Last night, I was watching the show Modern Family with my housemates. Part of the show was about a technology ridden family where no one listened to or respected one another and the adults tried to put their foot down. They wanted to put a one week ban on using any electronics, however they made it into a game. Whoever won received whatever they wanted and the last person to use any technology was the winner. Most of the kids became frustrated and gave up, as did the parents. Sure, things can be easier using these devices, but is the cost too much? What happened to family time? What happened to human interaction and conversation?
I think it's interesting what Postman said in the interview we watched about how putting computers into classrooms would be a terrible idea. It is a catch-22 because kids need to be computer literate to make it in almost any field when they get older, as well as while in school, but they are losing face time rapidly. The best part about school, for me, was getting to see my friends every day and talk and play with them. Honestly, the most boring part of my school week was when we went into the computer lab to "play" Mavis Beacon to practice typing.
If kids are enjoying their computer time and wishing for more of it in schools, I wonder how different the kids of today will turn out from me, the kid of yesterday. If kids are spending time in schools on the computer and watching "educational shows" like Voyage of the Mimi, and then going home to watch TV or play video games, when do they interact with other people? Talking into their World of Warcraft headset? Kids may need to know how to type, but they need people skills too.
it's interesting to consider that computer literacy comes at the sacrifice of social literacy, which means, in the end, that computers don't make our lives more convenient without also making them more abrasive.
ReplyDelete