Week 3- Online

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We were asked to compare and contrast two documentaries for this week's assignment. The first video was entitled: Growing Up Online and was produced in 2008. The second video was entitled: Digital Nation and was produced in 2010. Both documentaries focused on the way technology has affected teachers, parents and children. Today's students are the first generation to have the Internet available to them their entire lives. Both videos focus on the pros and cons of technology.

1.  Compare and Contrast each documentary.  What has changed from the first one (Growing Up Online) made in 2008 to the newer one (Digital Nation) filmed in 2010?  How did what you watched in the two videos support your feelings about technology or how did it change your views?  

Both documentaries focused on today’s youth and their involvement with technology. Growing up Online focused more on the generation gap between parents and their children when it comes to technology.  Parents in the video were hesitant about technology and they seemed to be in the dark about what their children were doing on the net. It was a cautionary tale for parents about the dangers of the Internet.

Digital Nation focused more on the many ways both adults and children interact on the Internet. It focused more on the effects of technology and how its use has changed the way we live and interact.

There is only a 2 year gap between the documentaries but much has changed in those two years. Multitasking has changed how students learn. Virtual worlds have changed how we interact with business. We are now dealing with folks who are addicted to technology. Social networking has changed how we interact with each other. Even the military has changed its military tactics and how it recruits. Research has been used to show the effects of technology but the researchers are struggling to keep up the ever changing technological world.

2.  Your thoughts on multitasking.  Do you agree?  Can you multitask?  Do you disagree with the video on the topic of multitasking?  

Children’s brains are not fully developed and the time they spend multitasking may affect how their brain functions in adulthood. I agree that multitasking can affect the quality of the work you are doing. Emailing, texting, gaming, school work and searches are all being done simultaneously and the quality of work is suffering. Students are only able to do essays and papers one paragraph at a time because multitasking interrupts their thought processes. There is no flow and connection between paragraphs. Students are unable to complete an assignment from start to finish without being interrupted.  The attention spans of our youth are shortened and they are unable to stay focused long enough on one task to complete it. They can not completely focus on one task for a long chunk of time.  Teachers must adapt to the shortened attention spans of the students they work with in order to keep them focused and engaged.

I know that when I multitask something usually suffers. I can not completely focus on one thing and I make mistakes. If I am doing an assignment on my laptop, cooking dinner, texting and emailing, not one of those things is done 100%. Dinner may burn or I will have typos and grammar errors. I can’t focus on what's going on around me and will usually miss something that was said in a conversation.  

3.  Is there an addiction happening in society today with technology or is it just a new way of living?   Should we be concerned? 

 Addiction is happening in today’s society with technology. In the video Digital Nation, South Korean children were shown in Internet cafes playing video games. Many of them play for extreme amounts of time. This has led to a drop in grades, a lack of communication, decreased human interaction and in one case death. It is now considered a psychiatric disorder in that country. The government has set up rescue camps to help children with technological addiction. It’s like rehab for alcoholics. Eye strain and hearing complications are some physical ailments for those who have fallen victim to this addiction. The countless hours spent have damaged their sight and hearing.

There is an addiction happening in this country as well. Social networks and games have sucked some people in. They showed an American family in the Digital Nation video. They were all on a device while the mother was preparing dinner. Human interaction, communication and bonding were not happening in that household. A woman was interviewed about World of War Craft (a virtual reality game) she was spending up to 16 hours a day playing the game and even quit her job. Folks brag about the number of friends they have online. I wonder how many of these so called friends they have spent actual face to face time with. We are losing actual human connections in this country.

4.  Do video games serve a purpose in education or are they a waste of time?

I think it depends on the game. A game that serves an educational purpose such as learning to read serves a purpose. Not all children learn the same way and video games may engage them. An educational game may reach a student when traditional methods do not.

  A game that revolves around war probably wouldn’t serve a purpose in education. I’m sure there are folks who would disagree. They may say that they help students problem solve because students must use strategies to become successful and beat their enemy or opponent. The Army uses gaming to recruit and the skills of gamers are used to pilot drones.  I simply feel that it is easier to pull the trigger or drop a bomb when you don’t see the effects of your actions. We are losing our grip on reality.

I personally think that violent games desensitize children to the horrors of war. They are blurring the line between reality and virtual reality. In Digital Nation the kids that were interviewed say they are able to separate the two. My age is probably influencing my opinion. I didn’t grow up digital. Children today jump back and forth between reality and the digital world effortlessly.

Katie Salen teaches at the NY public school that uses gaming to educate and she feels that gaming is an everyday occurrence and we should use gaming because it is a natural way for today’s children to learn. Traditional methods of learning are foreign to today’s youth. I think we should use combine the two.

