"Learning to Change" Reflection Questions

On the first day of class in computers/tech for education we watched a video about what kids have to say about technology.
http://www.schooltube.com/video/21838/Learning-to-Change-Changing-to-Learn--Kids-Tech

1) Name 5 reasons young people want to use technology.
- record music and make films
- talk to friends and family around the world
- play games/network
- learn/research
- creative outlet/photography/websites

2) Did you identify with any of the young people in the clip? Why?
I agreed with the girl who doesn't like when people use "u" rather than "you" when talking online or texting. Even though it is shorter, it really isn't as personable. I believe her exact words were: "I am a person. I am not a computer." I've used both forms of you when talking, especially when I couldn't type and text as quickly, but now that I've heard someone else's opinion on this I will stick to using "you".
I could also relate with the girl that said that her phone is like her third hand. Without hands there is a lot we wouldn't be able to do and without phones there is a lot we wouldn't be able to do.

3) Do you agree that having instant access to everything via the internet helps you to know yourself better? Why or why not?
I think that the internet allows me to know myself better by allowing easy access to guitar chords and music lyrics. I probably wouldn't be learning guitar if it wasn't for the internet. I am also a facebook user and found just the beginning steps of creating a profile to cause me to think about my interests and beliefs. I love the opportunity facebook allows to connect with others through pictures. I also like taking pictures that capture God's beauty and using photoshop to put my touch of creativity into them. For example, the internet allows me to find different backgrounds to edit people in to. While the internet has its advantages it also has its disadvantages. I think that it is important to find a balance in how much time we use the internet because there is also value in getting to know ourselves better through experiences and relationships away from the computer.

4) Do you agree that technology helps pave the way to move forward as a civilization? Why or why not?
The guy in the video that said that he believes that technology is moving our civilization forward had a point when he compared the experimentation with technology to the experimentation with medication in the past. Technology has only recently taken off and in the next fifty years it is only going to continue, so in that way there is no denying that it will move our civilization forward. However, it does make me think about the movie The God's Must be Crazy. In the movie, a African tribe finds a coke bottle that was dropped from a plane. The coke bottle was totally new technology to them! They found it to be useful for grinding up food and making music, but the problem was they all wanted it. They soon found that it could also be used for violence and caused tiffs in their tribe. Even today, not every one can afford technology. Some school districts can't even afford textbooks, let alone additional technology. So while technology is useful I still am left pondering where it will take our civilization....