While reading Maushart’s The
Winter of Our Disconnect, a familiar scene came to mind: that of a family
at a restaurant having all the children engaged with cell phones, Gameboys,
you-name-it. When I am having dinner with my boyfriend, we both agree, neither
of us will ever allow our children to forgo conversation with the human beings
surrounding them for an electronic device while at the dinner table. Of course,
I am not yet a parent, and do not fully understand the complexities that come
with parenting. However, no matter what technological age I am living in, I
believe in the human connection, and I believe it should always take precedence
over that of a screen. Children are not the only people guilty of this
phenomenon, I have seen adults so it just as often. It was common in meetings
at a corporation that I once worked at for many people to answer and send email
while in meetings! What is the
purpose of a meeting when 5/10 are occupied by other tasks?
In many ways I relate to Maushart’s experience and support
her findings. I think that it is critical to teach children the importance of a
face-to-face human connection. I also believe that it is our job as art
teachers to teach our students how to notice deeply, and that there is life
beyond a screen. Especially when it comes to art, deep noticing and uni-tasking
can be required to create successful work. Of course, every artist has their
own preferred style of working, but it is our job to give our students a taste
of a variety of styles, allowing them to learn what best suits them.
My field experience has left me with mixed feelings on the
abundance of technology in the classroom. Just this week I had a discussion
with two students regarding the use of their iPad minis in the classroom, an
initiative started this year. So far, they said that the iPads were being
incorporated into just one classroom and they use one app. To me, this seems
like the school is not capitalizing on a powerful technology tool, and giving kids a distraction. When I walk
around the room, I notice many students watching music videos and checking
social media. I think that there must be a better way to use technology in the
classroom. Perhaps if the teacher were more structured in the use of
technology, allotting 15 minutes to research artists of a certain movement, for
example. This way, the students’ technology use could be monitored in some
form. I hope that I will learn strategic methods for implementing technology
into the classroom, making the curriculum more engaging rather than providing
yet another distraction.
It is a thin line to walk, between knowing what feels like the right way to raise kids and what you actually do in the moment when your three and four year old are beginning to show signs of revolting. I have watched kids most for my life and learned innumerable ways to "parent the right way". A month and a half ago I became a parent over night of my niece and nephew. I've found myself taking the easy way out more than once. When you're sitting in a restaurant, Angry Birds is very effective in preoccupying one child allowing you to focus on the other. In the grocery store I can pull up Netflix and get all the shopping done without so much as a peep out of my niece; or putting a Disney movie on at home so I can get lunch made. But one movie turns into three and fifteen minutes of Angry Birds is never enough for a four year old. Everyone says good parenting is not using technology as a distraction, myself included, but bad habits are the hard to break. As teachers we don't have a blank slate to work with, each child comes with a thousand and one marks on their boards made by those who make up their personal communities. We need to be able to show students beneficial and engaging ways to use technology to aid in their learning, not just distractions to get them through the school day.
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