Today, I realized that we the instructors are no less guilty of this technological behaviour. While we were all on task, of the 5 people in the meeting, three had devices and tended to stare at the screens and assume everyone else could see what they saw. Granted, everyone there was tired, and the meeting went longer than we'd hoped <smile>. This isn't a complaint, just an observation that technology is used by us all and that it may not always be the benefit that it is touted to be.
Then I saw a great spoken word performance about powering down and looking up at the real world and not focusing only on the part of the world found in social media. (search Youtube for Look Up). Now, I am aware that this message is coming through a blog <grin>, but I was doing this as a form of journalling and not for notoriety. That people read this semi-regularly is amazing to me. I will also say that there are very few friends on my FB page that I have not met in person or known online for about 20 years -- most of the people there do know me and I them. I guess I use technology differently than students do, which is not surprising -- just another of the infamous generation gaps.
Perhaps I may be thinking of something stated decades (1958) ago by Edward R. Murrow when speaking about television, the new medium of that time. "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it's nothing but wires and lights in a box."
Maybe I am looking for an ideal that cannot be fully attained given our current consumer society. Yet, I do have hope. Perhaps the answer lies over the rainbow somewhere. I love this version of today's song. The official video does celebrate the life of the singer. Enjoy!
Somewhere over the rainbow -- Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole
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