Reflection on the Future of Now

    The four videos show that the internet age is very important.  For good or for ill the only way one can get ahead in the world is to have a basic knowledge of the internet and be able to use technology.  Therefore, teachers need to have a good understanding of technology so they teach their students.  I am not saying that if one is teaching an English class or a history class one always needs to be on line or using a powerpoint presnetation, though the latter is a good tool to use.  Students also need to have a good understanding of the internet and technology to get ahead.  I do have some reservations about all this technology even though I know it is important.
    All four videos were very compelling in how they show how technology has grown in the last couple of decades.  Is this really helping students learn?  Sometimes yes and sometimes no.  The video done in the classroom indicates that students spend a lot of time on line, even in the classroom when they should be listening to a lecture.  This is when technology can be a drawback.  They also spend much time on it outside of the classroom.  Is that cutting into study time?  Yes, obviously, it sometimes is.  Yet, technology can be a great tool.  One can access a website that can be used for a class project or paper a student is writing.  There is good information online that students can use.
    These videos shows that this society values information because of the internet.  I have a question: What do we do with all of this information?  Some of it is very useful for students and people in general.  Yet, to be honest, there is a lot of useless information on the internet.  Not too mention that some people can do really stupid stuff online.  We need to look at the internet as a tool.  One that can be used for really good purposes, it can be used for bad purposes, and it can be used for absolutely useless purposes.  Sometimes I think people use it more for useless things than for something good.  Now, I have to admit I'm the type of guy who likes to go on Youtube and watch videos.  Some of them are worthwhile and some of them aren't. 
    The four videos themselves were very compelling.  The way they showed how technology has advanced and where it is going to go is fascinating.  Much of this can be used as teaching tools.  One thing we need to remember that technology cannot be a substitute for good teaching.  God forbid, we were ever to be thrown back into the stone age (that's what I get for reading Cormac McCarthy's novel THE ROAD) one could still be a good teacher without all this technology.  Let technology be a tool and do not let it dictate you as a teacher.