Week 1 - Stimulus, Mr. Winkle and the changes I see in my classroom

Before we get too wordy on this blog, please take a moment and watch the video on Mr. Winkle. You may recognize some of the elements of the story, but its particular commentary on the state of technology in education is the core message. Make sure and watch it before you move on.

Well, to be honest, this is only my second year teaching, but I already feel as though I am an old "fuddy-duddy" when it comes to technology in the classroom. So in this sense, maybe I can relate to Mr. Winkle somewhat. I'm not aware if this applies to anyone else in the class, but I represent the generation riding the point of technology's proverbial sword as it drove through the body of education. My freshman year I learned to type on a typewriter (the standard technology since the 1920s) and then saw the class that followed mine learn on our brand new computer lab. I created yearbooks with paper, scissors, glue and pictures from the 1-hr photo lab and the next year advanced to creating publications with computers, scanners and other "new" technologies of the day. I was the first kid in my school to have a cell phone (which almost never worked) and I remember when it was weird to have an email account.

So, I feel as though I've really lived through most of the big changes that have occurred in technology in the past 20 years. So why, then, am I so frustrated by technology today? I have access to much more technology in my classroom than many friends I have working in other academies and I do try to utilize them. However, I find that most of the time the word "technology" feels heavy in my mouth because all it does is conjure images of teenagers trying their best to look engaged while their arm twitches from the dance of their fingers on the qwerty keyboard of their cell phone. It brings images of teenage boys wasting the better part of their youth making inch-tall goblins create a digital world that only represents the absence of anything real and/or meaningful in their lives. I see kids fading away and the abyss is colored on all sides with the shining, colorful LCD screens of every new technology that they feel they "must" consume.

So do I want to support technological advances in the world? I guess so.

Do I consume technology myself? Oh yes, I do. I am not some kind of transcendentalist extremist pretending that the world will grow quiet if only I learn to chop wood and build my own cabin.

So what's my ultimate concern? I see kids in the classroom struggling with all the normal distractions that kids have always struggled with: the generation gap, hormones, social interactions. But now, these kids have had miniature versions of a vegas casino dumped on them and they can't pull their eyes (or minds) away from the blinking, flashing lights.

I appreciate that technology is here to stay and I understand that China and India are embracing these changes (and also mass producing the devices that deliver this problem to my doorstep), so I am ultimately looking for a way to channel my students' desire to be technologically current while also trying to find a way to help them achieve the balance in life that will not only ensure their monetary success, but long term mental health as well.

We are finally in business now!

Okay, ALVN T21 classmates! I'm finally on board with the blog!