The E Word

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Does a picture paint a 1000 words is a statement that we hear all the time but is it really true? I think it can paint more than 1000 words as the memories that they hold are stories. Stories like that time you went on a holiday to Europe or about how you got ice-cream all over your top. Pictures can paint more than 1000 words as they can be an aid to help you remember something or a conversation starter. Kathryn A Stofer mentioned in her journal that the phrase “ A picture paints 1000 words”:  “Supposes that an image can replace a profusion of words to more easily express complex ideas” (Stofer 2016, pg 231). This isn’t true as a story or a memory isn’t a complex idea.

But in today’s society a picture isn’t about 1000 words it is more about how many likes it can get.  This is where the term digital natives could come in. Digital natives refer to people who have grown up around technology like you or I. (Prensky M, 2001).  But because we are digital natives, we have become obsessed with how we appear on social media so the phrase “A picture paints 1000 words” should really now be “ Does a picture get 1000 likes?”. So many people in this era are obsessed with getting that perfect selfie or image for their social media. While I will admit that I am guilty of this, we forget to live in the moment and just enjoy it. Sure, get one or two happy snaps to remember the night but don’t centre the whole night about getting that perfect picture so you can get those likes on Instagram, the memories are worth more than a mere 1000 words or likes.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/214629645?accountid=8194

Cailin Moerth: https://cailinmoerth333.wixsite.com/mysite 

Review of blog post 2: Is the final product more important than the design and production process?

Cailin, I really loved this post. It outlines clearly why the design and production is more important. I also liked how you included the image as it helped me to visualise the process more easily and was good to refer to it when reading. If possible, maybe reference an article that supports your thinking. For example, one found in a Wall Street Journal on “Process design as important as product design” it could help highlight your point on feedback and how it influences design: “ it is not enough to come up with a product that works well when manufactured exactly according to the design specifications” pg 2 (Mayo, 1984)

Mayo, J. (1984). Manger's Journal: Process  design as important as product design. . Wall Street Journal , 1-3.

  Dara Young: https://spark.adobe.com/page/HVIUhwuT9bQ1d/ 

Review of blog post 2: Do digital Natives really exist?

Dara, I really liked your second post and liked how you highlighted the different types of digital natives, it made me think about what kind of “native” I would be. I know you did give some examples of the different types of natives but if possible, maybe you could outline a couple positives or negatives surrounding digital natives in the classroom or the real world.  For example, there are children who are “very comfortable with using new technologies and they can immediately adapt to those... without feeling a fear of misuse failure” but while they are good “readers” they aren’t good “digital writers” pg 2396-2397. (Gulsecen, 2015)

Can you remember the last time that you sent an actual letter? I can, I was about 8 and it was to a family member in South Australia. I’ll never forget how excited I was to receive a letter back. I don’t think I’ve written a letter since which is a shame really. But now we have technology which allows us to communicate so much faster. I can send someone an email and get a response in a few hours instead of days. But there are ethical issues that surround these technologies like the fact that they appear to be very convenient but they are leading to things like bullying.

According to Rahul C. Basole, these digital technologies offer a “whole new way of interacting” (Basole, 2004). He highlights that through the use of these devices we can do many things at once which increases proficiency. However, these technologies don’t always lead to increased effectiveness or convenience as they can cause distraction. In a classroom for example students may look at other things other than the task at hand or start playing games  which I am guilty of too this can link back to last weeks post and how now we can’t live without these technologies. But on a more serious note these technologies are causing bigger ethical issues like bullying. People can feel that they can hide behind a screen and say horrible things about people. This is leading people to be feel socially isolated “ the sensation of loneliness is presented with then basic need to feel connected to people through social links is not satisfied” (Halpern, 2017) pg 705. People shouldn’t be feeling this way, the technology we have enables us to communicate with the whole world. We should be using it to our advantage and for it to help us not bring us down.

Basole, R. C. (2004). The value and impact of moblie information and communication technology.

It seems that in today’s world that we would be lost without digital communication technologies. We use them for everything. Like using our phones as an alarm even though there is a perfectly good clock next to my bed. However, they seem to be having a heavy impact on our lives. More and more people seem to be taking “breaks” from these technologies. So, the question is could I do the same?

I feel that today I couldn’t. I remember when I was younger that my mum once a week would set a timer for an hour. This meant that I had to spend an hour doing something else that didn’t involve technology so no tv, no Ipad etc.  Even then I found it hard to spend time away from my devices. While I love the idea of not spending time on my devices it’s just so hard to do. We are a “nation of multitaskers who do nearly everything while gazing one or more screens” (Bredik C, 2018 pg 41) which is true as all my work is online and I use my phone to listen to music etc. Unfortunately, it is becoming harder for even the younger generations to not use the technology as they use it all the time in schools. Prensky argues that we should be using things like YouTube to help educate our kids as it is affecting how young people “communicate and learn” and “how they express themselves” (Prensky, 2010 pg 124) which is true, however at what cost? If we use it all the time in schools then go home and use it when do we take a break? While, I agree with Prensky that YouTube is a great resource it would really just be acting as another thing that is stopping us from living technology free and missing the world around us.  

Berdik, C. (2018, 09). Dealing with digital distraction. The Education Digest, 84, 40-45. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/2093189349?accountid=8194

“A picture paints a 1000 words” is something that we have all heard, but is it really true? Personally, I think a picture is can be worth much more than a mere 1000 words. Pictures are there to replace the words, they hold memories of that holiday to Europe or that time you went out for drinks with mates. Kathryn A Stofer mentioned in her journal that the phrase “ A picture paints 1000 words”:   “Supposes that an image can replace a profusion of words to more easily express complex ideas” (Stofer 2016, pg 231). Her statement suggests that the image is meant to hold complex ideas, I disagree. When you look at a photo you can normally tell what is it straight away especially if you have taken it yourself. Nowadays it is easier to take good quality photos without the need for a “professional camera” many people have smartphones that do it for them.

This is where the term digital natives could come in. Digital natives refer to people who have grown up around technology like you or I. (Prensky M, 2001).  But because we are digital natives, we have become obsessed with how we appear on social media so the phrase “A picture paints 1000 words” should really now be “ Does a picture get 1000 likes?”. So many people in this era are obsessed with getting that perfect selfie or image for their social media. While I will admit that I am guilty of this, we forget to live in the moment and just enjoy it. Sure, get one or two happy snaps to remember the night but don’t centre the whole night about getting that perfect picture so you can get those likes on Instagram, the memories are worth more than a mere 1000 words or likes.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/214629645?accountid=8194

Welcome !!!

This is reflective blog, sounds boring right?

Well while I will be reflecting on questions, I want it to be a space where you can read and learn about how technology influences our lives and whether it’s a good thing or not. It seems nowadays that phones, computers and internet are all things that we can't live without yet people did for thousands of years before it existed.