How is technology changing the way we communicate?
The other day I sat with a few friends and enjoyed a conversation about the different types of climbers. We talked about trad climbers, sport climbers, and boulders. We also laughed over some blog posting about guys trying to hook up with girl climbers. The blogger said that female climbers are as rare as “lobster vampire bats.” The ironic part about that comment was that I was the only guy present.
So the point of this post is not to talk about sexism in climbing, which does exist, or how funny blogs can be, which is only a matter of opinion. What I want to address is how technology is changing the way we communicate.
Little did I know that during most of our conversation, two of my friends were text whispering behind my back. Well, they were actually text whispering in front of my face. My lack of tech savviness and their practiced text whispering made it all too easy to carry a completely different conversation right in front of me.
Is it now a social norm to text whisper behind someone’s back? Is it not rude to exclude someone who is right in front of you from a conversation and to talk behind their backs? Is technology challenging politeness? I would argue no it is not. We are capable of communicating in multitude of ways. Body language and facial expressions are just a couple of examples. Depending on the circumstances it may be possible to communicate solely through body language. It is also possible to communicate in this manner right under the noses of other people who are part of the main conversation.
So what might this mean for me in the classroom? Are cellular phones making it easier for students to whisper behind the teacher’s back? Yes I would say so. Is this one of the reasons why schools are banning cell phones? Maybe. I find it interesting that there is a fear of text whispering. Take away the cell phones and the students will find other ways. The students in during my PSII practicum were passing notes. I intercepted some of them, but not all of them. Even without technology students will find a way to communicate. In the end though, I think that technology, e.g. cell phones, has made it easier to do so.
The problems are timeless. Technology has just added a new dimension.
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For a description of trad climbing, click here.
ReplyDeleteFor a description of sport climbing, click here.
For a description of bouldering, click here.
I dislike it when people look at technology as a "problem" but I definitely agree that cell phones in the classroom can be distracting. I would never allow students to text or use their cell phones while I am teaching or while they are supposed to be doing something else, but I do think that it's important to let students enjoy some freedoms when they can. During my PSII in a one-to-one laptop room, the students were not allowed to play games on their computers during work time or when the teacher was talking, but they were given time during the day to play so that they wouldn't be as tempted to do so during the times they weren't allowed. I think it is unreasonable for teachers to give students a tool and then ask them not to use it in every way it is meant to be used. I play games on my computer all the time, it isn't only used for work, so why shouldn't the students be able to experience that as well? Besides, the atmosphere in the classroom when all the students are having fun, playing games is great! And they love you all the more for allowing them that time and giving them a break from all the work they have to do within the school day. To sum up: technology is not a problem, it is a blessing. :)
ReplyDeleteFeel free to sign up for my cyberculture course where we discuss this issue at some length. My general conclusion is that banning cellphones is a knee jerk after the fact reaction whereas if teachers had anticipated the trend and deliberated on policy ahead of time, they would have realized that helping socialize kids to the proper use of cellphones -- letting them exercise some judgment by giving them the opportunity to make choices -- is the way to go.
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