The Disconnection Experiment

“The Disconnection Experiment” we were assigned in class has us not using media through technology.  This means we can’t use a computer, television, radio, and smart phone.  While I am not as technology dependent as others, I still think it will be hard for me to disconnect from my devices which I have integrated into my life.

--What day did you choose to “disconnect?”

July 20, 2016

--What would you usually be doing on this day? How did your plans change because your “disconnected” status?

Normally I would be completing my homework from my online class and also watching television and playing video games during breaks.  My plans changed, because I chose not to do my homework this day and rather planned to do work around the house so that I wasn’t staring at the wall all day.

-- What were your feelings that day? (Freedom, liberation, misery, boredom?)

I do like getting out into nature, and some places like Egypt valley or AEP reclamation land doesn’t have cell or internet service, so I do know what it is like to be disconnected.  However, this day it was the worst heat and humidity of the summer, so after work I limited my time outside, which left me inside most of the day after work.  I was pretty bored that day because I didn’t have a lot of inside work to do, because my wife had been on vacation so the house was already clean with no new messes.  The misery came from realizing that I used food as a crutch, so it actually made me feel worst that day.

-- What media did you miss most and why?

I missed my computer and internet the most.  I use my computer to research, listen to music, watch videos, and play games.  I can live without a television and even my smartphone, because I can do everything I need on my computer.

-- What sorts of things did you do instead?

I spent a little time in the garage working on building furniture for my kitchen, but the heat and humidity got to me, so for the rest of the day I ate, slept, and filed my mail.

-- Were you able to completely avoid all media? If you could not, what was the “breaking point”?

I was not able to completely avoid all media, at work they have music playing, so I did have radio and music for my morning during work.  Also, with my wife being gone, I had to answer my phone at night to talk to her, so my whole day wasn’t disconnected, but majority of it was in the “dark.”

Growing Up Online

In educational technologies class, we watched slightly older Frontline documentary about a generation of kids growing up online, with access to the internet and social media.  The documentary dealt with the use of technologies in the school system, how social media affects student's behaviors, and some of the negative consequences such as cyber bullying and even provocative behavior to be popular.  While some of the material is a little data, the concepts can be carried over to the newer generations and what kind of technologies they use today that keeps them online an connected 24/7.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/

Why do you think the number of parents who reported the Internet being a good thing for their children has decreased?

I believe that the reason that parents have reported a decrease in the Internet being a good thing for their children comes down to lack of technical knowledge and the media.  Most parents are not as tech savvy as their children, and this creates the illusion that parents can't monitor or trust online activity, giving a sense of loss of control.  Another reason is that the media needs to make its money by coming up with scare tactic stories.  In the video, a study found that most kids knew not to talk to or take propositions from strangers that they didn't know online, which unfortunately doesn't align with some of the news' companies stories that they want their viewers to watch.  This has helped create mistrust with parents' children and using the internet.

In terms of student writing, what are some different types of "cheating"? What are the elements you would include in your definition of "cheating"?

There are two different ways that students can cheat with a writing assignment.  One way is to use sights that create cliff notes or summaries of the stories, so that student's don't have to actually read and reflect what the literary meaning of the articles or stories.  The worst way of cheating that can be found in students writings is plagiarism, or taking other's ideas without giving proper credit.  I do believe that plagiarism is what I would consider in my definition of cheating, however as much as I would like students to actually read and interpret on their own, I don't think sites that give summaries of literary would be considered cheating.

" Should students feel guilty for using “shortcuts” like this? Why or why not?

I think that student's should feel guilty for shorting themselves the experience of reading and interpreting stories and articles, but not that they are cheating.  I bet that when graphing calculators first started to be used in every statistic and calculus classroom, that there were those who thought it felt like cheating, however we should always be able to find value in tools that help us understand the material better.  Books can be considered wonderful tools, but just like long proofs and calculations, maybe some students can interpret better with the cliff notes rather than the original.

What are the positive and negative consequences of blurring the line between being a celebrity and a regular person?

A couple of positives that can come from blurring the line between celebrity and regular person would be finding friends and people you belong with and also for a young person it can be a way to create experiences in trying to find your true self.  Now there are many negative consequences as in Autumn Edow's case is that it can create behavior that isn't proper for a child, just to find attention.  Another consequence is that it can start to blur the lines between reality and online personas, causing psychological problems that can be hidden from parents and other love ones.

What elements of this FRONTLINE program are likely to increase parents’ fears? What elements of the program might be reassuring?

I think some of the elements that can cause fear with parents is cyber bullying, which Frontline took to extreme by talking about child suicide, creating the fear that this could happen from your child using the internet.  I think parents knowing that most kids are smart enough to not be duped by predators is reassuring and also the report about schools teaching children how to be good internet citizens.

What are some of the short- and longer-term consequences of these types of behaviors for life online and in the real world?

Some short term consequences are cyber bullying and the sense of rebellion that can come from life online.  Longer term consequences would be psychological damage, loss of identity, loss of self control, loss of reality, and in the most extreme cases death.

Assistive Technology for Students with Blindness or Visual Impairment

                The type of disability I am choosing to research assistive technology is blindness and visual Impairment.  According to IDEA from the idea.ed.gov website, visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance.  This definition is used for partial sight and blind students.  This type of disability puts students at a huge disadvantage because most of our classrooms in public schools are set up to be visually stimulating with aids like diagrams and posters to help students learn.  There is good news though with the level of technology today, many types of AT technology is available to help get the student the education they need in the least restrictive environment.

                The first assistive technology I would like to discuss with portable not takers.  These are devices that are very portable, about the size of a book and take electronic Braille notes.   Teaching VisuallyImpaired explains that these portable note takers can be used by Braille learners to read books, write assignments, find directions, record lectures and even listen to podcasts.  Now visually impaired students have the information they need transcribed readily so they can communicate with teachers and classmates, especially if those people don't read Braille.  These devices are expensive and can cost up to $6,000, making them not available for all visually impaired and blind students unless they can get it with government assistance.

                Another assistive technology I would like to bring up for the blind and visually impaired is audio books.  Again TeachingVisually Impaired explains that the use of audio books can be a very invaluable especially with pairing it with books in large print or Braille.  Audio books can have a wide variety of formats and can be played back on many different devices that are much easier for students to gain access for learning.  Regular printed books can even be scanned in as pdf documents and then be read back to a student with the use of adaptive technology or in embossed Braille.  The government also has the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to provide a free library program Braille and audio materials through the mail free of charge.

                For the future of assistive technology, computer scientist Chieko Askawa and her team is trying to bring technology form digital to the physical world.  She has worked since 1982 to develop technologies to facilitate computer use for the blind, but her new project call NavCog is trying to use today's personal gadgets to help students navigate around schools and campuses.  This technology places beacons with Bluetooth emitters around campus and then guides the visually impaired and blind through their phone app with a Siri-like voice.  In the future they would like to also pair with facial recognition software that can identify acquaintances when they walk by and inform users when people they encounter are not talking to them.

               

References

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/02/how_technology_helps_the_blind_navigate_the_physical_world.html

http://www.loc.gov/nls/

http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%252E8

http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/notetakers.html

http://www.boundlessat.com/Blindness/Notetaker