The text goes a long way to make computer skills seem like something that most any young person can master, and should, for their own good if nothing else. It uses the lure of popularity and power over adults to bring the reader in and expose them to what they can be capable of doing. The common antagonist of “The Grown-ups” or “The Establishment” between the reader and the heroes of the story is appealing as well.

     The book is well-written and an easy read for younger readers, and would go over well in a classroom, as many readers would get hooked into it, perhaps without really even realizing that they were being asked to think about some classic social issues with a technological twist.

It is no suprise that this type of thinking, ingrained within us since we were in our cribs, is prevalent in our every day lives. It is also no suprise that it is frequently exploited to some capacity by advertisers, politicians, and other such unscrupulous characters who wish to manipulate what we want, how we want it, and where we want to spend our money.

As computers are part of our everyday lives, and more importantly, the lives of younger, more impressionable children, it is of utmost importance and not to mention our duty as teachers to be aware of this and  help others to find their way through the morass of metaphors that is thrown before them.

Don’t believe me? how about this connection telling you how bad water is for you? (It does, in fact cause urination and sweating.), or a very informative page telling you that Belgium does not exist..?

These are some of the more egregious ones, the more outrageous ones that help to prove a point. Pages like these (memes) are all over the place, and SO many people (and tons of students) believe that “If I read it on the web….it must be TRUE!”.

What can we all learn from just this small sampling of this type of phenomena?? (Do you really have to ask???)

There is a VERY good chance that if you read it on the internet, it may…or may not…be researched…It may…or may not be objective. It may…or may not propagate alien takeover of the Earth and its moon, (perhaps even the invisible one that scientists have told us does not exist…but George Lucas knows the REAL truth)

   I found this guide http://www.podcast411.com/olddir.html pretty helpful to get me started, and soon thereafter discovered that this was only a springboard to a huge world of voices and ideas that can be helpful in a classroom setting. One of the suggestions from Richardson reminded me of an assignment I had a few semesters ago. I had to visit various works of art around the campus, while reading and answering various comments and questions about them. This now seems like a perfect opportunity to use a podcast. I also liked the idea of orientations and “pod tours” for new students.

I also found this “plain English” explanation pretty helpful.

To my understanding, bookmarking and tagging is a lot like having a HUGE recipe box at your fingertips.

I have painstakingly procured thousands of recipes by hand, whereas online, bookmarks and tags give me the convenience to access them instantaneously with little or no effort. And not just recipes. Whereas the internet may exemplify the entire array of tastes, bookmarks and tags can narrow the universe to my own particular, sensitive palate. My own interests are focal. They help to personalize the internet for me, and make it seem a bit less daunting.

In addition, it also helps me to see the particular tastes, preferances, and personalities of others without ever having met them. I can better relate to a stranger with a mouse click than I could after talking to them for the first time.

We are all made up of unique recipes. No two are the same. Looking at what others share as bookmarks and tags help people to understand each other a little better, and also to express ourselves a bit more in relation to certain areas, be it literature, cooking, sports, or technology.

To me, it is fairly simple. The technology is “out there”, it is easily available, and is becoming more and more affordable. More and more young people are using them, and the technology, like any other, will advance weather teachers like it or not. Like any other thing, children will learn how to use it responsibly or irresponsibly. Shouldn’t teachers consider it to be their jobs (by definition) to teach students how to use it responsibly? The possibilities seem endless, certainly more than what most students seem to be using Twitter for: simple mundane messages, gossip, and (apparently) cheating.

To me it seems important that students should be directed and instructed upon issues (and technology) ESPECIALLY if they are controversial and maybe even looked down upon. After all, in addition to teaching Twitter uses, everyone knows that the stigma of anything goes away when adults accept it and start to use it.

–Bryan

  This is timely in that it is staged as a “reality show” and not only that, but we are reading it just as the Olympic competitions are starting.

  The most stark contrast that I see is between the regular “tributes” and the “career tributes”. This part of the novel was a bit played down, or rather put in the background, but should be explored. As a parent, I was intrigued that other parents would groom their children from birth to not only be prepared to participate in these games, but to volunteer for them. This is the type of vicariousness and disconnected disregard for children that seems to be more and more prevalent in a society of media and brief fame today.

   As celebrities reach fame at younger and younger ages (Olsen twins were acting at two years old), we also see evidence of self-destructive behavior in these kids, who are told by adults that they are indestructible. Of course this is not nearly on scale of the career tributes of the hunger games, but if the idea is carried to an extreme, it fits.

  The author also made reference to “misinformation”, but made no attempt to quote works that are easily accessible such as Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent, or Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.

 As Postman continues, and delves into the subjective nature of education and technology, we are faced with obvious questions about American traditions and social institutions, especially when they concern “uncontrolled technological development”. I find this to be a thin line to tread. As the author explains, the world looks to the US as an example, and even as we are exploding with not only information at our fingertips with little effort, there also is the very real and expanding threat of immoral people having anonymous  and negative impact on other peoples lives.

 Postman was right to gloss over the impact of the Industrial Revolution in comparison to the technological advances of the last few decades. There is no comparison. The cotton gin had no other purpose or ability than to benefit mankind in its production. There was no translation necessary, and regardless of input, it was capable only of production in a positive capacity.

 As I have stated in previous posts, I believe strongly that technology has its place in the development of a more ordered, informed world. I am not a Luddite. We need computers, we need the internet. I also agree strongly with a remark that Postman made near the end of the article that stated that teenage youth are unaware that there are serious arguments being made about their media-made world. They are entitled to be informed and heard from on the matter, which is why it is so important that parents and teachers alike must be aware of these very issues. As teachers, and parents it is our responsibility to teach them HOW to think when the internet supplies them with infinite (and sometimes harmful) varieties of WHAT to think. The glut of over-information that has been infiltrated with mis-information that has replaced lack of information has a dangerous undertow.

This image needs no explanation. Even if we were not there on that day, we felt it to the center of our beings.

Obviously, the content is the terror of the 9-11 attack, the collapse of the first tower, and the flight of the victims from the ensuing destruction. The prominent image, even though it is not necessarily in the forground, is the smoke, dust, and debris from the falling tower. In the foreground, we do see the look of panic and fear on the faces of those running from what they had yet to even understand.

The framing was probably done “on the fly”, as the photographer was no doubt in panic as well. It does, however, speak to the photographers instinct that the photograph does have some composition. This photo evokes in most Americans a visceral response, even though we can not see the planes, or the towers, we know exactly what is taking place, and the consequences that followed, even to this very day.

Interesting to me is the fact of the impromptu composition. On both side of the photo, we see what might be described as a normal day on the streets of New York. The awning of a shop, other undisturbed buildings, and tall trees lining the street. The center of the photo, however, reveals the chaos invading, destroying everything that was thought to be “normal” up until then. This seems to be the theme of the photo, death and destruction visited upon what was thought to be unbreachable normalcy. The focus seems professional, this is another compliment to the photographer in a time of such stress.

The lighting is natural, as the photo was taken outside, and the texture seems almost dusty and vibrant at the same time.

The angle of the picture is what one might imagine would be the angle of a fireman or policeman. Looking toward the mayhem, as others run away from it in a panic. It is at the same level as the people in the photo, but looking in the opposite direction.

There is no question about the significance of this photo. It speaks not only to every American, but also serves as a warning to any other nation in the world that this kind of destruction could be applied to them if they are not vigilant. There is also the probability that this image and others like it strike a cord within terrorists that claimed a victory that day. Regardless of theology or religion, this is an image that can not be dismissed.