Kids these days have communication options that many of us didn't get to have. They have Facebook, Myspace, cell phones, texting, the Internet...the list goes on and on. Today in my reading class we were reading a story about kids who live in the year 2157. Their teacher is a computer who teaches them at home. They read books electronically. The two main characters in the story find an actual book, made out of paper. Something the world doesn't use anymore. The characters are so in awe over this book that wasn't electronic. Anyway, I was having a discussion with my kids and tyring to relate this situation to them. I was trying to explain how everything is relative -these characters didn't know any different. I ask the students to raise their hand if they had their own cell phone. All but 2 or 3 of the kids said they had their own phone. I wasn't surprised. I know there are first graders out there with their own phones. I told them that me, your parents, other teachers didn't grow up carrying a cell phone everywhere we went. I got a cell phone when I went to college and felt like that was a big deal. I went on to explain we didn't have Facebook, Myspace and blogging. We didn't even text!! The kids are looking at me like I am crazy!! One girl raises her hand and asks in complete confusion, "How did you communicate?!" My response....We actually TALKED to each other!!! We called up our friends on their land lines...we didn't text...we went out and played with each other instead of instant messaging each other on the computer! We didn't have cell phones taken away in class, our parents couldn't get in touch with us by the click of a button. There was no such thing as "cyber bullying". We couldn't post a status update to let our Facebook friends know the details of our daily lives. So, what do you think? Has the advancement of technology been a blessing or a curse?!
3.5.10
21st Century Communication
Kids these days have communication options that many of us didn't get to have. They have Facebook, Myspace, cell phones, texting, the Internet...the list goes on and on. Today in my reading class we were reading a story about kids who live in the year 2157. Their teacher is a computer who teaches them at home. They read books electronically. The two main characters in the story find an actual book, made out of paper. Something the world doesn't use anymore. The characters are so in awe over this book that wasn't electronic. Anyway, I was having a discussion with my kids and tyring to relate this situation to them. I was trying to explain how everything is relative -these characters didn't know any different. I ask the students to raise their hand if they had their own cell phone. All but 2 or 3 of the kids said they had their own phone. I wasn't surprised. I know there are first graders out there with their own phones. I told them that me, your parents, other teachers didn't grow up carrying a cell phone everywhere we went. I got a cell phone when I went to college and felt like that was a big deal. I went on to explain we didn't have Facebook, Myspace and blogging. We didn't even text!! The kids are looking at me like I am crazy!! One girl raises her hand and asks in complete confusion, "How did you communicate?!" My response....We actually TALKED to each other!!! We called up our friends on their land lines...we didn't text...we went out and played with each other instead of instant messaging each other on the computer! We didn't have cell phones taken away in class, our parents couldn't get in touch with us by the click of a button. There was no such thing as "cyber bullying". We couldn't post a status update to let our Facebook friends know the details of our daily lives. So, what do you think? Has the advancement of technology been a blessing or a curse?!
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I love this post! Hmmmmm, technology is both...a curse...and a blessing. It is definately a distraction to the younger ages especially (middle school and highschool...gosh, probably grade school too!). But, there are lots of wonderful things about technology too...like....Jay giving Trey (my 8 year old) his Itouch during sacrament meeting so that Trey can be entertained by quiet games and not be bugging his sister throughout the entire meeting! haha! My mom use to give us coloring books and cheerios to snack on during sacrament meeting when I was growing up! Oh, but, the kids DONT get outside as much as we did huh! I remember being outside the ENTIRE day until dark most every singel day! It was a blast!
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