Technology: Negatives

The absolute tsunami of information technology in recent years has been overwhelming.  As an engineer I have used technology extensively, but the explosion recently has been amazing!  In past years, for example, mining inspectors carried boxes of notebooks in their vehicle containing various mine plans for the mine sites they inspected.  Then they got laptops but still had to carry maps and plan sheets.  If they could not read a map properly, they could get lost on a mine site.  Now, all information for every mine site in this state is available on their smart phone.  Inspectors now need only their smart phones to inspect mine sites, write inspection reports and email or text their findings to the mine operator and other relevant people.  

As this wave of connectivism sweeps over society, there is no way to prevent the young and innocent from all the inappropriate data available.  My 5 year old grandson has an iPod on which he plays games.  He is in the body function stage where everything about bodily functions and parts is funny.  

I recently overheard him asking his iPod to "show me a butthole."  While stifling my laugh, I took his device for about an hour, told his parents and gave him a brief lecture about what is proper and what is not.  Involved parental and teacher control over the access to information is absolutely paramount.

The internet has also become the ground where predators hunt.  Unsuspecting and trusting children can be victimized or harmed if proper parental controls are not rigorously enforced.  

One very positive aspect of EDUC 573 for me is the introduction of some helpful methods of controlling the flow of information and filtering out unwanted or unnecessary information.  Too much information is much more of a problem than not enough information.

There is one other problem I see with this growing dependence on information and technology.  First, even in EDUC 573, there is no physical interaction with other people.  Given all this connectivism, individuals are still isolated behind their computer screens.  Computer information is also rather sterile.  There is only sight and sometimes sound.  There is no smell, touch or taste.  For all its voluminous information, the web is sadly devoid of much sensory activity.