Welcome back, readers!
My previous post focused on Turkle’s POV on mobile devices; now, we’re going to dive into some research/resources, and I’m going to share my personal philosophy.
First, before we get into research, I want to make my position clear: I’m all about balance. I think that our mobile phones are tools that connect us, but I think they’re something much stronger than that. When you are with someone, your phone should not be prioritized. However, what if my mom was calling because it was 1 am and I was still out? Would I ignore my phone and focus on the person in front of me? No; of course, not. Does that mean the person in front of me is any less important? No; that’s not true, either. So what really is my perspective on mobile devices? Well, here we go.
Let’s first start out with a definition. According to Techopedia, “A mobile device is a handheld tablet or other device that is made for portability, and is therefore both compact and lightweight”. Based on the definition, this could really be a phone or tablet. Now, what do we do with said phone or tablet? Daniel Newman from Forbes summarizes it perfectly: “We start and finish our day on mobile; we get social on our mobile devices; we read more content online; and, we make purchases from our mobile devices”. If we have our mobile devices with us constantly, whether it be a phone, tablet, or both, why not make our time-efficient and use it to complete the many tasks we have to do throughout the day? On top of that, how is this idea reinforced in our culture? In ad space, in movies, tv shows, radio, schools, etc.
Mobile devices are clearly a part of our lives and are not going away, so how can we, as educators, teach our students to strike the balance of communicating with one another, build empathy, sympathy, yet still be a part of the 21st century? That’s a lot right there. Especially since schools have a history of “banning” cellphones and some teachers may carry that with them into the classroom today. It all boils down to teaching students when it’s appropriate to have their devices out, how they should be using them as a tool, and when they should be giving their undivided attention to others (or the teacher).
Explaining the “why” is also important. The students need to know “why” they are practicing these things. Why does Ms. Ibrahim ask students to put their phones away while we’re reading aloud in class versus when she asks students to take out their phones to use as a dictionary resource when writing their essays? Having students understand the value of what they’re doing will give more meaning to it rather than following a command.
Mobile devices and communication go much deeper than just using it while someone is talking or hiding behind it rather than having a face-to-face conversation. How can we purposefully design our education environment in a way where mobile devices enhance face-to-face communication rather than stifle? And how can we teach our students that?
We’re on a journey to find out!
I agree that devices are not bad. In today's society they are absolutely necessary. I do think its how people use them that can be bad or good. Are you using your device to avoid deeper connections with others, or are you using it to forge deeper connections. I argue that many use the convenience of a mobile device to check social interactions off of their to-do lists. Their aim is to get the work of maintaining their relationships over with as quickly as possible. If people put little time or energy on how they use the convenience of smart phones it could be detrimental. On the flip-side, phones allow us to maintain deep connections with those who are away from us in ways that were never before possible. I am old enough to remember the days when my parents wouldn't allow me to call my fiance because long distance was too expensive. We lived in different states and it was hell. However I can guarantee that we never once took each other for granted.
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