Hello, one and all. We have been learning a lot about the various, unique tools that come with 21st Century learning. Some of these tools we are familiar with, while others we are not. I cannot deny the advantages of modern technology entering the classroom and I certainly plan to be modern/effective with technology when I get the chance to teach. However, I worry about face-to-face interactions.
I work with an organization called YoungLife. It involves college volunteers mentoring high school students. Typically, when we are hosting an event I will send out a text in order to let everyone know we are having the event. This mass text, along with facebook invitations, are one of the best ways to get the word out to everyone that we are going to be having the event. They are effective and without them certain people would not come, let alone know that the event is being held. However, on more than one occasion I've encountered high schoolers that feel like a "number" in this process. Why?
To be frank, they miss and desire the face to face interaction. It means so much more when I hand them a flier and tell them personally that I really want them to be at the event. Texts and facebook are effective resources for relaying information, but they really cannot place the personal touch of in-person communications.
It is my hope that none of us forget this in the classroom. While we should be utilizing technology and constantly reassessing how we can teach and groom students for a completely new, modernized society... we cannot forget to push them in communications with ourselves and one another. I picture a classroom full of laptops and students typing away and never really having a teacher/mentor look them in the eye and tell them they're doing a good job. I know that is unlikely... but I also think we will forget to think about the importance of quality and quantity face-to-face interactions with students. One of the most valuable skills, along with modern technology use, that they can carry into the future is talking and communicating well with others. We need to go wide without forgetting to go deep.
