In this case, the tsunami is technology in our lives, especially in the lives of our students. It is as huge and daunting as a tsunami, and we cannot fight it with continued attempts to ban it or see it as something “added on” to our already full plates as educators. There needs to be a balance struck. There’s a word-balance! It always makes its way into educational discussions. “Balanced literacy”-where we sort of arrived in terms of literacy instruction after years of reliance on either whole-language or phonics, for example. It is not a new concept in dally life as many seek a sense of balance in a hectic world. The Greeks first spoke of balance or moderation in their lives centuries ago.
And so it goes with technology. There is no way even the greatest, most vigilant parents are going to take it away from the kids, much less us as educators. Maybe another 21st century skill needs to be taught amongst all the other skills we teach and that will be how to balance ourselves. Research is proving that heavy usage of technology impacts behavior and the brain. Our brains need downtime to synthesize and make connections…to really learn. The adolescent brain is still in a critical stage of development and the overuse of technology is not necessarily a positive thing.
So let’s help our kids think this one through. Use the research to show kids what is happening and embrace technology as a wonderful, productive tool to be used for learning and entertainment, but in balance in our lives. There is no sandbagging a tsunami!!!
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