Technology Autobiography

My relationship with technology has always been complicated. I remember my confused panic when my dad tried to explain to me how a television works. I always thought that the screen was like a camera lens and that we were in some way connected (by time? by wires?) to what was visible through the screen. His explanation of satellites and pixels and projections was too detailed for the limited understanding of my ten year old mind. My brain hurt. It still hurts when I think of how technology works. Any type of technology! I understand that it is not my lot in life to understand these things and I am okay with that.

Along with my confusion about how it works, though, lies an innate distrust of the thing itself. As a naturalist, I worry about those habits and callings that bring us indoors. Technology, in its many seductive forms has moved us from a nature-living (and loving) people, to a culture hypnotized by objects plugged into a wall. I believe that we might have been better off without all of these distractions, these devices that intrude on the actual experiencing of our lives. After all, what stories will you have to tell if you spend your life in the telling stage. That's what these technologies do for us... They make the telling easier, more precise, more "life-like." For example, I saw this photo in ESPN magazine of a frenzied crowd at the culminating moment of a college football game. Everyone in the crowd had their camera phones or cameras out. They were actually viewing the moment behind the lens. They were there, but they weren't! Our obsession with self-documentation these days seems to be getting in the way of our actual living. Facebook, too, disguises itself as a way to "connect and share with the people in your life." My question to them is, do we really need to connect with some random person from our third grade class when we barely have enough time to devote to our close friends and loved ones? Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that poetry was powerful emotion reflected upon in tranquility. Our online lives have taken us away from the reflection stage, from the tranquil stage. The result is a series of off the cuff musings with little meaning.

So, perhaps at this point, you are thinking that I am the ultimate technology "Scrooge." I'm not! Really! Maybe I would rather be squishing blueberries and using it as paint rather than buying store bought paint. The truth is, though, that with all the modern conveniences at my fingertips, I really don't have the time...

Technology is here, and probably here to stay. Since this is the case, I am interested in finding ways to use this technology to enrich my life, my work, and my relationships when and where I can. Modern technology, especially the Internet, has an enormous capacity to keep us connected to our loved ones and informed about things we care about. Although my son lives hundreds of miles from his grandparents, he was able to look at both his grandmothers through a webcam and wish them a happy Mother's Day. I've created digital stories as gifts to those same grandparents. Blogging, the modern day journal, has allowed me to share the happenings in my life with family and friends who otherwise would have no idea what was going on with me. These are good things!

However, again, the skeptic and traditionalist in me wonders if the quality of these communications is being compromised in some way. The medium is easy, that's for sure, but seen from a universal standpoint is it helping our culture become more educated, more liberated, more independent? Is it moving our species forward in any way? Are we becoming better people because of it? Are we using it the right way? Do any of these things even matter?

Entering into this class focused on how to weave technology into my teaching will hopefully answer some of these questions. I know it can do great things inside and outside of the classroom. Right now, though, I've got more questions than answers.