Something Old and Something New...

The world is changing; that much is plain to see. To be more specific, according to the textbook Personal Learning Networks by Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli, the world is changing due to the web and mobile technologies of the day (Richardson and Mancabelli, 16). David Wiley, an education professor at Brigham Young University, “who is a leading thinker on the opening up of education and learning in the connected world, cites six significant shifts that are supporting connection and network building: analog to digital; tethered to mobile; isolated to connected; generic to personal; consumption to creation; and closed systems to open systems” (16). All of these shifts that David Wiley lists are centered around the fact that the world is becoming more paperless and revolving around technology. And in this case, these shifts are based on how individuals are or can be using these technologies in the classroom as a learning tool. To sum it up, Wiley proves that the world is becoming more digital, mobile, globally connected, curious, creative, and able to distribute more materials openly (16-18). And due to my Education 183 class, I’m witnessing these changes first hand.

Even though technology is a wonderful thing, sometimes I believe that we rely on it too much to get what we want accomplished. When Wiley described in his “from analog to digital” point, how paper isn’t used as much as a medium for transferring information, I began to ask myself why. Why is digital information so much more valued than paper information these days? Personally, I would rather read a hardcover book than a digital book on a Kindle. It’s due to the fact that I can highlight, hold it in my hands, and not have to look at a tiny screen, that makes me value paper in this instance over digital mediums. Although I agree with the fact that technology is wonderful in so many ways, sometimes I favor the old ways over the new. In the case of paper books over their digital counterparts, for instance, I would choose the heavier option of a book any day. Maybe I’m just stuck in my ways, but I love to read books and have them right in my hands because of my learning style. As I learned on EducationPlanner.org, using their online quiz, I’m a visual learner, but I also consider myself to be a tactile learner as well. In other words, I need to see something and manipulate it/put it into practice, to retain information. Although you can do this easily on apps that I’ve explored on the iPad, iPod, and many other products, for my learning style I need to not only visually see it, but be able to manipulate things for the knowledge to stick. So, the fact that I am able to actually have the book physically in my hands and do what I want with it, just helps me retain the information even more. This may not be the case for all students, but when I was reading this shift in particular, I couldn’t help but critique Wiley’s points about a paperless to digital society, especially when he mentioned the Kindle and our soon-to-be “bookless” society (16). In fact, it made me think that I may not be the only one who has a problem with becoming a totally digital vs. analogue society.

Technology is a great learning tool. Although my preference for books versus a Kindle might seem to say that I’m against digital information, that is not entirely true. I do think that there are ways in which teacher’s can manipulate technology to their advantage and the advantage of their students. Power point slides, movie projects, the internet and so many more different types of technology can be used to help reinforce ideas in the classroom. Not only have I witnessed this first hand in many of the classes I have been in, but this book has showed me that as well. For example, the internet, as Wiley explained in one of his six shifts, has become a great tool for bringing people together on a global level (17). Not only can you find a lot of valuable information about things that you are interested in, but you can also connect with those people through the internet using blogs, social networks, and many other resources. The internet is becoming a very valuable tool and even though I might prefer to read a book, I do believe that using the internet to research specific topics is a much easier way to find what you need. And in doing so, the internet can lead you to a paper copy of the book that you might have found an excerpt from online. All of these new and improving technologies are valuable resources in everyday life today; you just need to know how to use them to your advantage and not rely on them all the time just because they are easier to use. You can use the old and new resources to help reinforce learning; you can use them interchangeably.