Social media and electronic communication devices have changed a variety of relationships I have in my life. Whether it be friends, parents, or teachers, devices have had a big impact on my relationships. With friends, I find it easier to communicate. They are a text message away, always. Same goes for my parents. Even communication with teachers have improved. With services like Edmodo or StudyBlue connecting and learning from our teachers has never been more personal, learning plans can easily be catered to each individual student. However, sometimes, these electronic communication devices harm our relationships. Its much more difficult to talk face to face with friends. These devices have become like a shield for our generation. Sometimes, they can also cause frustration with parents. As my parents like to call it, they are "technologically challenged". With teachers, devices are a source of distraction and negative influence, especially in a classroom setting.
Some things we should do to help mitigate the negative effects of social media and electronic communication devices include A. Human Interaction B. Getting Out of the House for Once and C. Other Activities Such as Reading or Painting (Yes, they still exist.)
I believe that my school has quite a good grasp of our digital and electronic devices policy. We understand that this helps improve lesson plans, students' learning abilities, and opens up many resources for our students. The important part is educating the students and staff on when and how to use the devices. Banning them is quite unfortunate and is something that my school would never think of doing.
Making sure students only use their devices for academic purposes can help control the positive use of devices. Another method could be simply educating students on when to use their devices. Social media can be very distracting and is a main reason school communities feel the need to ban this valuable resource. App lockers can help with this, or even just blocking sites on the school server. (Check out these social media locking options here to help with studies: http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/apps-media-distractions-947/2/)
In conclusion, why ban devices when they have SO much positive potential? As a media student, I will be slightly offended.
In conclusion, why ban devices when they have SO much positive potential? As a media student, I will be slightly offended.
I think that technology has many benefits like the ones you have listed, and personally, I have not suffered from a loss of face-to-face contact, rather, now that I have a way to easily contact people, I find myself having more in-person interactions then ever before. However, I agree with your list on how to limit our usage of technology because it is important not to overuse anything, and those are some great suggestions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point on how people lose face-to-face contact and communication. It appears that sometimes when we are texting others they tend to say things like 'lol' and not actually laugh out loud... and when it comes to face-to-face communications I've realized some people say 'OMG' and other abbreviations which is unnatural in my opinion.
ReplyDelete