Digital Nation: Technology in the Classroom and Family Interactions

     In the video, Digital Nation, the increasing use of technology is the main focus. Throughout the video, documentation of the influence technology is having on multiple areas of life is presented. These areas range from the use of technology in the classroom, to online dating, and even the involvement technology in warfare. Technology, in one way or another, is becoming a part of nearly every person's life worldwide. Two areas, discussed in

Technology at the Ready

the video, that stood out to me the most were the use of technology in the classroom setting and family interactions. There is no question that technology is having a profound effect on the world we live in today, but is it taking away more than what is worth giving up to have these new technologies?
     In the opening scene of the video, the mother of a family discusses how technology is impacting her family. Not only are her and her husband constantly using technology, but the children are seemingly always on a device as well. She feels that even though all of them live in the same house, they are all in their own separate place from each other. Another interview in the scene shows a South Korean mother and son. The son is constantly playing video games and this has created a large disconnect in communication between the mother and son. It seems as though typical interactions between family members are changing in far more countries than just South Korea. As my brother and I grew older, we would always sit in front of the television to eat supper. When we were younger, the only night we didn't sit around the dinner table to eat was when we went out to a restaurant. The dinner table is where we would discuss with our parents how our days went and tell stories of the events that had taken place earlier in the day. Those conversations became more and more scarce as we started to make our way into the living room to eat supper, as opposed to having the

Transformation of Family Dinner

bonding time around the table. Another way I have seen technology influencing family interactions is during the holidays. The holidays used to be times where my family members would catch up with each other, having not seen some of the other family members for several months. Now, a few cousins and aunts/uncles have their tablets or phones out before and after supper so that they can constantly be monitoring social media sites. This goes back to the mother feeling as though each of her family members were in separate places, while still in the same household. If you're more concerned with watching vines and "re-tweeting" posts, what is the point in even coming to family functions? Although there are still conversations around the table, probably close to half of them are a result from something that was seen on social media. The conversations are starting to become more about the next biggest thing, rather than the stories of past grandparents and childhood adventures. Family histories and the appreciation for the past are becoming obsolete. Some of these changing family interactions can be stemming from the incorporation of technology in the classroom setting. The fact that children are now using computers and other various technologies at such a young age in school can be creating a desire to constantly be on some form of device. Many people need to have constant access to the internet to feel connected. The question though is how disconnected are those same people from their families if they are on that device while sitting in the same room with their family? Can you really get to know your child by listening to their fingers tapping down on a keyboard, rather than hearing what fun activities they took part in at school that day?
     Let's look into how children are being raised with technology in school more now. In Digital Nation, second graders in a South Korean school are shown with computers surrounding them constantly. They have to sing songs that portray the usefulness of the internet and the idea that there is a guardian angel in the internet watching over them. All through the hallways there are signs mentioning the internet. This has to create a constant thought of the internet, whether to resist it or access it. If a child never gets a break from thinking about the internet, how are they supposed to think about a conversation to have with their parents? Another example from Digital Nation is the use of laptops in classrooms at MIT and a middle school in the U.S. Some of the students admitted to just surfing the web and doing their own thing, whenever they were bored with the lesson. If students are just looking up funny videos or checking social media sites, they aren't hearing the information that they need for their tests. The MIT students felt lost whenever they didn't have a device, that could access the internet, within arms reach. By having constant access to the internet

Technology Dependent Kindergartener

in school, students have developed a dependency to always have the internet at their fingertips. If the students are allowed to use the internet to look up information for a question in the classroom, are the students even retaining information being taught? Yes they might be able to give the correct answer when they have all of the answers in front of them, but if the screen is shut off and then asked the same question, will they be able to draw the answer from their own knowledge? The internet can be a very useful tool but shouldn't be used to gain the answer to every question in life. Nobody will learn nearly as much by having a computer do the work for them as they would by reading appropriate texts to find the answer with their own brain. By incorporating more technology into schools, we are reducing the necessity for students to think critically about questions and are taking away from their ability to focus on any one particular area at a time.
     These two areas are only a small portion of all the areas researched by Digital Nation. Social interactions with family and the ability to perform tasks on our own are being affected by the technology surrounding us. When looking at the big picture, many more areas are being affected by the increasing dependency on technology by humans all over the world. Some of these areas are what define us as humans. If we continue to allow technology to replace functions of our body, will we eventually stop becoming humans and turn into mindless operators of machines?