Somni Porta
The digital age has brought about many changes regarding how we interact with information and our devices. As someone who is considered to be a “millennial,” I have heard all of the typical remarks from older generations in regards to my generation’s attention span. In chapter 1 “Attention! Why and How to Control your Mind’s Most Powerful Instruments,” Howard Rheingold explores how all of this new technology and constant connectivity is changing the learning dynamic in classrooms across the country. I have to admit, I found this reading to be very informative and interesting. As a student who has come up in this new world of constantly being connected to the digital world, I can relate. It is a weird balance that is difficult to achieve. Coming from a finance background in my undergrad education, I needed to have my laptop and phone accessible at all times as the changes in the market are constantly changing and being updated. One part of the chapter that peaked my interest was the study about people shooting basketballs with a man in a gorilla suit walking across the screen. What the study found was 50% of the people who were observing the people shoot the basketballs did not notice the man in the gorilla suit. Think about that. Something as wild and out there as a GORILLA walking across the screen and no one even reacts to it. See, attention is something that is viewed as effortless, but in this chapter we learn how it is actually something that you can do in a more active type manner. Something that I always thought was as natural as breathing is actually something that you can actually make an effort to be better at almost blows my mind. And, it this idea is not exclusive to the classroom or to younger generations. Later in the chapter, we learn that it is something that older generations are also having issues with as they become more and more connected on the internet. Amazingly enough, this has been going on longer than we think. From back in 2011, there was an interview cited about how some children find their parents totally dejected while spending time them due to their blackberrys (oh, how far we’ve come.) Over time, with the advances we have made and the seemingly required connectivity seems to have had a compounding effect on that front. It makes sense if you think about it, just as with the classroom. While technology certainly has its advantages and being constantly connected to one another, it is like dessert; everything in moderation. I know in todays day in age it may be difficult, but, just as this chapter describes, we need to make more of an effort to pay attention where we need to and not be too detached from reality. I’m sure we’ve seen this in a movie somewhere before.
Chapter 3 (Participation Power) I think this is a good way of beginning to explain the idea of digital citizenship. In order to be apart of any community, you have to be an active participant. One part of this chapter I really liked is when it is discussed how in order to be a true participant, you cannot only consume, but you also need to add something to these online communities. I do not know how much I agree, because I view this participation in the same way I look at voting/not voting in the US. On the surface, yes, people who do not vote are participants, but if you dig deeper, their abstination can be viewed as an active choice. So you can be a participant if you are only consuming, in my opinion, because deciding not to participate is a way to participate all its own. Everyone in our class are very active participants, and we have been since last semester in Writing Theory and Practice. Engaging in a worldwide conversation such as Unboundeq was a great way to be introduced us to what digital citizenship truly means in the best possible ways. And that is only an example. Think of all the different social media pages you follow; an actor, athlete, influencer. If you have ever commented, shared, or liked a post from one of them, then you would be considered an active participant on the internet with all the others who want to be apart of it. I am looking forward to Dylan’s presentation and discussing these chapters with my classmates and our instructors. See you all tonight!