After spending almost a week with students at a conference, it was interesting to see the number of students (and teachers) constantly using cell phones and iPods. Students were walking to and from meetings and events either talking or texting. They had to be constantly reminded to turn off cell phones prior to entering a workshop or event.
I wonder if texting, emailing, IMs, etc., cause individuals to lose the ability to have meaningful face-to-face communication. Are we using this method to exchange information without learning the art of communicating by actually talking with someone? Do we spend more time texting than talking? Why do we have such a need to have cell phones turned on and ready to receive calls every moment during the day? What would happen if we turned off our cell phones for even half a day? Do all cell phone users know proper etiquette when using their phones?
Communication is accomplished using a variety of channels, including cell phones, but sometimes I wonder if we have become so chained to them that we lose opportunities for real-time conversations.
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I COMPLETELY think we are losing the ability to talk correctly. My students talk the way they text. It DRIVES me crazy!! I text a lot!!!!!! But I still know and do talk properly. I try to make my students talk correctly in my classroom as well.
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful questions. It is hard to imagine what they will do without cell one day. As a teacher, you may also think of a way to integrate cell into your classroom acitivities, which has been testing in many other countries, such as Japan and china.
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