Reading Response #3

Reading Response #3

In the video "Digital Nation" by Douglas Rushkoff and Rachel Dretzin say how our addiction to the internet is not only affecting kids, but all of us are emersed in technology all the time. Douglas argues "I kind of want to push the pause button and everything stops and we could look and say, just whats going on here." From multi tasking, to game addictions, military centers, relationships and virtual worlds are topics that get covered in this video. In multi-tasking scientist and researchers ask themselves if multi-tasking could actually be dumbing down the world. The MIT students are the worlds smartest and most wired students. In the MIT their are students who multi-task as 5-6 things at a time. Clifford Nass obtained a group of students from the MIT who multi-task more than 4 things at once, in order to do a variety of tests. Nass was testing on how students can switch from tasks without losing their focus. Nass claims "Students think that they are brilliant in multi-tasking and it turns out that they are terrible." In South korea their are many young kids who are addicted to video games. They believe that internet addiction has become a health crisis. The game addiction has gone way over hand. Th Korean Government had to even establish free Internet Rescue Schools throught the country. These treatment camps are two weeks long and are for kids to mainly recapture a lost childhood from the computers. As, in other places teaching with internet and technology keeps students engaged in school. It is actually showing improvemts in test scores, grades and less fights. But Mark Baverlein argues that our writng today is worst than a decade ago. That its mainly about how distractions are distracting us while we are writing. Millions of other people are inhibiting the net as if it were a real place, satisfying the urge to connect to others in online games, and virtual worlds. Many of these people argue that people who do not play don't get connected in the connections in relationships, and in friendships. How virtual worlds offer humans the chance to go and do something all together new. Philip Rosedale says "its a totally new reality for humans and technology is bringing us back together." IBM talk about how virtual worlds are recaptuaring the human connection lost in a culture of video games and phone calls. Technology is not olny with people and businesses is also in the US Military. They use the internet for troops to be treated with virtual reality therapy. Not only therapy but also in game centers created by the army. Where kids can go in an have an experience of the army duty. It is said that technology opens up new frontiers.

My personal experience have been significally affected by technology. I like to go into facebook and myspace to chat with other people. But sometimes its difficult when you do things at the same time. I like to check messages when I am wtaching t.v. and doing reading. Because I actually get involve with what im actually trying to find. I think that with out internet or technology my life would be missing a part of it. Because you are so use to being involved with so many things and using the internet when ever you need it that it would be hard to leave it behind. I am actually addicted with the internet because when ever i dont get into facebook or myspace I want to look at it so bad. For me its a problem to do many things at the same time because if im talking to someone ealse and im chatting or listening to music I dont pay attention to what they are actually saying, im just nodding my head and agreeing. "We need to have the internet on in order to talk to friends because everyone uses it," said a student in MIT in the video. I agree in part of it and half of it dont because. I use the internet to communicate with my family from california, friends and old teachers. I disagree with the fact of using it to communicate, when everyone is actually doing it that way. Because you are not suppose to use it just beacuse everyone does it.