flip side, when a person is reading it is a purely individual experience. “Writing and print Isolate.” (Ong, 2003 p. 72)
As text technologies become more accessible to ourselves and our students we may see a shift in how students interact with each other. Like Plato before us we may see the new text technologies as best suited for amusement, however, we have not seen what benefits will come in terms of higher level reasoning.
Works referenced
Ong, Walter J.. (2003). Orality and Literacy. Routledge. Retrieved 26 may 2015, from http://www.myilibrary.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca?ID=1960
Plato (2013) Phaedrus. (B. Jowett, Trans.) Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1636/1636-h/1636-h.htm
“More reading, less talking”
Your comment regarding a teacher’s concern that students are becoming to isolated with their connection to their inanimate objects (phones and other technology) strikes an all too familiar chord. Colleagues of mine are always commenting on or implying that the increased use of technology in our youth is resulting in a deterioration of personal connection, face-to-face time, community building and an overall inability to orally communicate with individuals (i.e. having a conversation and maintaining eye contact on a given topic). Although, I believe that these individuals are not wrong in seeing this shift in our students, it is too often seen as a negative rather than the beginning of a new mode of communication (see the TED Talk that Ernesto shared with me a few weeks ago addressing texting communication).
Literacy is a term that has been consistently evolving to include new types of communication and forms of meaning making. The new literacy encompasses multiple literacies, such as: visual, aural, gestural and spacial (Siegel, 2012). Meaning making for our students is unlike what we have seen in the past and is forcing students to be able to communicate and express their ideas in many different ways. This, as you write above, requires students to think more critically using higher reasoning to reflect on knowledge making personal connections more meaningful.
Meaning making and creating personal connections through text and technology, to me, hardly seems as if it is negative. I too understand that my views are biased due to my upbringing and the highly literate community I grew up in. It is my belief that literacy and words are part of the foundation that has created our national and individual identity. Looking specifically at Canada, national identity has been created through the transfer of text, and the visual representation of the natural world as depicted by artists, such as Emily Carr and the Group of Seven. This reminds me of cultural theorists Benedict Anderson’s idea of the imagined community, looking forward to online texting and communities, existing solely in virtual spaces. Anderson explains, “what, in a positive sense, made new communities imaginable was a half-fortuitous, but explosive, interaction between a system of production and productive relationships (capitalism), a technology of communications (print), and the fatality of human linguistic diversity” (Anderson, 2007, p. 260). Anderson’s article illustrates how communication is the central focus in the creation of a community. He explores the linguistic where there was much conversion into text and how it enabled, for one of the first times, inter-community communication. In this sense, I would like to refute Walter Ong’s statement “writing and print isolate,” as through time we have seen that communities have been built and preserved through the incorporation of writing and print (Ong, 2002, p. 72).
References
Anderson, B. (2007). Imagined communities: nationalism’s cultural roots. The Cultural Studies Reader: Third Edition. Ed. Simon During. New York/London: Routledge, 253-63.
Ong, W. J. (2002). Orality and Literacy. London: Routledge.
Siegel, M. (2012). New Times for Multimodality? Confronting the Accountability Culture. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(8), 671-681.
McWorther TEDTalk video: http://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk?language=en
We are now living in a technologically driven society where persons have access to the latest technology and gadgets such as cellphones and tablets. The emergence of these technologies no doubt have had an impact our children, they are now immersed in their cellphones and as a result socialising less. In previous generations one could find children in my community engaged in various outdoor games and activities thus, presently there are less outdoor activities and games. At any given time you could observe children in their phones during any gathering, doing more text than reasoning. It must be noted that this behavior is not unique to children, as there have been reports of partners in the same room, house or even bed resorting to text rather than talking.
Recently in Jamaica, being less social and using cellphone (technology) was evident when the wife of International Reggae Artiste Sean Paul voiced her disgust on social media about Usain Bolt being a bad neighbor for allegedly disturbing the neighborhood with loud music and dirt bike racing. These claims were refuted by other neighbors and many persons argued that she could have dialogue with Bolt in person rather than addressing the matter on social media. She has since apologized and acknowledged that the matter should have been dealt with in person.
It must be noted that though cellphones and other forms of technology has it challenges there are some positives, these includes increase in literacy and communication to persons worldwide.
The ability to collaborate with peers is a key feature of technology and thus provide an added
motivation to the students, “working with peers enhances their experiences, giving them a
chance to see beyond their own skills and abilities and to develop a sense of group pride. I
believe when you add new technologies to the mix you can broaden that group experience
significantly and create learning relationships for engaging youth which before have not been
possible” (Morino, 1997, p 8). Further argument to support this point is ““Technology can send children to the internet to experience the presentation of text, audio, graphics that no teacher and no book can duplicate. Technology can put children in touch with their peers in the Australian Outback. Technology allow children to navigate their own learning trails and access information unavailable in the classroom. Research shows that technology is an effective means of engaging children in learning. Many types of learning adventure are useful for developing comprehension and vocabulary” (Cramer, 2004, p.19).
Sources:
Cramer, R.L. (2004). The language arts: A balanced approach to teaching reading, writing, listening, talking and thinking. Boston. Pearson
Morino, M. (1997). The impact of technology on youth in the 21st century. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED411779)
It would seem that the loudest voices are from the opposite ends of the spectrum- totally awesome or extreme evil when it comes to technology integration. It is either good or bad, black or white. Those of us in the middle grey zone who are looking at the variables of both directions speak with softer voices. Is it possible that those of us, most likely the older generations, who rely on that high level of social f2f interaction, are feeling they will be left in a corner in their old age unable to communicate with their younger caregivers? Will technology (robotics) be given the dull tasks of looking after granny?
Terry