This issue was addressed in an earlier blog post here.
However...
If we are to believe the researchers at UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, and M.I.T., then the widespread use of the internet and mobile technology is making people (almost all of us), more depressed, more obsessed, more cynical, more addicted, and more prone to sleeplessness, suicide, and anxiety. Don't believe it? The article is pretty convincing, and pretty scary. Naturally, we must account for the fact that Newsweek, like most media outlets, thrives on scary as a way of selling their content and making money. Still, the research in the article is compelling.
And if the research is solid, then we need to be prepared to confront the idea that these negative effects of technology must have corollary implications for how students arrive at school, and indeed how they learn.
I'm still not going to back away from a statement made by Jaime McKenzie - a statement I quoted in my last blog post on this subject, and one I still believe to be true. McKenzie stated, "Real fifteen year old humans are quite different from each other, a fact that [Marc] Prensky did not take the time to study or notice. Some love things digital. Some are more interested in a horse or a dog or a walk along the shore" (McKenzie).
After considering it, I believe that yes, there are some 15-year olds who love horses or walks on the shore more than video games or texting or Facebook. But damned few of them.
References:
McKenzie, J. (2007). Digital nativism: Digital delusions and digital deprivation. From Now On, 17(2). Retrieved from http://fno.org/nov07/nativism.html
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants – Part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6). Retrieved fromhttp://www.marcprensky.com/wri...0Part1.pdf
Dan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that people are different and some embrace technology while others don't regardless of their age. I teach adults and this statement hold true for them. I do have students that are addicted to facebook and will go on that site when they think that I am not looking at them. Others are always on their phones texting--they think I don't see them texting. At the beginning of the course I tell them to turn off their cell phones but many don't abide with my wishes. I tell if you want to pass this course, you will need to stay off facebook and the cell phones. Also, they think that because it is on the Internet it is OK to download anything. I tell them about the copyright laws but they still download what they want. My students believe if they read it on the Internet it is true regardless of the source.
DK
Thanks for sharing, Debbie. I am becoming more and more convinced that technology is indeed changing the way people think and learn. And I'm also convinced that the impact is greater on younger generations, who demonstrate more signs of technology "addiction," if we can call it that.
ReplyDeleteDan, I was listening to CBC Radio today and the host of Q was interviewing this guy who has been studying what he termed nature deficit disorder. It was quite interesting, check it out at http://www.cbc.ca/q/.
ReplyDeleteInteresting podcast!
ReplyDeleteI was particularly intrigued by the studies he mentioned that found there were greater health benefits to walking in nature vs. walking indoors on a treadmill, even when the same number of calories were burned.
Also compelling was the study which found that hospital patients get better faster when they have a window with a natural view.
Great TED talk on The happy secret to better work. http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that people are overdone by the influences of technology. It is good to center yourself and shut down for a short period each day.
I think it is also important to note that many teens don't even have access to technology at home, even cellphones. In the small rural area of Tennessee known as Centerville, an area that I am all too familiar with, only about 2 out of every 10 students had internet access at home, 5 out of 10 students had smart phones but were only able to access it when they reached the signal in town. We are so quick to label students as tech-savy but we are missing a huge population that are unfortunate and have little to no technology background besides what little they receive at school.
ReplyDelete"More depressed, more obsessed, more cynical, more addicted, and more prone to sleeplessness, suicide, and anxiety." Even if this doesn't apply to everyone, it is certainly worth sitting up and glancing away from the computer long enough to consider. I know when I spend a mind-numbing number of hours online, I can feel most of these things minus suicidal thoughts. For awhile I was having trouble with insomnia and I attribute it to the flicker of computer light. I am sure there are serious health risks associated with spending too much time in the computer poised position as well.
ReplyDelete