5.  Do you believe that digital tools such as Google tools can save schools that are struggling?

I do believe that digital tools can help schools that are struggling. The public school in the south Bronx featured in Digital Nation has seen a rise in test scores by implementing technology.  I think that digital tools engage students that are not able to be reached through traditional methods. I don’t feel that we should go “all in” with technology. Researchers in Digital Nation say that older students are not doing as well as they did in the past with reading and test scores are falling. Books are not being used as much with older students. Young students use and read books but as they mature they are used less frequently. Technology can enhance a student’s education but I fear that basics like; writing, reading, grammar, spelling and memory may go by the wayside because digital tools are replacing those skills.

6.  Do parents of today have any idea what their kids are doing online?  Whose job is it to teach them the safety and digital responsibility? Parents/Teachers/Community/Government?

Parents who were interviewed in Growing up Online  were fearful about what their children were doing online and were pretty much in the dark about it. In Digital Nation adults were shown using technology so it leads me to believe that adults are more involved on the web so they know what their kids are being exposed to.

 In South Korea children as young as first grade are being taught “netiquette” at school.  I think that parents and schools are responsible for safety and digital responsibility. Parents are with their children at home and if they are allowing them to use technology then they should be responsible while their children are in their care. Schools are using more technology so they should be responsible for the safety and digital responsibility of students at school. I don’t think that one party should be solely responsible. Technology is being used everywhere we should work together to keep children safe and digitally responsible.

7.  Are kids and adults today ruining their digital footprints by sharing too much information online without realizing that it may be detrimental to their future? Should they care?

I do believe that kids and adults are ruining their digital footprints by sharing too much information. Facebook and other social networking sites allow us to share personal information with others. I think that we “over share” our personal thoughts and information with others.  Employers are starting to look at Facebook when they hire new employees. Your behavior and choices online can now affect your career.

 I also feel that we create a lot of drama by sharing our disappointments, illnesses and relationship woes. Our friends and even strangers are weighing in to advise us and lend an ear. I am a private person so maybe I’m over reacting but I don’t want my mother or boss to know that I had a personal indiscretion , over drank or did something I’m ashamed of.  I have several friends who no longer speak to each other after the recent presidential election because they voiced their opinions on the issues through Facebook.  Things got nasty and they are no longer friends. I don’t think that people filter their thoughts and opinions when they are behind a screen. Real face to face conversations allow us to see how a person is reacting to conversations. Body language and voice tones allow us to feel a person out and filter what we say. Once you put something online it is there forever!!!  A digital history of mistakes and indiscretions are there for all to see.

The students in Digital Nation who had a physical confrontation in the cafeteria as a result of cyber bullying were filmed and shown on YouTube. Technology allows us to record and broadcast embarrassing occurrences. We are constantly being watched.  In Growing up Online students were drinking on a trip to NYC and their experience was shown on YouTube. Technology allows us to record and broadcast embarrassing occurrences. We are being watched, reprimanded and judged for our indiscretions. The parents and teachers had proof though YouTube. Their digital footprints are now jeopardized because of choices they made in their youth.

8. “Stranger Danger” and predator fears are often overblown by the media on shows such as Datelines “To Catch a Predator”.  What are the real dangers of technology in this day and age?  

Children in Growing up Online knew how to avoid online predators. They simply deleted or ignored them.  They did not seem to be easily lured in by predators. I think that adults are fearful about this but the kids are not as naive as they think.

The real dangers are addiction and cyber bullying. Today kids are spending 50 plus hours a week online. I fear that they are losing social skills and their ability to relate on a real level. 

Cyber bullying is a real problem and suicides have been reported because children are being taunted and tortured online. The bullying also takes place at school. They are not able to escape it because the bullying follows them home on the internet. In Growing up Online a middle school boy killed himself because of the constant torture. Unfortunately his parents were unaware that he was being bullied online.

The Internet allows children to pursue information about unhealthy or dangerous interests. The young lady in Digital Nation who was able to find information and support groups for anorexia was able to continue to starve herself and feel OK about it without her parents ever knowing. 

I found both documentaries to be interesting. I feel that technology is helping us in many ways. I am however, concerned that overuse may be damaging how we learn and interact with each other. We are losing human interaction. The IBM building that was shown in Digital Nation was empty. It used to be hub of interaction and productivity. Now employees work from home and connect through technology. I understand that it is cost effective and it is a more streamlined approach but I find it sad. We are progressing but at what cost? I find sitting face to face with a friend or my family over a drink or a meal to be good for my soul. I don’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling online.