Wow! I just finished watching the Frontline video: Growing up Online and I am not sure how to react. I am reeling in emotion.
Based solely on the video, I was left with the impression that technology and the Internet were used by students not necessarily to cheat their way through school but to short-cut their way through. To have a student say he “read” Romeo and Juliet in 5 minutes (thanks to the Internet)is to me absurd! To me, the students seemed more concerned with their cyber social lives than even living their physical lives which of course include school. School was portrayed not as a place to gain the skills necessary to carve out a future but a place to endure until the time came that they could go back online. The students arrogantly believed that they knew better than the teachers. And to a degree, some of the teachers made it sound as if there was nothing to be done about this. “Everyone uses spark notes, everyone knows that everyone does it so just accept how that is and teach to that” was one message that I heard. It made that teacher sound as if he had given up. I applaud the English teacher who asked the students to power down for one class and create on the spot. If every class every day uses the latest and greatest technology to teach, couldn’t it become like white noise; it is seen and heard and used so much that it stops being effective? This notion came across to me even as I watched students seemingly engaged in a technology infused classroom.
I was particularly appalled by the comment from a teacher that teachers really need to be “entertainers.” I could sing and dance in front of the class by means of a powerpoint presentation but that is no guarantee that students will learn. The desire to learn needs to be present. The relevance of what is taught needs to be evident to make the student want to learn. If there is no connection between the subject matter and the student’s life, then the student will never own his education. That relevance or the importance of wanting to learn is not dependant on the technology in the classroom. It is a value that is taught and fostered at home. If parents (or whomever the adult figures in the child’s life may be) are involved then I believe that a true desire to learn will spring forth.
The teens in the video argued the same position I did many years ago that it is their private life and adults have no business prying into it. Whine, whine, whine. Now as a parent, I say whine, whine, whine all you want. Everything, I mean EVERYTHING my children do is my business. It is my responsibility to know what my children are doing in my house, out of my house and in cyber space. It is my responsibility to know each individual who touches my children’s lives, whether they are physical or digital. It is unacceptable to me to hear a parent say, “I had no idea what she was doing online.” If you didn’t know, it was because you didn’t want to know. You cannot give a child a cell phone, not monitor the activity and then be surprised when it has been used inappropriately. You cannot put a computer with Internet access in a bedroom with a lock on the door and then be shocked when the child reveals very personal details to complete strangers. I am not saying that students should never go online. What I am saying is that parents need to be vigilant about monitoring their child’s activities until such time that the child demonstrates good judgment.
As a future teacher, I need to remember how I wish to have my children taught. When talking about the Internet, safety is definitely a priority. Appropriateness and relevance of core content and use of certain technologies need to constantly be evaluated. As always, finding a way to implement this idea is the trick. I know that because students have been plugged in for years, the way their brains process information has changed. Balance is an idea that keeps coming to mind. I need to balance my approach, considering all scenarios. Remember, computers are great as long as they work. Teachers need to teach in a manner that will reach their students. On the other side, students need to learn to think and create in ways other than digitally on the off chance technology may not be readily available due to the lack of money to upgrade or something much more simple such as a power outage.
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