Reflection on Carr

Reflection on Carr’s The Shallows:  What the Internet is Doing to our Brains

Heidi Hopp

October 2011

As I began reading Carr’s book, I could easily relate to his description of his lack of concentration and ability to focus while reading.  His mind was scattered and distracted, often forcing himself to focus his attention back on the text he was supposed to be reading (Carr, 2010, p. 5-6).  After I was a few pages into the book, I stopped and thought, “Wait a minute, that’s me, too!”  I find myself feeling a pull to my computer when I am away from it and a sense of needed connectedness when I am in front of it.  I also feel like my mind drifts away when I am reading, or I get the feeling that I should be doing something else.  In his book, The Shallows, Carr points to the Internet as the reason for this lack of linear, deep thinking that seems to be disappearing from society.  He fully examines what effect the Internet is having on our brains and our learning.

Carr begins his journey by studying the scientific aspects of the brain and its connections.  It was once believed by scientists that our brains formed connections early on and once we were an adult, no more connections could be made.  Contrary research describes how our brains are “plastic” and are ever-changing in response to our experiences and our environment (Carr, 2010, p. 20-21).  As humans, we seek patterns and repetition.  The Internet does just that for us.  We click, we get information.  The more we click, the more we want.  “The Net also provides a high-speed system for delivering responses and rewards- “positive reinforcements,” in psychological terms- which encourage the repetition of both physical and mental actions” (Carr, 2010, p. 117).  There is some evidence that supports the belief that due to our constant tuning into the Internet, our brains are becoming rewired (Carr, 2010, p. 32).  This may help support what I am seeing within my own students today.  I have noticed that when I give them a choice and put a written book in front of them to read on their own or an ipad that can read a story to them, they often choose the latter.  It might be that they don’t want to or like to read, or it might be the fact that the ipad is more engaging and offers more opportunities for interactivity.  I think it is important to deliver instruction in a balanced way:  some with technology and some without.

I feel that our roots in becoming saturated in a computer rich environment stems way back from human beings needing and seeking information.  Thousands of years ago we shaped an oral culture that was passed down from generation to generation.  People relied on their memories to retell the information.  Then, slowly societies began to write more thoughts down on clay tablets, scrolls, and wax tablets.  The invention of the book came along next, and we had numerous sources and types of print to choose from (Carr, 2010, p. 59-60).  Finally, we have entered the information age with the computer at the helm.  Now we can search, click, and link using several forms of multimedia.  With each invention, we are relying less on our own minds and memories and more on what the latest and greatest technologies can do and remember for us.  This isn’t always such a great advantage.  “As the many studies of hypertext and multimedia show, our ability to learn can be severely compromised when our brains become overloaded with diverse stimuli online.  More information can mean less knowledge” (Carr, 2010, p. 214).  After reading these sentences it made me think about how we really are relying on a machine to do a lot of the grunt work that our own brains used to do.  Is this a good thing for our future generations?  Students need to be taught what to do with the information they find, as well as deciding if it is a credible resource, providing a reasonable answer to the questions they are attempting to answer.

Carr then proceeds to uncover a huge concern that he has with an increased use of the Internet.  There is the possibility that as we become more engrossed with technology we may begin to lose some of the humanness of our culture.  Weizenbaum feels that, “The great danger we face as we become more intimately involved with our computers- as we come to experience more of our lives through the disembodied symbols flickering across our screens- is that we’ll begin to lose our humanness, to sacrifice the very qualities that separate us from machines” (Carr, 2010, p. 207).  Feelings of compassion, understanding, and empathy may become emotions of the past.  It is so comforting for me to know that I have someone to go to and talk to when I am upset, hurt, angry, or just need a human being to talk to- and it is a real person, not a computer. 

Another concern is whether or not students will be able to tune out technology, even just for a little while.  “There is no Sleepy Hollow on the Internet, no peaceful spot where contemplativeness can work its restorative magic” (Carr, 2010, p. 220).  When we are online we are constantly being bombarded with information and stimuli.  There needs to be some down time, time when we aren’t glued to our computers, to allow us to think deeply and be reflective.  Will creativity suffer as students are able to access the Internet, find their quick answers, think only superficially and then move on to the next link?   

