Non-Netbook Expectations

As humorous as it may be, and a point well taken, Joe’s Non-Netbook YouTube video clearly displays the expectations of many of today’s students. And although I was humored by Joe’s approach to making his point, I don’t believe that Joe understands that we have not fully reached the point in which we are 100% technology driven in society. Because of this fact, there is still a need to be able to utilize an actual book. On the other hand, I have to give him credit as he created a very unique presentation, utilizing technology, to communicate his point. That in itself deserves credit as he was thinking above and beyond what a sheet of paper and pencil would have created.

Although most of us, myself included, would have a hard time envisioning what it would be like to not have access to a text book, Joe’s video clearly demonstrated how the learning styles of today’s generation have changed. Even from a “real-world” perspective technology has greatly changed many, professions; even professions that some may consider “simple”. For example, my husband is a crop farmer. With all of the advancements in GPS technology, our crops are planted, maintained and harvested in a far more efficient manner than they were 5 years ago, let alone 25 years ago. Features such as AutoSteer (the tractor literally drives itself!) allows for crops to be planted in straight rows to maximize ground coverage; grid-sampling maps out a given field and then indicates the areas that need more/less fertilizer, and AutoBoom will map out the areas that have already been sprayed and shut off any spray nozzles that overlap an already sprayed area to help reduce costs. All of these advancements have assisted the gain in crop production.

Because I live in a rural community, I usually have a sizeable handful of students that work on or live on a farm. Because of this, we often get into the discussion regarding the importance of learning the topics that are covered in high school. Some of the students will tell me they do not need to learn the given topic as they will never use it on the farm. However, with technology affecting everything we do on a daily basis, these students could not be more incorrect. The previous farming example is just one instance of this and I find it entertaining and interesting to see the “light turn on” when they realize the impact (construction is another highly discussed field).