It is not often that I go a day without using technology. Born into the Age of Information, I remember sitting at the family desktop (which was in the dining room of all places) and having to race to the kitchen during commercials. Now, I pay extra to ensure I don’t get commercial breaks and that I can take my computer to bed with me. I am never without my conveniences.
As someone who grew up with technology as it became more mainstream – from i-Pod to i-Phone to God knows what next – I find that I can adapt to new technology as it comes fairly easily – unlike the generation before me and even the one after me. While I have to help my mom and dad set up new devices and warn them about fake news (legitimate fake news), I also find myself doing the same thing with the students that I teach. I often ask myself when interacting with either generation, “How do you not know how to Google things efficiently? Why do you not just attempt new things, when it comes to navigating a website or a technological tool?” On either side of me, I realize that there just isn’t the technology literacy skills that my generation seem to have. On one hand, my parents’ generation was a bit scared of the power of technology, but I realize that perhaps the newer generation is so used to what they have, that they never had to figure out anything new – just slight adaptions to what they already know.
It might be that we are moving out of the Age of Technology and into the Age of IoT [the Internet of Things] . Students who have explicit access to more computer automated devices live in a world where questions are answered before they have the opportunity to struggle with how to find them and grapple with the process of critically analyzing information. The same for my parents – there is no self-taught process of discovering the technology and growing as it grows as well. As education, and subsequently the world, become more technology forward (everything I teach is on Google Classroom, and I cannot remember the last time I gave a paper assignment) I think that it is crucial to stay on top of how to operate the technology so that students have guidance and someone to teach them how to use it appropriately and also effectively.
Don’t get me wrong – I love the ease of life that technology affords me. I video call my mom every week, research recipes to try, doom scroll on TikTok, and lesson plan from my phone. But, I would hesitate to say that I am addicted to it. I can’t say the same for my students. Before summer, I had a student make a plea to take their phone to the bathroom with them because (and I’m paraphrasing here for clean content) they had classically conditioned themselves to the point where without their phone… nothing was going to happen (if you get me).
Letting go of the technology at times seems weird at first, but I think is also necessary to reset and remember how interact in the world without having every answer and piece of information at my fingertips. I’d like to believe that I can be in the bathroom without my phone.
However, I did write this post while sitting on the closed toilet to supervise my toddler in the bath…. So maybe I can’t?
Thanks for the article share, Savannah! I hadn’t heard that term before, but it is a nice way to conceptualize the current shift in internet technology. I’ll be sitting down to read that this morning.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I really resonate with your experience of growing up with technology and seeing how different generations interact with it.
Your story about your student is a perfect example of how reliant we’ve become on our devices. It’s a good reminder that while tech makes life easier, we need to remember to unplug sometimes and engage with the world around us.
Thanks again for sharing!
– Mariah Mazur
I’d never considered before that the reason that we really are the googling generation. My fiancé is only 3 years younger than me, but she refers to me as Mr. Google because I just instictively search things up whenever I want to know something. On the other hand I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve asked my dad “Have you tried googling it” and he says no. We had the opportunity to learn and grow with technology as it continued to advance. That’s a very cool realization!
Also, well it’s a little sad if I think about it for too long, the story of your student needing the phone was hilarious and instantly brought a smile to my face! Thanks for sharing Savannah!
I feel like my parents and my students also consider me an expert Googler – but it just seems to natural to me! But I think that the natural progression of technology as we grew up forced us to be that way in some regards!
Hi Savannah,
Thank you for sharing this, I really enjoyed reading through it. As for the description you made about the generational technology divide, I could not agree more with what you wrote. We get to the stage where we, in a way, educate both our parents and students on how to effectively use a certain technology.
Your story about a student taking their phone to the bathroom really cracked me up and true to say I do that too. My Bad! I feel like that’s the only time when I get to be all me. . LOL!! It is truly eye-opening in terms of how much technology has interwoven itself into society. Loved the honesty regarding the issue. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Savannah,
As I was reading your blog, I realized that I am definitely part of the “generation before you.” In fact, as I was reading, I would see a lot of similarities with your parents. You help your parents, whereas my son and daughter help me, not just setting up devices or updating my computer and phone but even with fake news. To answer one of the questions about why people don’t attempt new things, I would say that they are scared of not knowing how to use them. Also, curiosity plays a major role. If you are not interested in something, you will hardly engage in it.
Thank you for sharing this reflective post, Savannah! Your detailed account of how technology shapes your daily routine is relatable and insightful. The discussion on the generational divide in tech literacy and the humorous anecdotes about adapting to new technology resonate deeply. Your honesty about the pervasive influence of technology, even in moments meant for a break, is thought-provoking. How can we encourage a healthier balance between digital and offline activities in our daily lives?