What does all of this mean for students and teachers in the 21^st century?  First, I think that we need to realize that the students we are working with today learn differently than students did in the past.  I have been teaching for fourteen years, and I can honestly say that I have noticed a difference in the way students learn, and I am not teaching the way I once did.  In the past, students were able to complete paper and pencil tasks for longer periods of time.  Now, I deliver more snippets of information, and full lessons are much shorter.  More student movement is incorporated in the activities to help sustain their attention.  It seems as though we are teaching less of our subjects with in-depth coverage, often skimming the surface of the topics we teach.  After recently looking at the common core standards for the state of Wisconsin, I would have to agree that we are expected to teach numerous topics, but never go in depth with many of them.  If information is just a click away, they seldom have to do any deep, critical thinking, only a shallow understanding is expected.  I have to wonder if this is a good thing for the students we serve?  Will we need to teach reflective, critical thinking skills or will they become a thing of the past?

I think schools have responded somewhat to the digitized age where information is less linear and more scattered.  We are in some ways, “between two technological worlds” (Carr, 2010, p. 77).  We still find books and printed resources in our classrooms, as well as an increase in the technologies.  In addition to the SMART board, I have ipads and an ELMO document camera.  In order for schools to meet the demands of technology, I feel that enough time needs to be donated to effectively train staff how to use these technologies.  It is not enough simply to drop them off at a teacher’s doorstep.  Careful planning, training, and learning about the best practices for how to implement the technology into my classroom will help everyone utilize the technologies to their maximum potential.  In my mailbox at school, I received an e school news newsletter that outlined the five traits of an effective 21^st century teacher.  According to Stansbury (2011), these teachers are able to, “anticipate the future, be a lifelong learner, foster peer relationships, teach and assess all levels of learners, and is able to discern effective vs. non-effective technology.” 

There certainly are advantages of using the computer and the Internet.  Today we embrace “…the benefits of speed and efficiency…” (Carr, 2010, p. 224) that the Internet offers.  However, these benefits come with a price.  We may be losing some of our humanness from our culture and some of our own intelligence because we are relying on machines to do our thinking.  Change is inevitable, and it is not a possibility to turn back time and do away with the technologies in our society.  Our brains will continue to be rerouted and rewired according to the technologies we embrace.  According to Carr (2010), “What matters in the end is not our becoming but what we become” (p. 222).  I think it is best if we “proceed with caution” as we forge ahead in the age of the Internet.

References:

Carr, N. (2010). The shallows:  What the internet is doing to our brains. New York,     NY:  W. W. Norton & Company.

Stansbury, M. (2011, September). Five characteristics of an effective 21^st- century educator. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com

Nye's Book Review: Technology Matters

Book Review of Nye’s Technology Matters:  Questions to Live With

Heidi Hopp

October 2011

Technology.  On the surface it seems as though the word is fairly simple.  David Nye proves just the opposite in his book, Technology Matters, as he explores questions about technology and what effect it has on society.  In Chapter 1, Nye attempts to “define” technology.  He begins by looking at and describing the evolution of technology.  It was once thought that only human beings could create and use tools that could be considered to be technological.  However, Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee that used a twig as a tool to obtain and eat termites from a termite hill (Nye, 2007, p. 1).  It may not be the high-tech devices that we have grown accustomed to today, but it nevertheless was a tool that got the job done.  Nye continues to describe technology, but no clear, concise definition is offered.

Throughout his book, Nye provides several in-depth examples to illustrate his points.  Some of the things he looks at are whether or not technology controls us, if technology is predictable, and whether or not technology makes us more uniform or more diverse.  Nye looks at the questions from various angles and provides the reader with many scenarios and detailed research.  He asks numerous questions as he explores each area.  One thing is certain; technology plays an economic, political, and social role in our society.  A few common threads are woven throughout Nye’s book which illustrates this point.  Economically consumer “demands” for what they want often drive the market, even though it may not be best for our environment or more cheaply made (Nye, 2007, p. 212).  Politically there is much debate over how much government control should be placed on technology (Nye, 2007, p. 135).  Socially, “cultures select and shape technologies, not the other way around, and some societies have rejected or ignored even the gun or the wheel” (Nye, 2007, p. 210).  Technologies create change and differences in and among people.

