The Future Of Our Literature

The days of the printed word may be numbered. As technology has expanded, so has our ability to obtain information. The television, internet, and now our telephones provide us with oceans of digital content. After reading Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, I am amazed at some of the similarities between the future world he describes and our present time. It's hard to deny that many of us have become slaves to the television and the internet. We relate to fictional families on our sitcoms and are bombarded with meaningless information on the web. The difference is that many of us are still able to sift through the junk and find worthwhile content that pushes our critical thinking abilities. Parents can teach their children to become critical viewers that are able to find education in every form of media. So in my opinion, technology is not harming us the way Mr. Bradbury had envisioned. We are embracing new ways to receive information, and integrating our classic literature.

As I had already mentioned, my fear was that the book may be an endangered species. With many books being available in digital form, people are placing their entire library on single devices called eReaders. The Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook are just two of the most popular eReaders on the market today. They not only allow you to store an incredible amount of literature, but they also provide internet access for the user to obtain even more content. A Harris Interactive Poll shows that the number of eReader owners is growing, and these users are more likely to buy and read books. My concern with these e-books is that they now become easier to censor. A digital copy can be easily modified and they may force you to replace your old copy with the new one. It's also possible for you to lose your right to the e-book, and your access to it will be taken away. If you own a physical copy of a novel, you would never have to worry about this. Many people also feel that reading the physical copy of a book is much more enjoyable than reading it on a computer screen. As the popularity of digital content increases, people may grow more comfortable using eReaders. As long as we continue to promote reading to our children, it won't matter how the content is being delivered.

The idea that the government would ever burn books for the good of our country sounds improbable. There have been many times in our history where books were burned to control people's religious and political views, I just don't see our country allowing this to happen on a large scale. What bothers me isn't the fact that books are being burned in our country; it's that they are becoming completely banned from our schools and libraries. As with any form of entertainment, there will be material that is inappropriate for certain people. Parents and teachers should be held responsible for what students are reading, but I don't think books should be completely removed. What may be offensive and inappropriate content to one parent may not be to another. It's not fair that every child should miss out on important pieces of literature due to minor language or a sexual situation. There is a positive effect that comes from the banning of these books. Controversy increases demand, and each book becomes more popular. Many of these stories are then adapted for television or the movies. There is also a yearly celebration called Banned Books Week. Since 1982 they have promoted our freedom to read and taught people the dangers of censorship. I have found various lists of books that are currently banned, and I'm saddened to see that many of them were required reading when I was in school. They were never seen as harmful, and many of them had important lessons to teach. I know it will be a continuing battle to protect these books, but I am completely certain that our future will never compare to the insanity found in Fahrenheit 451.

Little Thinkers

 

Everyone should agree that the education of our children is extremely important. The success of our job force and economy depends on the skills instilled in our youth. There have been many ideas on how to properly educate our children, and to this day we are constantly adapting our school's curriculum. So as our methods change, is it important for us to teach our children reasoning skills at an elementary school level? I personally believe that developing a child's critical thinking skills is not only important in their early school years, but should begin before they ever step foot in a classroom. The ability to think through a problem to find a suitable solution is an important skill in every part of our lives. You will be faced with issues at work, home, and other social settings. If a child is not prepared for this reality, they will surely have problems in the future. 

In school we were taught that the basic foundation of education is the three Rs: Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. While these areas are no doubt important, proper thinking skills must be applied to each of them. This is why some people have come to believe that the three Rs idea should now include the fourth R, Reasoning. A group called The Philosophy Shop has started a campaign to promote this idea. Their goal is to bring philosophy to schoolchildren at the primary school level. I really hope that this idea catches on, it could change one area of arithmetic that I've always had a problem with. An article about traditional math instruction reminded me of how I learned most of my math skills. In elementary school I was taught how to solve basic math problems, but most of the time I was relying on memory. I was constantly drilled on my memorization of multiplication times tables. People will argue that this method of teaching is necessary for younger children who have trouble recalling mathematical rules. This may be true, but if a child never learns the reasoning behind a problem, they will most likely have issues with more advanced math classes. I think that it's necessary for a teacher to work with the children based on their level of reasoning. Learning even the most basic thinking skills will build a foundation for the child to grow on.

