The Horizon Report

The key trends mentioned by the Horizon Report 2010 included the ability for students to study whenever and wherever they want.  With new mobile devices information will be readily available in the most efficient manner possible.  I find this idea unnerving for our society.  We are a nation that runs on caffeine, pressure, and stress 24/7.  I feel the ever increasing need for faster, more efficient technologies is pushing us into the expectation of faster work = more work, rather than faster work = time to relax and spend time with friends and family because we finished earlier.

In education today, I feel that it is important to teach students to work hard and think critically among other things, but also to relax and breath every once and a while.   

It seems to me that mobile devices like phones and exposure to the internet at such a young age sets our students up for problems like ADHD and short attention spans.  When they are stimulated wherever and whenever they want, like a drug, they become addicted to things like texting and Facebook.

I hope to teach my classes about the importance of creating a balance between work and play.  Faster and more efficient can only be positive improvements when they are balanced with activities like lounging in parks, biking with friends, or reading a book.  I hope they will take that time not because they have to, but because they want to.