Educators Teaching Students to Live in the World Beyond the Beeping and Chirping of Devices

 "I have heard some say that we need to 'meet the kids where they are'--that is, to accept their world of chatter and multiple electronic devices. I see, instead, a need to offer them something that they don't already have, so that they may see more possibilities." Diana Senechal, Republic of Noise: The Loss of Solitude in Schools and Culture

As a long time high school English teacher, I often heard the notion described by Senechal that I needed "to meet the kids where they are." Those early years I did just that. I used modern cultural artifacts such as popular movies, popular music to try to teach my students the "curriculum." At some point, this idea of "meet" students where they were did involve "accepting their world of chatter and multiple electronic devices." We as teachers were simply to give up teaching students about the worlds of possibility that did not include "Silicon-Valley-Invented Devices." But with this giving up, we really caused students much greater harm, because in doing that, we were failing to show students the possibilities of life beyond the reach of technology.  And there is a world where we can thrive and exist among these, our devices but live with and beyond them.

As an educator, you can begin to lead the way by doing simple things like "turning off your notifications in the evenings." This is living by example. As I write this, my phone sits like a paperweight. It is dead. It does not vibrate, chirp or beep, and I will not allow it until tomorrow morning when I walk into my office. As far as my Apple watch goes, I turned off permanently text, email, and any other notifications that have the potential to rudely intrude in my life. This is one world of possibility I would introduce students to today: a world where they can control tech and keep tech from controlling them. Such a world gives me time to sit, meditate, reflect, and read. The reading I do in these times are substantial works of literature and philosophy as well as science, social science, and world religions, not social media posts.

In addition to turning off notifications, and transforming my phone into a paperweight, I also do not allow social media in rudely intrude in my life throughout the day. I don't even have these social media apps on my phone. There was a time, evident by my Twitter account, that I spent a great deal of time using it. Facebook as well. But I have arrived at a point in life where I refuse to allow social media to intrude in my thoughts and life unless I want to read it. I have turned off all notifications of these too.  I have rid myself of the rude, boisterous call social media makes throughout the day reminding me that something in it needs my attention, when it really doesn't need my attention. This is another world of possibility, a world of freedom, that exists beyond technology too.

Instead of listening to the tech company marketing and the educational tech evangelists who want us to center the lives of students around their products, perhaps it is time for educators to show kids glimpses of a world that exists beyond the technology, where they can find time for themselves, uninterrupted by the intrusions of vibrating, beeping, and chirping devices.

Three Reasons to Avoid Motorola Droid Phones

In this post, I am going to be honest. I once promoted Droid 2 Phones, but I've lived to regret it. Almost a year ago, I purchased a Droid 2 phone. I've been happy with the Android operating systems and the apps I use, but I found using a Motorola Droid phone to be major disaster. It's so unreliable, I would not recommend it or any other Motorola product at this point.  Here's three reasons why I won't use a Motorola product again, especially a Droid.

Battery life is unpredictable. I knew going into using a Droid that battery life was an issue. In the reviews I read  over the Web, users everywhere talked about how to extend the life of a charge, and I tried everyone of them. Nothing seems to work. What I have found is that my Droid 2 phone will last an entire day one day, and then the next day it won't last an hour, and that is after charging it fully the night before. The battery life is entirely too unpredictable for a school administrator who must be able to use his cell phone at any time. There have been times I have only been at school an hour, only to find my phone dead. Motorola's Droid 2 has a way too unpredictable battery life for me.

Touch Screen often hangs up. This problem has to be one of the most aggravating issues yet. I will try to activate my phone by sliding the activate tab on the touch screen, and nothing happens. Or, I will try to exit an app and nothing happens. Too many times I am finding the Motorola Droid 2 screen unresponsive. I just hope I never have to use my cell phone to make an emergency call because my screen might be frozen.

Surprise phone crashes. This last problem is driving me crazy. On too many occasions to count, I have reached down to answer my ringing phone, but when I touch the screen, the phone crashes and reboots. Basically my phone crashes at those times when I need it most to work. I just hope that last call I got was not an emergency call.


The bottom line is this: My Motorola Droid 2 phone has become a much too unreliable product for me as a school administrator.  I've taken it to my Verizon dealer, and I basically had to tell them what I thought was wrong with it. I can honestly never tell when I might reach down to use it and the battery will be dead or screen frozen. I have downloaded the latest updates, and I have even taken my phone in for service, and no one has answers. At this point I will be switching to another product when my contract runs out in three months. I would welcome any suggestions any of you might have for smart phone products. If your district is looking at a new smartphone product, you might want to look elsewhere.