When looking in to this subject, I could not imagine that anyone would argue against teaching our children to use reasoning skills. What I learned was that people don't have an issue with teaching these skills to our children, only with how it's implemented. I found an article that asked if we should teach philosophy in our public schools. This was a problem for some people who believed that philosophical issues were too advanced for young minds. What everyone needs to understand is that learning basic philosophical thinking skills at a young age prepares you for the more complex issues that come later in life. It's like teaching a teenager to drive; you don't just hand them the keys and let them go. It takes instruction and a lot of practice to learn the necessary skills. The other argument was that teaching philosophy was impractical. Philosophy can be seen as a waste of time because it can't be directly used as a job skill. It's true that learning how to operate a computer would be much more beneficial to the job market, but you would still need to use critical thinking in the field. It is understood, however, that philosophy would never replace traditional skills training; it would be a supplement to them. Philosophy for Children, or P4C, is a movement to promote the teaching of reasoning skills in our schools. People are beginning to disagree with Jean Piaget's belief that children don't use critical thinking until age 11 or 12. Current experience with child education has furthered the belief that earlier instruction in thinking skills will be useful in every subject that a child learns. With critical thinking being an important part of a college education, it will be necessary to master these skills before leaving high school.

So I hope that everyone can agree that reasoning skills should be taught in primary school. I would be interested to hear any arguments that someone would have, but I can't imagine anyone being against the idea. I also hope that the "one right answer" method of teaching is reduced, and more open ended questions are used to promote reasoning skills. Let's take advantage of the wonderful brain power that our children possess.

The importance of video games in our society

I am what many people would call a "gamer". I often tell people that I was born with an Atari controller in my hands. Video games have evolved from just a simple form of entertainment, to one of the biggest industries in the world. I personally feel that video games are one of the most important forms of technology in existence today.

The days of the arcade are gone, and now just about every household has at least one video game system. In the past video games were aimed at certain audiences, and now even your grandparents can be found playing games on their Nintendo Wii. Many people would argue that games have a negative effect on our children, but the same could be said about many of the television programs shown as well. I've always felt that it's the responsibility of the parent to monitor the content that their children are exposed to, and since the establishment of the ESRB, this has been made very easy. What we have to remember is that video games have a variety of applications. Educational games, often called "edutainment", allow children a more interactive way to learn. From my experience, people retain more information if they find a way to enjoy what they are learning. Video games have also been used to train the military, and a form of on-the-job video gaming has been adopted by large companies as well.

The creation of video games can also be considered an art form. As technology has increased, the ability to program complex games has become easier. People are able express their creativity without having to rely on the large amounts of money that major game studios receive. Even consumers have the ability to create their own experiences in games like LittleBigPlanet. This amazing game allows the player to create their own levels and share them with the world. This is just one of many recent games that are embracing the popularity of user-generated content

Video games have also had a large impact on pop culture. Even if you've never played video games, you could easily recognize characters like Mario or Pac-Man. Other games like Halo and World of Warcraft are commonly seen in television advertisements and even the news. These two games have formed incredible followings, and are popular for being online. They allow a person to make hundreds of friends with people they may never actually meet. This has created concern for some people who believe that it promotes laziness and seclusion. Though it's true that some people may become too involved with their online persona, many people are able to carry on normal lives with minimal impact to their social well-being.

As the video game industry evolves, more and more people will make it a primary form of entertainment. My generation will ensure that people continue to play, and the world will become a happier place.

My first Blog

While I've been addicted to the Internet for about 16 years now, I have never once considered starting a blog. I may have a Facebook account, but I am very reluctant to share my personal thoughts or feelings. I hope that this class will help me open up just a little more. Maybe I will  become a more social person by the end.