Technology: Are our Defenses Really Broken

Although I am starting to tire of Postman's negativity towards technology, I found that he made some valid points towards the defenses we have in place (or don't have in place) in reference to technology and "the information glut."  I agree with him that the school and the family serve as part of a culture's information immune system, but I took offense to his statement "that the family can no longer do this is obvious to everyone."  I hope this is not true.  I have devoted most of my life to trying, as best as I can,  to be the "immune system" for my family, and just tonight my teenage son said that I had sheltered them from the world.  Thankfully, my college-aged daughter said she hadn't felt sheltered, but irregardless, I tried to raise children who would becoming discerning adults in the world in which they live. 

I was also intrigued with Postman's whole discussion of bureaucracy, especially in reference to our educational systems.  Postman says, "If however, we are made to believe that a test can reveal precisely the quantity of intelligence a person has, then for all institutional purposes, a score on a test becomes his or her intelligence.  The test transforms an abstract and multifaceted meaning into a technical and exact term that leaves out everything of importance" (89)  How interesting if we look at that statement in reference to the grades we give on tests, assignments and report cards.  Do our grades signify nothing?    Are we guilty of believing that "technology can plainly reveal the true nature of some human condition or belief because the score, statistic, or taxonomy has given it technical form" (90)?

And finally, another point of interest was Postman's review of the medical system and the influence of technology.  He could have  had a great discussion with Pink, who recognized the power of story as a diagnostic tool in today's world of medicine.  Postman would be happy to note that listening to patients and giving their "story" value is once again becoming a well-recognized tool to diagnose medical problems.  Possibly this is one area where we are learning to combine the best of both worlds.

So my burning question for all you wise people is this:  Has our practice of giving grades and administering standardized tests made us guilty of bowing to the information glut and bureaucracy?  Are these tests and grades actually "a tale told by an expert, signifying nothing" (89)?

Information Glut: Can it be Lethal to our Health

Postman summed up my most of my thoughts while reading these two chapters in his final statement of chapter 4:  "It is only now beginning to be understood that cultures may also suffer grievously from information glut, information without meaning, information without control mechanisms" (70).  I found myself nodding in agreement with his statement "information without regulation can be lethal" (63) and finally that "the genie that came out of the bottle proclaiming that information was the new god of culture was a deceiver. . . . It gave no warning about the dangers of information glut, the disadvantages of which were not seen so clearly" (60).

Once again, although I want to be a somewhat up-to-date user of technology. I also want to use it wisely and with my eyes open.  As an educator in the 21st century I think it is my responsibility to teach my students to see technology as a very useful tool and one that will absolutely shape their lives.  And yet I don't want them to suffer grievously.  How do I help them to find meaning in this technological world?  How do I help them access information and find control mechanisms to contain and evaluate that information?  Is that even possible?  My students (and my family) "are driven to fill our lives with the quest to 'access' information."  But I think we have to ask, "For what purpose or with what limitations" (61).  And although "we are not accustomed to asking, since the problem is unprecedented.  The world has never before been confronted with information glut and has hardly had time to reflect on its consequences" (61), we need to reflect on the consequences and encourage our students to ask the questions:  Do they use technology with discernment?  Do they believe everything they read?  How can they separate truth from fiction?  Am I giving them the skills to do that?  Can I burst their bubbles that technology is not everything?

And lastly, I had to grin with Postman's description of a "peek-a-boo world, where now this event, now that event, pops into view for a moment, then vanishes again" (70).  I see this mostly with my own children who are often calling me to view the latest youtube clip or the latest facebook posting.  It is a quick peek-a-boo into a usually irrelevant world, which does not usually enhance or detract from life -- or does it?  And do I take the time to even seriously answer that question or discern the believability of the clip?  I find myself guilty of finding the time to reflect on the consequences of the information that I am bombarded with.  If I don't know how to successfully navigate this information glut, how will I best teach my students who are on this journey with me?

Technopoly? A Burden or a Blessing

The subtitle of Postman's book Technopoly, "The Surrender of Culture to Technology" really caught my eye before I even started to read.  I can't say I felt like I was surrendering to technology.  In fact, on some days, I probably felt more like running from technology.  But he made a very clear argument outlining the strong influence that technology has on society, whether that influence was intended or not.  I loved his statement, "A bargain is struck in which technology giveth and technology taketh away" (5).   He clarifies this statement even more when he writes, "it is not always clear, at least in the early stages of a technology's intrusion into a culture, who will gain most by it and who will lose most.  This is because the changes wrought by technology are subtle if not downright mysterious, one might even say wildly unpredictable" (12). 
As an educator, and as a student taking a course called "Enhancing Education with Technology," this leaves me with some serious responsibility and some serious questions.  Am I wanting to learn more about technology just to be more modern and to look like I am on the "cutting edge" of education?  Will the use of technology really enhance the education I am providing?   Will my students be "losers" or "winners" or both as I introduce new technology into their educational world and their lives?  Am I being irresponsible if I don't show them as much as I can about technology and use it to its full extent, because that's the world they live in (and it's actually the world I live in too)?  And I guess a culminating question -- do all my previous questions really get to the true meaning of reforming all of life under God?

My first blog ever!

This blog will be a work in progress and may change as I become familiar with all the things I can do.  Hopefully it will serve its purpose for the time being.