Don't Be a Stupid Smart Phone User
"Laggard: In the diffusion of innovation theory, the minority group (roughly 16 percent) of population, which is the last group to try or adopt a new project. It consists largely of seniors, and those with low socioeconomic status. Laggards use friends and neighbors as information sources, dislike change, and accept new things only when forced to." (Source: BusinessDictionary.com)
"As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved... Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology... Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not..." (Source: Is technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis?)
"The real world of technology seems to involve an inherent trust in machines and devices... and a basic apprehension of people... If we do not wish to visualize people as the sources of problems and machines and devices as sources of solutions, then we need to consider machines and devices as cohabitants of this earth within the limiting parameters applied to human populations." (Ursula Franklin, 1999, The Real World of Technology, pg. 25).
Our house contains one television, one working lap top and one shared Samsung "flip phone" with a very basic cellular service plan. Our garage contains one car. We still record shows on an old VCR. We used to rent movies up until last month, only after discovering our local video store closed down. And I still like to have a CD player, even though your Daddy has transferred almost all of his music onto a Sony MP3 player.
I guess I am a laggard. No, I'm not a senior yet. No, I am not in a low income bracket. On the other hand, yes, I dislike change. And yes, when it comes to technology, I accept new things only when forced to.
I wouldn't say I am technologically inept. Or overly stubborn. I'm just content with yesterday's model. I don't feel compelled to upgrade as long as my device is working. After all, upgrading is expensive and taxing on the environment (check out: Where does e-waste end up?).
However, the thing that really disturbs me about technologies such as smart phones, is that it seems to be creating a world of stupid people who don't really think for themselves. I mean, why should I challenge my critical and creative thinking skills when Apple's Siri can give me the answer? Why should I waste my time engaging in dialogue with others when I can find the "answers" on someone's blog out there? Why should I learn the archaic skills of sound research or analysis when I can access an app to solve the problem? Why read a good old fashion paperback when I can spend hours keeping up with social media feeds? Why should I trust a human -- or even engage my God-given intellect for that matter -- when I've got a smart machine that fits quite nicely in the palm of my hand?
Chris Hedges, in his article America the Illiterate, states my concerns more poignantly:
Ray Bradbury (1953) wrote a telling book entitled Fahrenheit 451, a story about a fireman whose job is to burn books. I read the book last year, for the first time. And I was shocked on how much the book was a commentary on the way we live today. Consider this:
Please.
"As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved... Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology... Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not..." (Source: Is technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis?)
"The real world of technology seems to involve an inherent trust in machines and devices... and a basic apprehension of people... If we do not wish to visualize people as the sources of problems and machines and devices as sources of solutions, then we need to consider machines and devices as cohabitants of this earth within the limiting parameters applied to human populations." (Ursula Franklin, 1999, The Real World of Technology, pg. 25).
Our house contains one television, one working lap top and one shared Samsung "flip phone" with a very basic cellular service plan. Our garage contains one car. We still record shows on an old VCR. We used to rent movies up until last month, only after discovering our local video store closed down. And I still like to have a CD player, even though your Daddy has transferred almost all of his music onto a Sony MP3 player.
I guess I am a laggard. No, I'm not a senior yet. No, I am not in a low income bracket. On the other hand, yes, I dislike change. And yes, when it comes to technology, I accept new things only when forced to.
I wouldn't say I am technologically inept. Or overly stubborn. I'm just content with yesterday's model. I don't feel compelled to upgrade as long as my device is working. After all, upgrading is expensive and taxing on the environment (check out: Where does e-waste end up?).
However, the thing that really disturbs me about technologies such as smart phones, is that it seems to be creating a world of stupid people who don't really think for themselves. I mean, why should I challenge my critical and creative thinking skills when Apple's Siri can give me the answer? Why should I waste my time engaging in dialogue with others when I can find the "answers" on someone's blog out there? Why should I learn the archaic skills of sound research or analysis when I can access an app to solve the problem? Why read a good old fashion paperback when I can spend hours keeping up with social media feeds? Why should I trust a human -- or even engage my God-given intellect for that matter -- when I've got a smart machine that fits quite nicely in the palm of my hand?
Chris Hedges, in his article America the Illiterate, states my concerns more poignantly:
The core values of our open society, the ability to think for oneself, to draw independent conclusions, to express dissent when judgment and common sense indicate something is wrong, to be self-critical, to challenge authority, to understand historical facts, to separate truth from lies, to advocate for change and to acknowledge that there are other views, different ways of being, that are morally and socially acceptable, are dying.We are living with the sound-bite generation, a generation that has grown up with visual images, who learn through their eyes as opposed to their ears. I am not saying that we need to ignore the needs of such learners in the world that has been created for them. Rather, I am advocating for multiple ways of knowing and learning. Yes, today's kids are visually brilliant. But how about in other areas? Can today's kids think their way out of a paper bag without their phone?
Ray Bradbury (1953) wrote a telling book entitled Fahrenheit 451, a story about a fireman whose job is to burn books. I read the book last year, for the first time. And I was shocked on how much the book was a commentary on the way we live today. Consider this:
With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be.I do not want the word "intellectual" to become a swear word in your lifetime, dear children. Go ahead, learn how to use a smart phone wisely when the time comes (though not for a while kiddos, so don't get your hopes up). Feel free to learn all the razzle-dazzle skills of video editing and website design to accompany your class projects. Fine, practice your multiplication facts via Mathletics instead of those boring flash cards. Okay, type out your Science report in Gr. 2 instead of printing it out by hand. However! Do. Not. Stop. Thinking.
Please.