Thoughts on Silicon Snake Oil
Wow! I
thought this elective would be one of my least favorites. Boy, was I
wrong! There were so many thoughts expressed that I can't narrow my
response to just one; I have to comment on several. First, I'd like to
quote McGreal when he says "caution and a sense of perspective" must
be applied to Internet use and computer technology in general. There are
so many valuable things that have come from computers and the Internet, yet, in
my opinion, they will never replace interaction between people. I do believe
computers have a tendency to isolate us from each other--look at what we are
doing with this class--we are having discussions online and not interacting
with other individuals face-to-face. Is that good or bad? Well, I
suppose that depends on your perspective. We can gain much information
from each other, but by human nature we are social "animals" and we
need the interaction with each other--the "nonverbal" types of
communication--the smiles, the frowns, the shrugs. Time can get away from
you when you are on the computer; time that maybe could be better spent in
building relationships with coworkers and family.
The computer
and Internet are established components in today's society, like it or
not. We would not be preparing our children for their future if we did
not allow them access to the computer and the Internet. There is a wealth
of information available, that is true, and some of it is out-of-date, but the
computer is a tool and we must teach our children how to determine what
information is valid and how to search for and recognize the difference between
valid and invalid information. That should be included in the role of
educators. As far as the comment made that some teachers do not spark an
interest in their students, that is a flaw in the education system. Quite
frankly, there are some teachers who should be in other professions. The
computer should definitely be in the classroom--there is much value to using one.
Research can be performed, word processing, computer graphics and animation all
require a computer.
I do have a
concern about the decline in student's grammar and spelling that I see emerging
as a result of e-mail and instant messaging. These are things that need
to be addressed. There are good and bad points concerning the use of both
of these technologies. For example, e-mail is a wonderful tool for a
brief, quick conversation; but it is toooo easy to send something without
thinking the wording through carefully.
I do not think
computers will ever replace libraries and we will be reading books over the
Internet. One of my favorite ways to relax is to find a comfortable chair
and "curl up with a good book". It just isn't possible to be
comfy while staring at a computer screen and they aren't easy to carry around
the house! A good point was made, also, about the cost of converting
present media to digital versions. The cost would be prohibitive and the
media would be obsolete and therefore useless in relatively no time at
all. Computers are here to stay and we must learn how to use them as the
valuable tool that they are.