General Thoughts on Technology

This activity has been a discovery for me in that there is a distinct difference between embracing technology in a theoretical sense and embracing it in a personal sense. Regardless of what I put here for everyone to see - you as a reader don't really know my entire being. What is here is a picture or a snapshot of who I am now, but I have changed and will continue to change over the course of time - just like technology does.

I am maturing and growing older in my understanding of just about everything,  but you as a reader have no idea what I am truly like in person. Every post I make will freeze me in time for anyone who reads it. They won't get a complete picture of who I am.  Am I usually somber? generally happy?  mean? gregarious? Can you ever truly know me if you don't meet me in person? Is it possible for me to really ever know you in a virtual world? We may form perceptions of each other based on our blog posts, but are they accurate? If we don't keep reading will we be able to get a complete picture? Furthermore, everyone who reads, be it paper, online, magazine, book, etc. brings his or her own ideas and biases to the table. I would venture to say that it will alter our perception - especially in a virtual realm.

Technology is affecting our ability to function socially and will continue to do so. The challenge  is going to be balancing and managing our connectivity in both realms at a level of personal comfort that is agreeable. As a teacher, I have to ask myself how are the communicative abilities of my students being  affected by technology? From an educator's viewpoint, I see all the good things that technology can offer but I also see the bad - bullying on social media, a multiplicity of websites with objectionable  content, potentially dangerous situations that young people can get into through their naivety  or merely their presence online. It is a challenge to embrace it while simultaneously protecting  yourself and  your students from it. That problem is wicked indeed. Most of the students I deal with on a daily basis are very trusting and and quite open regarding their online presence.

Me? not so much.