I was eager to read Nye’s Chapter 6 which focuses on abundance vs. ecological crisis.  Nye (2007) states, “Visions of technological progress seem attractive in the abstract, but what do they mean in practice” (p. 88)?  He begins by studying the landscape, particularly land used for agricultural purposes.  In 1830 a farmer in the United States produced 20 bushels of wheat; while in 1890 a farmer produced 380 bushels of wheat (Nye, 2007, p. 90).  This growing trend seems to continue today, due to the technologies farmers use.  Nye does not stop here.  He also takes a look at factories.  From 1870-1890 Robert Thurston saw, “factory productivity rise almost 30 percent, while working hours dropped and real wages rose 20 percent” (Nye, 2007, p. 91).  Some minorities were not all that interested in having technological abundance.  Some preferred simplicity.  Henry David Thoreau looked at leading a more simplified and less materialistic lifestyle.  Thoreau stated that (our tools) are, “but improved means to an unimproved end” (Nye, 2007, p. 101).  This implies that one will never be satisfied because there is something bigger and better to want.  Nye concludes the chapter by looking at what the “carrying capacity” of the Earth might be.  No one really seems to know for sure.  Nye (2007) points out that “oil, gas, and coal were limited resources that would run out within a few generations” (p. 104).  However, many consumers did not seem bothered by this fact.  Take for instance in the 1980s when there was a plea for creating smaller, more fuel-efficient cars to help with the energy crisis.  People did not want to buy them.  They wanted trucks and SUVs.  In the 1920s Henry Ford discovered a similar outcome.  He wanted to make the same vehicles, but the customers wanted different styled vehicles (Nye, 2007, p. 105).  One thing is certain:  “how many people the Earth can support depends on what people want from life” (Nye, 2007, p. 108).  If we choose to put our natural resources into making a more comfortable lifestyle for ourselves, there is less for nature to use as resources.  It comes down to choosing how we want to use nature. 

In Chapter 7 Nye challenges his readers to uncover whether we are working more, less, better, or worse?  At best, Nye suggests that who you are, what you value, and who you work for will impact your answer.  There is no doubt that working conditions have changed over the years.  A lot of the physical labor jobs have been replaced with technology (Nye, 2007, p. 109).  Some even worry that as more technology replaces more people, it will lead to more unemployment for workers (Nye, 2007, p. 118).  If you are a person who works for Wal-Mart, chances are you will be earning lower wages, while the consumer will pay a lower price for the merchandise (Nye, 2007, p. 132).  If you are a president union member working for Harley-Davidson, chances are you will share an office with the company’s president, often being included in some of the decisions made (Nye, 2007, p. 123-124).  Some argue that we work harder because of the way the company owner(s) choose to spend their profits.  Early mill owners grew to be quite wealthy, while the workers remained quite poor (Nye, 2007, p. 129).  If you are a woman, in past years you have had gender inequality issues when it comes to work and equal pay for the same jobs that men have.  Women have often held lower paying jobs and have been mere assistants to men who hold the jobs with “control” (Nye, 2007, p. 127).  What will our future hold with work and our economy?  Time will tell as the future unfolds.

In Chapter 10 Nye explores whether technology has helped us expand our consciousness or our encapsulation.  Few people would argue “that technologies have expanded our knowledge of the world” (Nye, 2007, p. 185).  However, as we continually “(re)interpret the world, we may be losing touch with other modes of understanding” (Nye, 2007, p. 185).  Nye (2007) further states that our technologies may be leading our society to “sensory overload” (p. 186).  Multi-tasking has become common in our society.  Many of us are guilty of trying to do two or more things before completing the first thing that we started.  Is this a good thing?  Nye (2007) states, “In small doses multi-tasking is a valuable ability, but in large doses it can lead to information overload” (p. 187).  Nye (2007) also speaks about “unconscious acceptance by later generations, since the machine was already there when one was born” (p. 190).  A child born today would accept the Internet, automobile, and electricity as “normal.”  However, understanding the evolution of technology and life from the ‘good old days’ may deepen one’s understanding and appreciation for the technologies offered today.  Technology seems to be intertwined with nearly every aspect of our daily lives, making it hard to escape from it, even for a little while.  Something as simple as a walk in the park has had technological impacts.  The lawn has been planted and taken care of, the plants have been planted, and fertilizers and weed killers are used to care for the park- all of which are a result of advancement in technology (Nye, 2007, p. 194). 

So, what does all of this mean for the future?  What kind of impact is technology having on our students and the world today?  The world we are living in is much faster paced.  More demands are made and less time is often available.  In my first grade students I have noticed less patience from them.  They often grow tired of waiting for an answer and want to know NOW.  I can remember as a child having to look up answers to research questions in the brand new encyclopedia set that my parents bought for us to use.  It was hard work sometimes looking up the answers, but I appreciated and learned how to find information.  Today, anything you want to know is just a click away.  I have also noticed that students don’t always know how to act socially with one another.  Will the world thrive on isolation and people only communicating with each other using their technological devices?  I hope not.  I have always been a people person and learn a lot from others around me.  My husband and I are raising three boys, and I want them to be socially aware and responsible toward others, both with and without the use of technology. 

