so come follow me down memory lane to revisit what we once knew as a communication device.
1. Meeting up is easier
2. There's no excuse to be bored
3. Fast-twitch brains
4. You're always around
5. Horror movies had to add a line
6. Smile! You're on camera!
7. Update anxiety
8. All-In-One
9. Conversation killer
10. Conversation killer (Redux)
I have my own 10 of personal use to add (not in any specific order & not limited to these only)
1. Alarm Clock & Calculator & Weather
2. Calendar (Work & Personal Appts. & Schedules)
3. Sticky Note Saver
4. 'My Litl' Black Book' for Family, Friends, Customers, Etc.
5. Camera & Photo Album & posting to Instagram to share with family & friends
6. Emails for personal and work
7. Entertainment for myself & my young children
8. A Work in Progress - collection of images, ideas, Pinterest 'when I have time' files
9. Music
10. Child Allowance Tracker
As they said in the article...."call it good, call it bad, it just is" when referring to the estimated 5 billion mobile phone connections in the world. There was a time when phones were not around, then they became available in our homes connected to a wall, when I was younger I remember thinking how inconvenient it was to have the phone only on the kitchen wall - never seemed the right place to have a long conversation;)
As kids we thought that cordless phones were cool so that we could hang out in our bedroom and have a conversation with someone without anyone else in the room. Little did we know ... that it would come to this.
How about when I was in high school and we had one of these!!! Kids these days would not even know what to do with this! Technology has come so far... a generation ago it needed a whole room now it can fit in one of our pockets ... or if you so choose a bag like this one;)
Now wonder why some of us feel we never leave the office... some of us even feel a sense of panic if we happen to walk into the other room without our device! From the car to the bathroom, then the kitchen to the bedroom.... during our exercise/leisure activities and of course work activities... it is an additional piece of us...some say 'like an additional limb."
How The Smartphone Invasion Changed The Way We Live -
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| http://goo.gl/gkEaU |
The life of a teenager these days is a little different than I remember myself. It is estimated that a teenager consumes 10.5 hours of media in a day, according to Credit Suisse. If this is accurate... we as educators could only hope that a percentage of that is used with something educational!
For Fun:
I asked a former student about her smart phone usage and she responded with the following:
device: HTC Radar Windows Phone
who: freshman - girl
alarm in a.m.
checks for texts/calls/etc. texts friends
at school uses it for research, classwork, etc.
at lunch freely
before, during & after school uses:
text, call, internet, twitter, facebook,
instagram, pinterest, camera, calculator,
calendar, reminders
carries it with or on her at all times
(not at dinner or in bathroom)
does a lot of babysitting so uses it as a 'business' phone
I think that it would be very interesting to have several students track their usage just to see how much they do depend on these during their daily lives. I find it fascinating just how much they seem to be attached to them, yet do not personally like the feeling when I do not have mine either! I do not go into a panic but I do however seem to 'need' it whenever that happens.
This House Believes Children Should Be Allowed -
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| http://goo.gl/HV4Gq |
We have a need to feel connected and with technology that has been made very possible for us 24/7.
Many of us take our mobile devices more places than we would like to admit.
But when is it too much or inappropriate?
As discussed using the format of a table with points for and points against, this article states opinion on 4 categories regarding children and mobile devices.
1. Mobile phones keep children safe
I agree to a certain extent but what about all of us that grew up just fine with out them? I do love that it is a convenient way to communicate things with parents - especially important things that need immediate attention and can be solved because of the text feature or just having their cell phone with them at school for the right number to call.
2. Children should be comfortable with modern technology
I agree completely - the more comfortable they are, the better they can learn using these devices
Although, it states the average age is 8 for a first phone, I am not sure that I feel the maturity to have 'own' their own phone is until after that age... middle school seems to be a good age of responsibility from my experience as a teacher so far. We need to embrace it and make it work for us as parents and as teachers.
3. Mobile phones encourage the development of independence and interpersonal skills
I agree, my daughter is 3 and my son is 6 and they can navigate through things on both of our smartphones and also on an iPad. That doesn't mean they each need one of their own though. There are a lot of very good educational games for younger kids that they all seem to love to play.
4. Schools can implement programs to encourage responsible and considerate mobile phone use
I completely agree, this is in the works but will need to be taught at home as well!!! It will need to be reinforced by all if we want them to actually learn these and follow them.
We have a great task at hand with this young technology that is going to be always changing and as educators and parents we need to be aware and also knowledgeable of what it is and how it can be used in our daily lives. It would be great if only good things could come out of it all...but being realistic there are always going to be things that happen that we will need to figure out as they arise. But if we do not take the proactive stance as parents and educators and teach our youth how to use these devices appropriately and responsibly ... then who will?????
