Tales of a Technology Omnivore

PBS has released an excellent treatment of the state of the internet society that our children are immersed in right now!  With an uncensored realistic approach to predators, cyberbullying, social networking, and the internet revolution, Frontline has created the ULTIMATE resource in educating and informing parents what children are exposed to in the 21st century.  Digital immigrants, it’s time to brace yourself for the invisible world of the digital natives which is transforming the way we interact, communicate, and congregate!

 Check it out:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

The NY Times has an article applauding a professor who staged a classroom stunt to scare his students from using their cell phones during class. Then it goes on to expound on how difficult it is for teachers to compete with the myriad of distractions that take student’s focus off what they’re teaching. Makes several good points. In the past, distractions would come in the form of chewing gum, playing with your curls, or staring into space. Today’s students are distracted by text messages, social networking sites, web sites, music, etc. It’s tough to compete with the ever growing list of distractions.

They make a nice distinction between how baby boomers and today’s generation view technology. Baby boomers see it as information and communication and today’s generation view it as entertainment and socialization. Yet for all they say that is right, they’re missing the boat on the bigger picture in relation to how technology is reshaping our society. (more…)