Mrs. A's Education Blog

Week 6: Growing Up in a Digital World

May 6, 2014

1. Compare and contrast each documentary. What has changed from the first one (Growing Up Online) made in 2008 to the newer one (Digital Nation) filmed in 2010?

The first documentary, Growing Up Online (2008), included more personal stories which were very engaging. This documentary was made when “going on-line” was very new and revolved mainly around America On Line Instant Messaging (AIM), My Space, and Facebook. A great number of parents were caught off-guard at the time because the technology was so new and the kids were keeping up with it much easier than the adults could.

The second documentary, Digital Nation (2010), went more into detail about the effects of being constantly connected to the internet and having access pretty much from anywhere and from many different types of devices. At this time the internet and “going on-line” was much more accepted as a normal part of life. In addition to the social media aspect, this documentary included on-line video games as well as the use of technology in education.

2. Your thoughts on multitasking. Do you agree? Can you multitask? Do you disagree?

I believe that a person is able to multi-task, but I also believe that one can’t be as efficient when multi-tasking as they can if they are focused on a single task at hand. These people that believe they are great at multi-tasking because they can check their email, text with their friend, and research a project for school, all while watching a YouTube video and listening to music at the same time are fooling themselves. Yes they might be doing all of these things at the same time, but I don’t believe they can be 100% engaged with each activity. These are the same people that will wonder what happened when they look up from their phone to find their car is smashed into another car at an intersection.

I believe that I can multi-task in certain circumstances and with specific tasks. I don’t believe that I am any more efficient when I multi-task, it is just a necessity when you’re helping your children with homework while trying to put dinner on the table, you get a text from your husband saying that he is running late from work, and the phone rings and it is your boss who needs to talk with you about an upcoming strategy meeting. This is what I refer to as “Living the Dream”.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceninja/408422289/

Some rights reserved

3. Is there an addiction happening in society today with technology or is it just a new way of living? Should we be concerned?

I believe that technology is creating a new way of living which is providing a new potential for addiction in society today. We should always be concerned about addictive behavior, but I don’t believe we should stay away from technology because of it. I believe that there needs to be education about the potential hazards associated with technology and becoming addicted to it.

4. Do video games serve a purpose in education or are they a waste of time?

I believe that video games can serve a purpose in education. I believe that they have the means of engaging children to learn in a way that is unique. As with anything, if used incorrectly or as a means of entertainment they can certainly be a complete waste of time.

5. Do you believe that digital tools such as google tools can save schools that are struggling?

I do not believe that digital tools can save schools that are struggling. I do believe that teachers and administrators can save schools that are struggling by learning about and implementing digital tools and technology in the classroom in a manner which engages the students to learn.

6. Do parents of today have any idea what their kids are doing online? Whose job is it to teach them the safety and digital responsibility? Parents/Teachers/Community/Government??

I believe there are three types of parents today; those that know exactly what their kids are doing online, those think they know what their kids are doing online, and those that have no idea that their kids are even online. I believe that digital responsibility should start with parents. Unfortunately, not all parents are capable of or interested in what it means to be digitally responsible. For this reason, I believe that teachers, community, and government must contribute to the education of these kids.

7. Are kids and adults today ruining their digital footprints by sharing too much information online without realizing that it may be detrimental to their future? Should they care?

I believe that kids and adults should be more selective about the information that they are sharing on-line and I don’t think most of them realize that what they are posting on-line could be detrimental to their future. I believe that everyone should care about this.

8. “Stranger Danger” and predator fears are often overblown by the media on shows such as Datelines “To Catch a Predator”. What are the real dangers of technology in this day and age?

I believe that the real dangers with technology in this day and age including cyber bullying, oversharing of personal information, and dependency on technology which can result in the inability to function without it. We need to teach our kids about cyber bullying and digital responsibility just as we teach them about stranger danger and predators in life as well as on the internet. As for dependency on technology, I’m not sure that we can change this, but as a parent I certainly try to keep a balance between on-line activities and real life activities with my children. I want them to grow up to be responsible adults who are able to function in real life as well as in the digital world.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ATHREE_BEST_FRIENDS.JPG

9. Share your overall reactions and thoughts about each documentary here. Please relate it to your views as a teacher/parent/coach/etc... What did you learn, find interesting, find disturbing, relate to, did not relate to, etc... from watching either documentary that you would like to share with others?

The first documentary, Growing Up Online (2008), made me stop and assess my rules for my own children with regards to technology. When my children first got cell phones it was a rule that I was the only one that could delete text messages from their phones. This was my way of monitoring their activity to make sure that they weren’t sending or receiving any inappropriate messages. My oldest daughter and I began to butt heads over this constantly until her counselor pointed out to me that when I was a teenager my parents weren’t able to listen in on all of my phone conversations with my friends. My argument back was that my phone conversations weren’t published to a network where they could be forwarded around for the world to see. As we talked through the issue I came to realize that my daughter is very well educated about digital responsibility and that I needed to trust that she is texting appropriately. But I still have the password for her Facebook page.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5141/5568281033_621c854663_z.jpg

I found the second documentary, Digital Nation (2010), very interesting with regards to how connected we as a society have become. Although the Blackberry technology is out of date, it is the same, if not worse with the new smart phones we have today. I was amazed at the number of people that play video games on-line and more so by the amount of time they spend doing it. Who has an extra sixteen hours a week to be playing video games? Do these people sleep? The virtual worlds that are being created are very strange to me. I can see it from an entertainment perspective, but some of the things that are being done seem to me like they are replacing real life activities. I don’t want to live in a virtual world.