This comment was recently posted in response to my entry discussing text messaging (YGTBKM, September 4, 2008).
" I think you should learn to text yourself then you'll see it's just another means of communicating. Kids haven't stopped talking since the computer and e-mail arrived. My 20 year old son texts pretty consistently during the day and night but he still talks, too. No worries, Dad. Texting is just another communication skill."
I'm afraid my point was missed. I am not worried that texting spells the end of verbal communication, nor do I fall in the category of someone who does not know how to text. My fear is not of the unknown as much as the fear of red flags I see flying over the access bars. Interesting enough, a colleague and mother of three teens brought up this same area of concern in an after school conversation Friday. Her observation was that her girls preferred texting over phoning. I wonder why. Yet another reference was made to texting recently when a former student of mine was visiting. He shared how much of his time in college is spent texting. I wonder how this impacts his social life.
If I chose texting as a personal inquiry topic, I will focus in on how it is used, what is said, and why it is preferred by some teens. It would be fascinating to study archived texts from a variety of young people. It would be equally interesting for me to conduct interviews and surveys of young people about their own thoughts on texting. I imagine someone on the web is studying this topic and posting thoughts.
In my view, texting is much different than 'just another communication skill.' It is a new type of communication that is impacting how many people occupy their time and thoughts. The ancient Buddist notion of being fully present (right here, right now) shrivels under the weight of many modern conveniences, but texting seems to be like a wooden stake. I find friends who text are rarely fully present when I am with them. I find texting alters time, interactions, and relationships.
Perhaps the most poignant personal example I can offer occurred this summer on our family vacation. With another family -- we have seven kids between us and have shared vacations for over twenty years -- we spent ten pleasant, unscheduled days, camping, exploring, hiking, and floating down lazy rivers in Central Ohio. On our last night together, we built our traditional campfire and gathered around it as the sun set. We all love the final night of our trip. It becomes a time of reflection and is filled with laughter as we shared favorite memories of the trip. There is always something special about gathering around a campfire on a dark night.
Just a moment before we began, my daughter decided to check her text messages before she turned off her phone for the night. It was a that moment that she discovered a sobering text. A former teacher of mine and long-time friend had been found dead in her classroom. As you can imagine, I was no longer fully present that evening. That text brought the joys of our family trip to an end. (I will say the text caused me to look to the sky and see one of the most beautiful shooting stars I have ever seen.)
Text messaging is an interesting phenomenon. I don't abhore it or salute it. I believe it is impacting communication in ways that I have not seen before. I don't understand its popularity. That is why I think it would be an excellent pick for this project as I begin to move into the Webbing level of inquiry.
Let’s Look At Europe! Collaborative Project.
15 years ago
2 comments:
Joe--
I too am really appreciating Kuhlthau. I don't have the book and have been accessing her ISP online, but your reference to the cover caused me to look for it.
I appreciate your commentary on txting. I have a cell phone, but have disabled txting as I believe it would likely detract from my ability to remain present. I find the internet pulls me away from the real world enough as it is--as can my cell phone. New technologies are not always the answer to making lives better!
I think I have rambled enough. I must also agree though that this class and deciding on a project that is meaningful, but also doable really does open my eyes as well and reminds me to look at the perspectives of others, especially students & how they react to open ended requirements.
Joe,
Let me tell you about my experience with texting. I had left my friend, Lisa (12 or so years younger than me in her mid thirties, so more techy), a voice message on her cell phone. She's kind of a night owl so was listening to it at 2:30 in the morning. Even though she knows my husband and I are night owls as well, she was afraid to call as late as 2:30 in the morning (not warranted since we were up steam cleaning carpet), so she sent a text message to my cell phone. When she came over the next day, she asked me if I got it. I said my cell phone didn't have text messaging and, even if it did, I don't know how to use it. She finished eating her lunch before I did, so she asked to see my cell phone. Sure enough, it had text messaging. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to use it just like I finally, after about 7 years of cell phone use, figured out how to retrieve the messages people left on my cell phone and use the phone book feature to store phone numbers. Sadly, that has been the extent of my text-messaging interest until Lisa and I ate lunch together last week. Now, I'm kind of interested in she and I starting some text messaging to stay in touch more often. So, I'm looking forward to what you find out!
However, I hope I never get like those annoying people you talk about who are not present. Cell phones in general have been getting on the last nerve of my husband and me for some time now. We see people talking on them constantly while driving, and what we wish is that they'd pay attention to their bad driving. There's this one teacher I work with who almost never gets off the cell phone (believe it or not even at work!). She lives close to the school and usually walks. Sure enough, every morning when my husband was taking me to work (before my sabbatical leave), she was on the cell phone already not even a block from her house. She walks up and down the halls of the school talking on her cell phone. Right now she's the librarian in our school. One day I took my kids over for open circulation. She was on the cell phone arguing with her boyfriend the entire time we were in the library! I see her standing outside her house on the cell phone all the time. I see her driving while on the cell phone all the time. If you try to have an important conversation with her, she has to stop and answer her cell phone a number of times until I just want to give up! I think cell phones are great if appropriately used; however, just like call waiting, I think they can instigate some of the rudest behavior I've ever seen!
And don't even get me started on the cell phones I've taken away from my texting, game-playing students during class time! They're so easy to hide!
In the end I guess I can come to the conclusion that I have mixed feelings about texting. I would love to use it to communicate regularly with my friend, Lisa, butI don't want to get addicted to it and miss all the wonderful, important things I'd miss by not being present.
Thanks for following my blog, too!
Sandy
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