After viewing the lecture created by Sandy Gambill as well as the "Infowhelm and Information Fluency" video, it has become more evident to me why it is now a cultural norm for people in America to be experienced in the art of multitasking. With new forms of technology popping up daily in society it is no wonder that terms such as literacy and competency are being redefined in a way that captures the importance of integrating technology into everyday life. Individuals in our society must now be literate in more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic. People must now also have the ability to understand, evaluate, and apply their knowledge of the media and of computer tools and programs to daily living in order to be literate.
However, along with this new integration of technology come new problems for many Americans, as they grapple with finding the right balance between the use of this technology and more traditional modes of communication. As the video explained, “It’s a 24/7 always on infowhelm world”. With modes such as email, social networks, cell phones, video streaming, and various other media, people now have the opportunity to be connected at all hours of the day to immeasurable amounts of information and numbers of resources.
Although the use of technology in today’s society has many benefits, I have many concerns as a future educator about the overuse of technology in the classroom. As technology usage is becoming more prevalent, people are beginning to question whether or not changes should be made in schools that shift the focus of teaching from traditional tasks to instead focusing on learning ways to use technology in order to obtain information. While it is important to integrate technology into the classroom, students should not be taught to depend on it for everything they do. Students should instead be taught the value of hard work and strength of mind through more conventional ways of learning, while using technology only as an occasional resource to further their current knowledge of a subject.
