Digital Nation Response

In class we watched a video called Digital Nation. The two people that were in charge of the making of this video were Rachel Dretzin and Douglas Rushkoff. Dretzin and Rushkoff begin the video with traveling to the campus of MIT, which is home to the most Internet saavy students in the world. Many of these students, who have hardly known a world in which they weren't connected 24/7, admit confessingly to have increasing limited attention spans that make it difficult for them to read books or learn in ways not involving the Internet. One student from MIT says, "Honestly, I can't sit anywhere for 2 hours straight and focus on anything". "I teach the most brilliant students in the world", proclaims a MIT professor. She relates their habits of constantly using technology to "drinking the kool-aid" and "believing that a multitasking environment will serve their best purposes. But supporters of teaching with technology say its vital for educators to keep students engaged by using tools students use everyday. A co-principal of a New Jersey school says, "We have to capture the attention of students. We almost have to be entertainers." In this video they found that administrators at a local public middle school in New Jersey who credit increased use of technology with helping boost of both student attendance and standardized test scores. Some say they can multitask but a test done by a Stanford professor states other wise. He says, "Multitaskers are terrible at every aspect of multitasking. Beyond the schooling observations, Dretzin and Rushkoff observe the phenomenon of multiplayer games like World Of Warcraft and Second Life. The creator of Second Life thinks that technology is bringing us back together again. Besides the virtual world aspect they go on to observe aspects of warfare. They are people interested in joining the army by playing war videogames. They use these video games also for therapy for post traumatic war stress and trauma. This video went through all of the aspects of technology along with its uses and found there are many controversial benefits and negatives to technology. I agree that teachers need to compete with technology and change their teaching habits and update them with technology because my experience with teachers using laptops in a classroom environment then the opposing notebook and paper confirms it. When I use laptops and type up notes or do research I feel more productive because I can type and put down words faster than writing and I don't have to worry about legibility either. With a computer I can multitask easier than writing. I don't get as bored either with a computer. On the other hand with taking notes by hand, my handwriting is sloppier and my notes are more shorthand too as well. I feel if I use a computer I can make my notes more detailed because I can type quicker. A computer vs. a pencil is my way of choice 100 percent of the time no matter what the circumstance is. With my ongoing experience with technology, I think teachers should use the computers more often with students because I am sure many other students prefer using computers for an assignment than handwriting. With teachers switching to this method I think will increase class attendance and test scores, just like the school in New Jersey did in the Digital Nation video.