Here we are in the traditional middle of summer, but I am sure you
have already started to see the “Back to School” signs
in the stores. It might seem early to be thinking of school, but the
coming Fall is the time for considering all the things we have learned
and all the things we have yet to learn, regardless of our age. Technology
has become an important part of our learning, both in facilitating
learning and learning how to use the technology itself. We would all
do well to take a few moments to think about the technology around
us, and how it helps or hinders us in our daily lives.
Kids today
Those of us over 30 would do well to consider how our children do
so well integrating new technologies into their lives. Sure, we
might
think cell phones and instant messaging are annoying interruptions
to our lives, but kids have developed entirely new methods of communication
with one another. While we might find the content of these conversations
rather thin (as did our own parents) it is the ability to make technology
a seamless part of their lives that sets them apart. Just as we were
raised with television as a constant presence in our childhood, our
kids have never known a time without home computers, the Internet
and the aforementioned ubiquitous cell phones. Just as we built
our days
around Saturday morning episodes of Scooby Doo, their daily (and
sometimes hourly) conversations are even more important to them.
How can we, as “aging” techno-geeks, maintain our excitement
about technology and all that it can do for us? Watch the kids around
us. They grab onto each new innovation with both hands, discover everything
it can do and then find a place for it in their lives. If a technology
doesn’t measure up, they forget about it and move on. You won’t
find kids wasting hours trying to “fix” MS Windows when
they can tweak Linux (and its cousins) to their heart’s content.
They are very un-accepting of technology that limits their ability
to tweak, change, hack and otherwise integrate the technology into
their lives. We need to do the same. We need to curb our technological
cynicism and see each new technology with fresh eyes, just like our
kids. This can lead us to develop new ways of using technology instead
of trying to build “yet another Yahoo” “yet another
Google”, “yet another Microsoft Word.”
Aged Wisdom
While the myth of “the wisdom of the old” has been fairly
well debunked over the last several decades, there are important thoughts
about technology that we can offer to our children. First, we need
to constantly remind them that technology is part of their life, not
all of it. They can have all their fancy gadgets, but communicating – simply
talking to one another – is one of the greatest problem-solving
tools of all. Sure, they can use their technology to communicate with
one another, but they can’t lose sight of the message by becoming
too focused on the messenger service. Today’s kids have the ability
to communicate with people all over the globe, in real time, all the
time. They should be reminded to think about this gift that they have
been given. Living in a small town in Ohio, my exposure to different
races, different cultures and different thoughts was limited. Kids
today have an embarrassment of cultural riches they can exploit, if
they can get beyond simply sending “CUL8R” or “LOL” to
their friends in the next seat.
We may not have found a balance in our own technological lives, but
we can share with our kids the need to constantly strive for a high-tech/high-touch
balance in their lives. They can spend hours siphoning information
off the Web, but then they need to get out in the sun, visit the mountains
or swim in the ocean. Technology is a wonderful tool, but virtual communication
can’t possibly substitute for real experiences. Sometimes I worry
about children, sitting in cars on the freeway, watching DVDs or playing
video games. Sure, I understand how boring a long trip can be, but
I think they can still gain something from staring out the window at
the passing scenery watching the world go by.
Technology can be a wonderful thing, as long as it is balanced with
everything else that makes up our lives. Our kids can keep opening
our eyes to new technologies and how they can be integrated into
our lives. We can help them to balance the ever increasing flow
of technology
with the basics of life.
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