This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
How I decide which information to take in and which to discard?
Technology has been a struggle for me to adapt to. I have no problem understanding the concepts and function of hardware and software of varying types, it's the wealth of supposed information that I struggle with. I love the concept of being able to report to the masses from your home and to keep contact with people close to your heart that are far from home. It's the concept of social distancing and a physical and emotional disconnect that can be created by technology I have trouble grasping. The fact that I am not looking at someone face to face as they are relaying information to me takes away my ability to trust the source. I have always been a sceptic, whether it be hear say, media, or most any other informational resources(especially history), I have always had the thought "Is this fact?". After all, history is written by the victor. Since the scale tipped, weighing heavier on the side of informational tranferance through the internet my scepticism has just amplified. I am not saying that I do not trust what is passed to me through these various information sources, I just try not to convey the information without some logical evidence, scientific backing, personal trial, or substantial research of my own. I was taught as a young person to question everything, to love everyone and trust no-one, and above all go with your heart. That being said I believe that we all should look farther into the "truth" of the information we recieve before taking the first word as truth.
I never thought of it this way, but I agree. Technology is powerful and definitely growing faster than we can even grasp. I do think that it creates social distance in real time settings. I can count a number of times where I am sitting at dinner or at a friends house and we're all on our phones. That creates a problem, especially with communication. We need to ensure that our students can also interact face to face. It doesn't matter how great your resume is or the designs you have created if you can't successfully make it through a face to face interview. We've got to teach the students that technology is important but equally important is social skills or soft skills. We've got to teach both. We've got to make sure that the information they are gathering is reliable and that they can prove it or we're going to be in a world of trouble.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Trenton. I tend to be old school and that makes it hard in today's education process. I think technology is great and can enhance most any lesson, however, I don't think it can replace good old fashioned, hands on learning. I think technology affords us a new style of creativity, but can hinder social/trade based learning. A computer will never replace customer service skills that are necessary in any industry.
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