Disconnected. Wait a year or two and chat with your friends and family... you'll feel a lot like Rip Van Winkle waking up from a dream and realize all you missed. Better yet, consider learning how to balance the tools as a part of your life. Don't let it consume you. But know enough; have a few collaborative tools to connect you to reputable resources, info, people.
I take it that what you really mean is the focus should shift from the tool to the work that the tool is accomplishing, yes? Something like "invisible technology". You can Google that phrase.
Workers on a construction site, though, often talk about their tools. They might even obsess about them. They show each other proper use. They ensure safety by talking about what you shouldn't do with the tool (Hey, stop cutting the pizza with the chainsaw!).
So, the tool will never become invisible. If you work in an affluent area where kids have had ubiquitous access to technology, like your District A/B comic, then this shouldn't be a problem. But as the comic illustrates, the tool can be a very big issue for students in District B. In those situations, it can never be invisible because access is so limited.
Aaron - you bring up some good points. I was referring to the focus. My observation is it is frequently the teacher's focus that emphasizes the tech rather than the work. That seems to lead to too many shallow uses of tech, rather than rich, deep uses.
How is this working for you? Quiet. Peaceful.
ReplyDeleteDisconnected. Wait a year or two and chat with your friends and family... you'll feel a lot like Rip Van Winkle waking up from a dream and realize all you missed. Better yet, consider learning how to balance the tools as a part of your life. Don't let it consume you. But know enough; have a few collaborative tools to connect you to reputable resources, info, people.
I take it that what you really mean is the focus should shift from the tool to the work that the tool is accomplishing, yes? Something like "invisible technology". You can Google that phrase.
ReplyDeleteWorkers on a construction site, though, often talk about their tools. They might even obsess about them. They show each other proper use. They ensure safety by talking about what you shouldn't do with the tool (Hey, stop cutting the pizza with the chainsaw!).
So, the tool will never become invisible. If you work in an affluent area where kids have had ubiquitous access to technology, like your District A/B comic, then this shouldn't be a problem. But as the comic illustrates, the tool can be a very big issue for students in District B. In those situations, it can never be invisible because access is so limited.
Aaron - you bring up some good points. I was referring to the focus. My observation is it is frequently the teacher's focus that emphasizes the tech rather than the work. That seems to lead to too many shallow uses of tech, rather than rich, deep uses.
ReplyDelete