Additional Examples of Our Everyday Activities that have been altered by the mobile phone....
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| Really?...even in here... |
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| Exercise |
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| Modern Day Chatting? Hanging Out? |
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| Staying Connected...but to who? |
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| Quality Family Time? |
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| Distracted & Dangerous |
Graphs that support the newest trend of Smartphones as discussed in these articles above... |
| What the proposed future holds... |
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| Update on Users Choice |
I consider myself a bit old-fashioned in many ways. However, after reading your blog and this weeks articles, I surveyed my own device uses and came to many of the same conclusions as you. Much of my daily routine revolves around my ability to access and use my phone. It is a large part of my personal life (record keeping, communication, banking, kids photos...), work life (Google App, communication, timing and entries for track...etc), and social life. I am not sure how I feel about this revelation and my reliance on my device.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, as stated time and again, how I feel about technology is not really the point. The point is that devices are a large part of our students lives and it is our responsibility as educators to teach students the proper ways to incorporate those devices into their learning environment.
There's no doubt that personal devices have changed the lives of everyone in our society. I see it as being similar to when cars first came around. While not an absolute necessity, almost everyone owns one and some have more than one! And why not? Personal devices make things easier and keep us in touch with the world. It will be very interesting to see how not only devices change and get better but also how it effects the lives of children who don't know a world without Smartphones. It makes you wonder, will these children be having this same conversation 20 years from now and what will be the new concept or idea that they didn't grow up with?
ReplyDeleteI really like the last question you posed because I'm sure it will be something new and will be something that teachers will be discussing. They will again be having the conversation about how they are going to prepare for this new change. With the technology landscape changing constantly and with new ideas, platforms, and devices coming out all of the time, it is only a matter of time before everything changes again. For educators this means being as ready as possible to maximize the potential in the classroom for these technologies, since as we can see from the article they are being used everyday in multiple ways. There will always be things that we as educators don't like about these devices but if we can help our students learn how to use them responsibly then I believe those devices can become an asset to the classroom rather than simply being a distraction.
DeleteAfter reading these articles and thinking about what you said I examined my own use. I realized that I check my phone constantly and almost always have it right by my side. As soon as I done with an activity that I didn’t have my phone with me, I immediately check it to see what I have missed whether that be news, emails, texts, or phone calls. I’d like to think that it is going to get better in the future but I know that it is only going to get worse. For instance, the discussion about smart watches has already started with several models coming out soon. I happen to already own one called the Pebble and really like it! There are other technology like Google glasses coming out that could once again change the landscape of how things get done.
ReplyDeleteThis poses a real challenge to teachers because some teachers are just now getting use to their first smartphone or other device and already the landscape is looking like it will be changing again. As challenging as this is we will have to be the ones to help our students learn how to use them appropriately and safely as Jeanna talked about. In fact, I think that we as teachers will have to be some of the primary teachers on how to use their devices to some of our students who might not always get the guidance needed from home. This is a true challenge to ask of teachers but one that must be asked if we are truly going to prepare our students for the 21st Century.
As I read Jeanna's original post and the subsequent responses, I kept thinking about the BYOD professional development project that Christian and I worked on. We included a section called, "Do You Know Your Customer". I wasn't quite sure that this was important to include and I had some more doubts after receiving feedback from the eLc's at the high school, but I think this blog post actually made me certain that it was needed. Our students today have truly been raised in an environment that is different than the ones in which most of us were raised in. To gain information, when we were kids we read, asked questions, and talked to people who were in the know. Our connection to the others was the one phone hanging on the kitchen wall as Jeanna had eluded to. That rang (no pun intended) true to me because that was the same exact set-up in my home growing up.
ReplyDeleteTimes have definitely changed. I do sometimes think that I personally am addicted to my smartphone. If I go somewhere and I accidentally forget my phone, I feel a complete sense of emptiness. It's weird. I also get so frustrated when my phone dies. I feel so lost and disconnected...and I'm not sure if that is a good thing. However, I do know how to put it away when it's not appropriate to have it out. I think part of that reason is because I'm an adult and I can rationalize and know when it's inappropriate. However, today's students who have grown up with the devices, but maybe haven't had the guidance at home as Dion had said, need to be taught those skills of appropriate mobile use.
I will say this. I often question myself in regards to what is right and when does it become to much in terms of technology for my 6 year old daughter. As a divorced parent, technology has been on our side. I am able to stay connected with my daughter through Facetime on her iPod. She is not permitted, however, to be on her iPod and cruise the internet. She uses it strictly to communicate with her parents, to take pictures, and to occasionally play games during down time. Since she does have an iPod, I think it's very important to teach boundaries and I think the skills we teach her about how to safely and appropriately use the device will help her as she moves forward through life.
