Colin's First Paper
From Mizzou Wiki
We live in a country today, much different than 20 years ago and culturally unique from the rest of the world. We tend to take the things we use every day and the rate of advancement we currently have for granted. We assume that these differences in our lives are for the better and we await the next best thing. Our lives become filled with devices and bright lights, while our minds become cluttered and fried. And while there has always been a counterculture in our country, it seems that no one is paying attention and ensuring that this technological revolution is moral, logical, and beneficial. We cannot allow anything with this much sway go unquestioned and unchecked. We should never close our mind, unconsciously march, and ignore the effects of the external world. What effect does technology have on us, you, me, our education, or in essence, our future? In Dr. Wesch's anthropology video his back to the basics message resonates while emphasizing cultural literacy and technology's effect on us.
Dr. Wesch has assembled a video at Kansas State University that questions the assumed positive effect that technology has on a student, a teacher, and in a classroom setting. His video entitled, A Vision of Students Today, begins by questioning the relevance of a classroom setting. Asking, if students learn what they do...what are they learning sitting here? He, also, looks to delve a little deeper into the subject of a student and their struggles with the demands of a college life. His video takes place in a lecture hall filled with students, who participate in relaying his message to us. They hold up signs with various statements that are related to what a student is experiencing and what they must deal with while in school and beyond. He touches the subject of how much and what kind of reading and writing an average student will do in a year, suggesting that we are more interested in the small scope of our lives and what immediately effects us. Another issue brought up in the video were the immense demands put on a student without, perhaps, enough time to accommodate. Does the amount of preparation through our education compare to the financial burden we take?
No one could have predicted the incredible rate at which we would advance and the inventions and science that have evolved in the past century. Our advancement has not only been lightning fast, but is increasing exponentially with the quality and quantity of technology that follows. A quote in the video states, "The inventor of the system deserves to be ranked among the best contributors to learning and science, if not the greatest benefactors of mankind." By Josiah F. Bumstead, in 1841, and though wrote over 150 years ago, it might ring truer today than when it was written. The point of Dr. Wesch's video was to ask if anybody is worried about what technology will become, and possibly do to us, as a culture, if we do not question it's effect on us. People today take so much for granted and demand convenience take shortcuts for comfort. What gets lost on the way? The importance of the values is indispensable, but is also being muddled and substituted for more superficial ones. People have begun placing more weight on qualities such as speed, ease, tranquility and expect technology to bend nature to better accommodate them while becoming less flexible and more stubborn themselves. What about the traits of hard work, dedication, patience, simplicity, and order? The fact that he has used a video camera to document, posted it on the internet, on one of the most popular and addicting websites among college students to 'complain' about technology is so ironic, that the subject is actually the definition irony. Yet he absolutely achieves his goal of getting people to think about what they are using and ask why and what benefits are coming from this. The number of times the video has been viewed is proof of that, with a running total of almost 2.4 million. But he obviously feels the only way to achieve what he wants with the desired effect is to broadcast his message through what he demonizes. We, as a culture, might be so far along that the issue isn't should we guard ourselves against the possibility, but, instead, can we survive without everything we depend on.
The world, today, has essentially been shrunk by the wonder of technology. We are in closer quarters, despite no physical movement, because of technology. We find ourselves becoming used to the fact that sharing political opinions or creative ideas, media, or art is a click of a button away. You can post a blog on the internet, read or watch the news and you are connected to countries on the opposite side of the globe. Because of this proximity our communication and personal skills must continue to improve with the times. An education gained in our collegiate system does not seem to prepare you for this current phenomenon. There is no emphasis on cross cultural education and we should not sacrifice internal growth for that of the external. Cultural literacy is cognitive recognition and acknowledgment of the history, contributions, and perspectives of cultural groups, including one's own. Also, observing different traditions, social mores, and unique characteristics of a culture, with clear eyes and without pretension. In order for an understanding of reading, writing, and other medias. Cultural competence refers to the ability to function in a multicultural setting. It involves being aware of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, rules, and laws that exist in a system.
I feel I lead a normal college existence and felt a connection with many of the issues brought up in Wesch's video. The amount of hours in a day often seem unfulfilling and my list of things to do is a consistent run on of a previous day's work. It leads to me feel conflicted on many different levels. It forces me to question whether I am lazy or not productive enough. Is the amount of time and energy spent towards school is just enough or my maximum effort? Or if any of it really matters in the whole scheme of things. I question if what I want to do is selfish or trivial when I have so much more that I need to be doing. I am constantly juggling prior engagements with more pressing issues. I am constantly trying to find where the balance lies. That's the internal battle, the external one is much more complicated. Is this education going to lead me down the path it intends to and the one I hope it will be? The money and time and stress, etc., etc. is constantly labeled as sacrifices that need to be made. But are they? These questions and problems run parallel with the problems that technology pose for me personally. With the convenience of technology everything is expected to be faster and better, with no learning curve, no margin for error. This presses me and has the opposite effect it is intended to have. Instead of being relaxed and without worries because technology is taking care of life's inconveniences, I feel rushed and stressed, but for the same reason. Like everything, I believe that it is important to find a balance. After all, you don't want too much of a good thing.
After watching Dr. Wesch's video, a lot of questions came to mind about his message and whether or not to believe it. He obviously did a very good job of creating awareness on this issue and has gotten a lot of attention. I believe that the most important thing that should be taken away from the video is that we should consciously question technology's effect on us. Be it in an educational setting or in our own personal lives. This rapid technological advancement will not stop, especially if it continues to improve lives, so we must keep pace. Because of our new proximity with people of different race, religion, and culture we can not let our internal qualities fall behind the external. Of course, technology has made the quality of life better but that doesn't mean we should allow it to spread into every aspect of life without first questioning the consequences. Hopefully, more people like Dr. Wesch will step forward and lead the way.
