I really never thought I would use Twitter, and I have to admit that I'm pretty skeptical.
The irony of the timing here is simply wonderful though: before working on this week's homework for my grad class, I was actually revising an American history unit on the transcendentalist movement in the U.S.
I read "Why I Went to the Woods" (a chapter from Thoreau's Walden) and then proceeded to set up a Twitter account.
Can transcendentalist beliefs coexist in the age of Twitter?
I really believe in a lot of Thoreau's main arguments in Walden. I even have an assignment where I ask my kids to try to modify their lives for a weekend and live more like Thoreau. This past fall, most kids decided to try to live without their cell phones and avoid Facebook. We spent a lot of time discussing/debating what Thoreau and Emerson would have thought about things like Facebook status updates and Twitter. All the students pretty much came to the same conclusion that I did: he'd think we were wasting our time and not really enjoying life.
Thoreau spends a lot of time making the case that we should abandon all things that are trivial. For those unfamiliar with his works, he even urges people to stop reading the newspaper. His rationale is that if you've read about one murder or one war, you don't need to read about another: you get the concept. If the news is happening far away and won't impact you, why bother reading it? Likewise, why read celebrity gossip? It doesn't affect you!
I'm left wondering about how to teach this unit. What if I really embrace Twitter, a tool that seems to go against everything the transcendentalists stood for and would stand for today? Will that mean I can't make the case to my students to embrace his ideas?
I suppose only time will tell. Perhaps I'll discover very profound tweets and the two will mesh perfectly!
The same idea crossed my mind today, too! I've been working on homework for this class most of the day and playing games on my new ipad, and was thinking how I've missed the beautiful day outside. Do we need to be educated in technology to be successful in today's world? The Amish seem to be surviving fine, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure if you've heard of Old World Wisconsin, but it's a historical museum with many buildings, farms, gardens and woods. I worked there for a summer during college and there is a strict dress code because everything has to be historically appropriate. I would knit, cook, chop wood, pick berries and visit the animals while waiting for visitors to arrive. I would carry my lunch basket into the middle of the woods every day to eat. (I also read but made sure to hide my book if anyone came by!) I felt really peaceful and started to notice minute changes in nature over time. I think it's good to stay current with what's happening in the world, and technology can be enriching if we balance it out with face to face relationships and appreciate the simple, important things in life. I hope that the next generation can take a walk and look around themselves without being bored or craving some sort of device.
ReplyDeleteI also never thought I would "tweet". Facebook updates are enough for me!! I've been resisting a lot of things - no smartphone, I don't own a laptop, etc. But I would consider myself more technologically savvy than most of my colleagues. I agree with Sara...there has to be a balance. TV Turnoff Week is coming soon and magazines are full of suggestions for how to get kids away from "screens" and enjoying nature again. Perhaps we adults should take those lessons too. I don't own a digital reader - I like curling up with a book and turning pages. I like being separate from my technology at times.
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