Reading Alverman this morning set my head spinning. Admittedly I had made the coffee a little stronger than usual so perhaps there was a biochemical component involved... but let's face it, to a digital imigrant, all of this information is mind-boggling. Not only do I have to learn new technologies (in particular, the Mac platform and multimedia applications in iLife) but I also have to market my own curriculum and compete with the entire flat world for student attention! Am I the only one who feels like there is an elephant standing on my chest?
Forgive my "imigrant accent" but somewhere along the line, doesn't someone also have to teach students to be able to focus their attention on something that isn't strictly for their entertainment? Prospective employers will not market for student attention, they simply expect it. Students are coming into interviews in camophlage (still not the accepted norm) and loosing out on jobs they may otherwise be qualified for. We still have to "put on the face" Dr. Stearns referenced in our first lecture. We still have to learn how to interface ... well, face to face. And be entertained. We need both technology and human interface.
With the hours of time I've spent online the past 2 weeks I can certainly see the economics of attention in my own life. Forgive me, digital father, for I have sinned... I have desired to unplug all of these young minds, clear their caches, power down and learn to focus on one present moment, being blissfully ignorant of the vast plethora of data. I like Richard Lanham's description of information in the new "information economy"... "WE ARE DROWNING IN IT." This is going to be my quote of the week.
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