This weeks assignment asked us to go about our weekend and naturally, while "scrolling" through social media see if something impacts your thought process and makes you think a little deeper.
The post that caught my eye goes like this:
Read more books than status updates.
Look into more eyes than screens.
Hold more hands than devices.
Love more than you judge.
This is a simple message. But hits home for the fact that technology is such a huge impact on today's younger generations. Which is technically not a bad thing at all, but it does sometimes limit the people contact that we used to have growing up, when we were students and children. I was subbing at a high school last year and noticed how limited the student interaction was in the classroom. Every student was on their phones and listening to music. Limited discussions and interaction going on. I found it somewhat sad due to the fact that when I was in high school we only had each other, books, and notebooks/journals. We had to express ourselves in different ways, not just my posting on snapchat and announcing we are having a bad day with a dog filter on our face. We called each other on the phone at night and talked about our day and heard each other's voices. If a boy liked you he had to call the "house" phone and maybe your parents picked up and you were so embarrassed. But at least they knew who you were talking to and how innocent it was. I think with social media it can also create another bullying outlet that our older generation can't fulling understand. I can imagine the anxiety students must feel when a party is going on and you weren't invited, but everything is documented via Snapchat and Instagram stories. When someone makes fun of others via pictures on the internet Facebook etc. We as educators need to express the importance of technology but also the importance of true human connections and face to face conversations. Truly talking to each other to resolve issues and see how the other person is feeling by truly looking into their eyes and engaging.
Could not agree more with this post! I recently talked to a high school teacher I had and all she could talk about was how kids now a days are glued to their phones. She had a temporary solution that worked for a while by setting up a "charging station" in the back of her room to force kids to put their phones down and interact with each other!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an important topic in today's world. Technology is such a fantastic thing, yet it takes away from personal experiences and interactions. There has to be a way to get a happy medium. I really like the saying, because it hits you hard to see how things have changed within years when we were kids. I can even relate to this, because my husband and I always go back and forth with each other that the other one is always on their phone instead of spending time with each other. I guess we just have to find a good balance that works.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that quote as well, and what you had to say about technology use in society and especially high school students in particular. I have noticed very similar trends when I am subbing at high schools, students almost always have either an earbud in or are looking at their phones instead of fully interacting with their peers. I believe there needs to be somewhat of a shift to refocus students on personal interactions because I think they are not only losing out on honing their social skills, but losing opportunities to make memories that could possibly last a lifetime.
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