Certainly I am not saying that we can or should live in the past.  However, I do believe that we should not “put all of our eggs in one basket” where technology is concerned.  Last year my co-teacher and I had technological difficulties with our SMART board, and we could not use it for a few days.  Did we know how to teach without it?  Yes.  Luckily we had paper versions of the books that were offered to students online.  Did our students learn without it?  I hope so.  You could, however tell that they missed the technology and had grown accustomed to learning with it.  But, being able to adapt to change is a life-long survival skill.  One question still remains for me.  Since technology is unpredictable, are we, as a society, going to keep going or is there a change in sight?

Reference:  Nye, D. E. (2007). Technology matters:  Questions to live with. Cambridge, MA:  MIT Press.

Reflection on Google Sites, Google Docs, and Diigo

Reflection on Google Sites, Google Docs, and Diigo

Heidi Hopp

What I learned:

I have navigated other people’s Google Sites, but have never created my own prior to our last class.  Creating a Google Site provides an excellent communication tool for teachers to share information with parents.  One of the biggest things that I learned is the importance of having a rough skeleton idea of what you want on your site before you begin creating it. 

The class activity of creating our own Google Site was comfortable for me.  It was similar to the wiki activities that we did.  The “edit” and “save” buttons were extremely important as changes were made.  I learned how to embed images, text, YouTube video clips, and games onto my site.  At our school we receive our weekly newsletters from the office in our email, and the information is found in a Google Doc.  I have not typically used Google Docs in my day to day work.  I learned that there is more than one form of a Google Doc.  I have used the documents before, but never the presentation, spreadsheet, forms, or drawing formats.  I especially enjoyed creating the survey and including the seven different types of questions. 

            After reading Solomon and Schrum (2010), I also learned that a Google Doc can be an effective way for colleagues to collaborate on a project (p. 68).  People can see the changes that have been made and the most current version is right there.  No more need for saving to disks or flash drives because it is all there online.

Future Use(s):

 I have more work to do with my Google Site, but I am feeling confident that I will share the address with my students’ parents and use it as a communication tool.  I have had a “website” for parents in the past.  I prefer using the Google Site because it is much more organized and easy to find information.  Since our class, I have uploaded my picture on the About Me page.  I have included the reading and math homework expectations.  I also embedded a YouTube video clip about helping your child with reading at home.  Finally, I have embedded a Google Doc about book in the bag reading procedures.  I need to explore the class calendar, reading lists, and class photos yet.  

            One of my goals is to create and share Google Docs with my first grade team.  Instead of having everyone create the same assessment or learning activity, colleagues can share their work with each other.  I can see our team using them for Late Start meetings and tasks that we are assigned to do.  I intend to explore other forms of Google Docs to see how they could be used in my classroom.

                               

What I learned:

Prior to our last class meeting, I had never heard of Diigo.  I learned that Diigo is a social bookmarking system that uses a website, not a browser.  I admit that I do not often use bookmarks when retrieving websites.  I typically just type in the URL of a website.  Diigo has changed my mind!

After working through the class activities, I learned that Diigo is a research tool and arranges websites I choose by “tags.”  The tags are words or phrases that help pinpoint what the site is about.  If I am looking for a particular website on a specific topic, I can sort the websites in my library by their tags, and the websites that have a tag match will appear.  This is a huge organization and time saving feature of Diigo and I think something that will really be helpful as I gather and add more sites to my Diigo library.  Highlighting text and adding sticky notes was something that I enjoyed doing and learning about.  Sharing my sites with my group is what Diigo is all about. 

            I also learned that Diigo is a way to connect and collaborate with each other.  Teaching at times can feel somewhat isolated and there is little time to communicate and share ideas during the school day.  Diigo provides the opportunity to find other “friends” to share websites and build a network, either personally, professionally, or both. 

Future Use(s):

After setting up our Diigo group for our class activities, I decided to invite a colleague by email to join Diigo.  I was curious to see what her response would be.  She knew that I was taking this class, and I told her that I was learning about something new called “Diigo.”  She seemed interested after I explained that it was an organized way to share ideas and bookmarks.  I will see how it progresses from here.  There are other colleagues on my team and some might not want to join.  But, it is worth a try.  I plan to continue to follow other people’s bookmarks that have similar interests in elementary education.

Another possibility that exists is having parents of first graders using Diigo to form a network.  They can share sites about issues related to parenting.  Some may already be involved, and those who are not may want to be and will benefit from it.

 I see the benefits of collaborating and sharing with colleagues ideas from websites that have made their teaching more successful.  There is a saying in our district that a lot of people use:  “Work smarter, not harder.”  Diigo appears to be an avenue to do just that.  By having people already research and select useful websites, some of the work is already done for me.  Picking and choosing which sites to use is the fun part.  Being able to join groups and form networks will make teaching more enjoyable as we learn and help each other.

Reference:  Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0:  How-to for educators. Washington, D.C.:  ISTE.