Lois Smethurst's Profile

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I've read a series of books/articles recently that are quite negative on technology. A particular emphasis seems to be that technology is somehow making us dumber - distancing people from what really matters. We search Google and think we have acquired knowledge. We blog and think we have subjected our ideas to peer review. Or, we publish an article on our website and think that qualifies as a publication. I partially understand the negatives being expressed by these authors. Times of transition are unsettling. We don't know if we're giving up too much. I struggle with this with my children - how much screen time a day is too much? This past week, I found myself informing my daughter that she should search for information beyond Wikipedia and rely on other sources as well. But that's just good information management. We should always be seeking multiple sources. We should always be striving for a deeper understanding of subjects through the type of information and dialogue we engage in. Critics are valuable in that they give us moment to pause and consider where we are really going.

One area of concern that I just can't fathom is the assumption that technology disconnects us from others. I'm more in touch with more family members, friends, and colleagues than I have ever been. Through skype, twitter, facebook, mobile phones, (and yes, email) I have a continual connection to people I wish to be connected with. A recent report supports this feeling: "Almost all (97 per cent) of the respondents stated they felt more connected to people and networks now than they did 5, 10 and 20 years ago."

Jonassen, D.  (1994, April). Thinking technology: Toward a constructivist
design model. Educational Technology, 34(4), 35-36.

Don't even worry if you don't know anything about
computers--you can still play the learning game. And that's the key--learning--for you and
your students. Relinquish some control, empower the
students, set them on a path, and learn with them.