So think about this, your 6 year old daughter is Facetiming and using devices, just like many young children are doing these days. Technology will have to progress in ways we can't even understand in the coming years. There is always that sense of drive to make things, better, faster, etc. The youth of today are not different from us as adults in the fact that we expect to have something better and not be complacent, especially with technology. A few years ago we thought Blackberry's were the best thing known to phones and how could it get any better than that? Now Blackberry struggles to even survive!
DeleteI feel that we are only starting to see the changes that are to come in technology and education. A few years from now we will look back and not believe how much things have changed. One thing is for sure, get comfortable with change.
I knew that personal devices have changed our lives a lot but I didn't know it had this much. After reading Jeanna's post, as well as, the articles from this week I have completely grasped how much our lives have been forever changed. I can remember when pagers were the coolest thing to have when I was in middle school, by the time I was entered high school everyone had cellphones. Now, I'm not sure what I would do without my phone. As I reflect on all the ways I use my smartphone in one day I decided to record every time I use my phone in a day. The list was enormous! I used my phone from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to sleep. The list of uses include; alarm clock, text message, phone calls, facebook, intagram, gps, weather, pandora, map my run app, check email and pinterest. After exploring this list, I came to the conclusion if I am using my device this much I am sure my students are using their devices as much or even more! As educators we must embrace the use of these devices as a learning tool and teach our students how to use them effectively and safely.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I completely agree that one of our responsibilities as educators is to teach our students how to effectively and safety use devices. Devices are never going to go away and effectively using devices will be a life skill for our students. Students of today will never know a world without instant access to mega amounts of information. One of the hardest things for students to do is to be able to turn that switch off inside their brain that wants them to constantly be doing something on their phone. I have a slight fear that this could cause our economy some economic problems in the future do to the lack of productivity once these students are an integral part of the global workforce. However, the opposite effect to the economy could take place if technology helps humans to find and/or invent all new sorts of products that wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of technology.
DeleteMelissa, I completely agree that one of our responsibilities as educators is to teach our students how to effectively and safety use devices. Devices are never going to go away and effectively using devices will be a life skill for our students. Students of today will never know a world without instant access to mega amounts of information. One of the hardest things for students to do is to be able to turn that switch off inside their brain that wants them to constantly be doing something on their phone. I have a slight fear that this could cause our economy some economic problems in the future do to the lack of productivity once these students are an integral part of the global workforce. However, the opposite effect to the economy could take place if technology helps humans to find and/or invent all new sorts of products that wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of technology.
DeleteGreat job Jeanna. This is a hard topic to discuss. I agree that the smartphone and cellular technology have changed the game. They have changed it in my classroom, they have changed my life, and have a profound effect on my family. Its great to have all in one technology, its fun and neat, and really cool. It helps with organization, just like Jeanna commented on her contact list and calendar. I still love my pc for photoshop and adobe dreamworks programs, and I love to write on my pc and laptop, more than my tablet. Many of you notice I do not have a smartphone- the reality, I don't want one. I like to leave my emails and internet access at home- its liberating. My kids have i pod touches, and we regulate the use of it, but it can be addicting for kids- and to be honest, I want them to have computer savvy, but I also want them to run around outside, look a person in the eye, enjoy the world (not from behind a desk, or in virtual reality or second life) but dream and attain goals in reality. they need to learn how to shake hands and hug and enjoy a person's company, not their avatar.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is great, it has a vital place in education and communication. However, it should be a part- a small part- of our lives. Plus, I don't want to live in a world where human-cyborg terminators are eliminating the human race-- i just want my kids to access primary sources, and communicate with educators and innovators from around the world, then go home and hug their parents, and eat dinner and play outside with friends.
BYOD Forever, Terminator Never.
Jeanna, I really liked your visual approach! You don't really think about the changing world much until you actually see and visualize how far technology has come. It's a whole new world out there! It's also crazy to think how just a few years between people can completely change our experiences with technology. You talked about how cool you thought it was when you were able to bring your cordless phone in the bedroom and have a private conversation with friends. I don't think my family has ever owned a phone that wasn't cordless, simply because when I was a teenager they weren't that common. It's hard to even picture what technology will look like just five years from now. There is no way I could have envisioned what today's technology would look like in 2000. It also seems crazy just when making this comparison to education. The first cell phone was around in what the 80s? And we are just NOW using them in our classrooms? So, essentially, we have been pushing out a technology in the classroom for the entire time I have been alive (or maybe we're just now finding a good use for them...). Crazy how times and technologies change!
ReplyDelete