The Technological Reformation

This past week, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Rosen speak at the Mount's SPARC festival! It was the first speaker that I heard this year at the SPARC festival, and I was really excited to listen to what she had to say!  Her speech was centered on technology. Now, you are probably thinking that she spent the whole hour talking about the benefits of technology. At least that's what I first thought. Everything is about technology today! We start our day with technology, and end our day with technology! Is that really a good thing though? Should there be a limit on technology?

Dr. Rosen believes that there should be a limit. Dr. Rosen did not advocate for more technology. Instead, she addressed the impacts of technology on the world today. According to Dr. Rosen, technology is changing the way that we treat one another.  She believes that this change is not necessarily for the good.  In order to make her point, she uses the story of the "Good Samaritan." She believes that people no longer have the time to be "Good Samaritans" because they are so wrapped up in technology. I was very intrigued by her statement! Are we really that consumed by technology that we are failing to notice the people around us? Dr. Rosen explained that when an incident occurs, it is more likely for people to record the incident on their cell phones, before they actually call the police! Is this true? Would we really record the incident first? What happened to helping others as quickly as we can? I was getting frustrated, at the possibility of that happening! Documenting an incident should not be the first priority!

I agree with Dr. Rosen. We need to step back and live in the present. We cannot let technology take over our lives! However, this is not an easy thing to do in the world we live in today. It is a technological world! We are encouraged to utilize technology as much as possible. People want to use technology! Even the twenty-first century learners in today's elementary school classrooms want to be educated using technology! The problem is how do we put a limit on how much technology we use? Is that even possible or is technology going to shield us from other things that are going on in the world?

Check out the video below! It shows how students are begging teachers, like me; to use technology in their instruction. Children want to be immersed in technology! They want to be creative thinkers and problem solvers, but how much is too much? Where should teachers draw the line? What do you think?