The Digital Treadmill

Reading the introduction to Net Smart I immediately began thinking about my own "digital treadmill "that I had begun to "go on" as a young child. It motivated me to think about the introductions to technology I had, the main staple social media and technology platforms that got me here today. As new social media platforms take shape and gain popularity it is often difficult to remember just how long we have been going on the treadmill. One of the largest contributing factors for me continuing further and further was the reliability. My first introduction to computers was frustrating and unpredictable. Dial up internet took forever and often there were times it wouldn't connect at all. I only relied on a computer for occasional fun playing games and nothing else.  My families very first computer actually broke within the first 5 minutes of setting it up because a CD we inserted shattered inside and trickled through out it. We had to wait at least a week until we could drive to Costco (where we bought it) which was an hour away. Yet even with a frustrating start my journey continued. Much of my journey also depended on both my parents and my teachers.





My parents were the ones paying for everything. I didn't get a smartphone until 2014 which felt excruciatingly late considering I had gone through college and everyone around me had a phone with internet. Again, my parents were paying and internet cost a lot so I dealt with it. I use to go on sub jobs and had to print out the directions of how to get to the job site before I left. When you pause the digital treadmill and refuse or choose to stop the world isn't required to wait with you. 

"We have been reallocating our attention in response to new communication media for a long time." -Howard Reingold

I think our journey is important to remember when we think of where we are today. Thinking about why we feel so weird when you leave your phone at home one day or why being disconnected doesn't feel as good as we hoped. When you disconnect and then return those emails and messages are waiting. No one was answering them for you. It demands our attention.

I look forward to reading further into this book to read more about the authors ideas for filtering the "crap" and focusing our attention more positively.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weekly Play Ransom

Image
This is how I feel when people who have never taught or been in education make comments and are negative toward teachers wanting fair pay. Boy would I love to invite them in this year, with it being my hardest year ever. "Welcome to my room were a 5 year old won't stop screaming and throwing tantrums all day long but don't forget you still have to teach the other 16 kids! Have fun!"  Sorry just being a bit bratty with this post. Yes, I chose this field knowing what the pay was but it doesn't mean I have to accept that for my whole teaching career. There is nothing wrong with fighting for what you deserve. 
Read more

Facts Matter

Image
"Some consider fake news to be simply information with which they disagree. Others claim that we can no longer regulate truth in an era where fake news spreads so easily and that we therefore live in a "post-truth" society." -Mark Chayko The idea that some consider fake news to be information they disagree with gives me great concern. In a country that prides it self in being some where with freedom of speech it strikes me as petty to then  hold information as fake if they are unable to support it. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of things I read and hear that I don't like or really want to hear but I feel that the term fake news is a phrase spread like wildfire now. With the election of our newest president this phrase has been everywhere. I didn't think much of it until it was thrust into our faces everyday. I grew worried because I know as an avid celebrity gossip follower that I maybe gullible enough to fall for fake news. Chayko says "
Read more

Teacher negativity

Image
As a new teacher fresh from subbing for half a year one of the things I was not ready for was the mix of different types of teachers in my school. I started out eating my lunch in the staff lounge as a way to get to know my colleagues. That soon stopped when I realized what a negative space the staff lounge was. While there were times of sharing about our lives and families it was far less than the times with negative rants about students and situations in the classroom. It is still this way which is why I continue to eat my lunch in my classroom even after 5 years at the same school. I was finding myself complaining and joining in to have something to relate to. I don't like the teacher I become when I go to the staff lounge. As teachers we have times when we had a student be extremely difficult or situation that comes up that drives us crazy. How should we handle it? First, I think we all need something OUTSIDE of school that helps us release stress. Maybe its the gym or get
Read more