Embracing Technology: U2 Style

Most of our district’s parents and teachers can recall the days before the remote control, cordless phone, and word processor. I have had conversations with students who find it hard to believe that as children we actually had to get up and walk to the television to change the channel, that we were attached to our “non-button” phones by a cord, and that our spell check was a book of more than 1,000 pages called a Dictionary. As educators, parents and guardians it is important that we recognize how significant new technologies are in the both the academic and social lives of our students.

When I was a child I don’t recall my parents having any difficulty with new technology in my life or the lives of my siblings. We made quick transitions from the dial phone to the one with buttons and from the phone with the cord to the cordless. The microwave oven provided my mother with added convenience, and I know that my father was more than pleased with the innovation of the remote control. I do recall however, that my parents were less than pleased with my choice of music – particularly since I was often dialed in on my AM/FM Sony Walkman that my father did not like attached “directly to my brain.” So in honor of my parents let’s take a look at two of the latest technologies that impact our lives and the lives of our students through the eyes U2’s lead singer, Bono:

Where the Streets Have No Name

Long before there was mapquest.com we had to know how to get someplace before we actually could go there. We may have had to consult a map, or perhaps another person who knew the area. Often before the days of telephone automation, we could actually call a store and ask for directions on how to get there. Mapquest.com in and of itself is amazing, but guess what…it is already outdated. And for those of us who have portable GPS units in our cars…too late. It appears as though we too are behind the times. Most new “Smartphones” come with a GPS application already installed. These new programs not only give driving directions, but they can also provide walking directions that come in handy in America’s large metropolitan areas. A simple touch of the screen reveals a blinking dot on a map, not unlike the “You are here” dot on the map of your local shopping mall. Our students truly can navigate through a place where the “streets have no name.”

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

When I was a student at Buffalo State College I remember that in order to write a research paper I actually had to go into a room and scan large green books that told me which smaller publications to seek out in another room. I recall the long drawers of cards that used the Dewey Decimal System so that I may find reference, fiction, and non-fiction books. I also recall the frustration of trying to locate a book that just was not there. Today’s student can find whatever he or she needs on a networked computer, and that is a fact. Just for the fun of it, last night I typed “quadratic formula” and then “Ohm’s Law” into the YouTube.com search box. In both cases I found step-by-step previously recorded lessons on each topic. When I was a student if I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I may have had to drive to a different library. If our students can’t find what they are looking for on YouTube.com, they might have to go to Google.com, Bing.com, or in a pinch, EbscoHost.com.

Bono might say that a student who is playing “Dance Dance Revolution” on his or her Wii, PlayStation, or X-Box is Running to Stand Still. He might tell parents that text messages, E-mails, Blogs, Tweets, and Facebooking will happen With or Without You. Bono may even offer a warning to some parents not to Trip Through Your Wires, since wires also seem to be a thing of days gone by. If Bono ever were to make such statements, I would be with him. I believe that our Desire to use technology to meet the needs of our students just might constitute a Beautiful Day in their eyes.