Technology through a child's eye

On 11/13/13 I interviewed my daughter Haylee about her thoughts on technology.  The following are the questions I asked her and her responses.  I shall further elaborate on what I learned and what I found interesting or surprising.

Q1: What kind of technologies do you use?
A1: Laptop, iPod, TV, Wii, and sometimes tablet.
She has access to these not only at our house, but with friends and extended family.

Q2: Which are your favorites?
A2: The computer, because there is a lot to do, you can go on YouTube and find cool music.  Wii because you can play Mario Kart or Just Dance, and TV because I like to watch Disney Channel because it is cool.
There is a large variety of websites, games, and shows to choose from, but she tends to find her favorites and stick to them.  For instance she does not watch many other channels besides Disney (Unfortunately for me)

Q3: Is technology good for you? If so when?
A3: Technology is good for homework or when I am board I watch random videos on YouTube, or just watch TV.
Her School is increasingly using programs such as Ten Marks and Xtra Math for homework. Although it's nice she can find something to do when she is board it can be hard getting her to do more active things.

Q4: When is technology bad?
A4: Technology is not good for your eyes and weight. When staring at the screen too much, and you are not focused.  You can get in trouble for not doing your chores and stuff.
I'm glad to see she recognizes that too much is a bad thing, and that it can get in the way of other responsibilities.

Q5: What do you think of our (your parents) use of technology?
A5: Old people use it for school, cooking recipes, social websites, and email. It's not good because they are not paying attention to me!  You use it too much for school!
Haylee likes the center of attention and does not like to share the spotlight with technology. The time I spend online for this Masters program can be hard to balance with family time.

Q6: Where will technology be in the future?
A6: They will make phones with hologram pictures of people that pop up. There will also be more TV channels, like a thousand.
In Star Wars the hologram projection of Princess Leia seemed so far in the future, nowadays it may not be so far off.  The increase of television channels is also inevitable, but I also see options such as NetFlix and Roku expanding.

Q7: How does technology change people?
A7: Back in the 1990's they didn't have much.  They probably had cars, but now we have TV and better clothes.
She makes me laugh. Kids do not have a very good concept of time or what things were like before they were born (I assume she meant the 1900's). Not having seen many fads come and go she feels the music and styles of today (her time) are the best.

Q8: How does technology help you connect with others?
A8: My Grandparents live in Minnesota. Facebook, Facetime, and Skype are much better than calling them.  You make a better connection when you can see them.
The ability to see the person you are talking to, no matter how far away, does give a much more intimate experience.

Q9: How can technology help at school?
A9: You can do online work at home. Khan Academy gives you new things to work on to keep up your skills. It is also a good way to keep up with your teachers, you can send them messages

Q10: What do you think about distance learning?
A10: It's cool because you can be like home schooled, help with homework, send math problems, and it would be cool to be a virtual teacher.You don't want to fly to their state or country, you can stay in the comfort of your own home.
Great points Haylee!

Q11: How about learning with games?
A11: Ten Marks gives addition games to reward and educate. If you succeed you keep going, if you fail, that's ok, you do it again. Schools should have it because it makes it fun. In Sketches World you do math and walk around grabbing school supplies.  You feel good for getting rewarded for hard work.
I like the fact that she sees failing as part of the learning process and looks forwards to the satisfaction of winning the games.  Plus who doesn't like to have fun?

Q12: If you could invent anything what would it be?
A12: A butler phone.  If you want orange juice then it would come out of your phone. or a cell phone that could shrink.  It could also project a hologram image that you could touch, so I could give my Grandma a hug!
Although a phone that can get you anything instantly may be far off, many technologies are already geared toward instant gratification.  Our patience is growing shorter.  The idea of sending a letter to someone via snail mail is boarder-line laughable.  She is cute for wanting to give her grandmother a hologram hug though.

After I was done with this interview Haylee said I thought this interview was going to be about me?  I said it was about what you think, and she said oh! because I like talking about myself.  I believe there is much insight to receive if we are willing to ask the right questions and listen to what children have to say.  Who knows, you might even learn something yourself.

Media Education: Marshall McLuhan

     In education it is very important to understand not just how technology works but how it affects us personally, culturally, and economically.  Marshall McLuhan was a technological sociologist, and to many a bit of a prophet.  The insights he made in the 1950’s through the 1970’s completely changed the way we looked at media and its effects on our culture.  In 1967 he published a book called The Medium is the Message: An Inventory of Effects (1).  McLuhan is well known for his cryptic yet philosophical sayings, but what did he really mean by the medium is the message and do his ideas still resonate today?

     In order to understand and appreciate McLuhan we must look at him within the historical context in which he existed.  He did not grow up in a time with the internet.  Rather he grew up with the telephone, radio, and the advent of television.  Through these earlier technologies he was able to recognize not just how fast they were going to change, but how they were going to change us.

     So what is the meaning behind the media is the message? In order to break down this statement I would like to compare it to Green’s model (operational, cultural, and critical).  First, operationally with the shift from print material to video content our senses have also shifted from visual, to auditory and kinesthetic (1). Reading is a purely visual activity.  You actively use your eyes to scan and understand the content.  Although video intuitively seems to be visual, McLuhan argues that the visual sense is much more passive then with print.  Instead you are more involved hearing the content and feeling like you are part of it.  This shift in the senses is also causing a shift from the left analytical hemisphere of the brain to the right creative hemisphere of the brain (1).

     The next comparison to Green’s model is cultural.  McLuhan calls this the “Global Village” (1) and has written several books on this topic.  Technology is breaking down boarders and bringing us closer together.  Through the telephone, radio, and television, McLuhan was able to understand how we can now communicate instantly, be brought right to the action, and have information transferred at the speed of light.  With the internet this is truer than ever.  Privacy is going away at an alarming rate.  Franklin Roosevelt was able to get to become President without people knowing he had polio.  Now a politician’s image and charisma on television is of the utmost importance (1).  Religious, political, and personal views are shared regularly via social media.  The Global Village is growing bigger every day.

     Critically speaking McLuhan does not seem to like where technology is taking us.  He much prefers a traditional life, but he does see the importance of understanding these technologies, because like it or not they are here to stay (1).  It is more important than ever to understand the consequences of our actions.  Being drawn so close to each other the effects of our actions are being felt and criticized by the masses.  Our global community must find ways of working together or else we will destroy ourselves.

     We are all responsible for our own actions and understanding the media’s effects.  After all the media is merely a reflection of ourselves.  It is not our ability to shape technology that is important, it is our ability to understand how technology is shaping us.  This is what Marshall McLuhan meant by the medium is the message, and this is why we must take responsibility for ourselves and for our society by creating a better and more effective educational system.

Reference

(1) McLuhan, M. & Wolfe, T. (2013). Marshall McLuhan Speaks. Centennial 2011. Retrieved from http://marshallmcluhanspeaks.com