I was rather intrigued by Will Richardson's definition of the verb -to blog-, especially in light of my recent admission as to how distracted I become on the Internet. The definition reads:
"The blogging recipe requires reading first, then thinking, then writing and linking, then publishing, and then reading some more" (My own emphasis on "then thinking").
I realize it's the thinking part I miss out on, and I can assume that students do as well. Certainly, I am a believer in writing to learn what you think, and I do that often. I advocate that in class with in-class writings to focus students on a specific aspect of what they read that they might be able to think more critically about. But I realized last night when we looked at this definition in class that I am overwhelmed by the Internet because I feel the need to continue reading in order to get through all the information I find so appealing. Because I keep bouncing around and reading, I rarely let myself just... think. I don't think until I sit down to write, and though this is not necessarily a bad thing, I can see how it makes me feel overwhelmed because I haven't had a chance to put together everything I've read. In turn I am overwhelmed because I haven't truly formed a thought but feel pressure to get something on the page.
Imagine students who are as immersed (if not more) in the modern technologies that keep us constantly connected. Do they ever give themselves the chance to just think? Today, on my drive in, I listened to music instead of talk radio, and viola, this blog post came to mind. I'm a huge music lover, but I've noticed since I've been a grad student, I listen to talk radio more. Maybe I am trying to feel smart, maybe my taste is changing (thought I doubt it), maybe I just feel like it's what I should be listening to to be informed. But today, reverting back to just letting the music overtake me, I realized I was thinking. I wasn't planning, or worrying, or obsessing... I was thinking.
Above all, I hope to offer my students a small reprieve in my classroom where they have a chance to just think. This is not to say that I don't want to incorporate technology. I agree with Morgan when she says that students must be taught how to manage and synthesize the information that comes at them (as do I), and I think a writing class is a perfect place to do that. But I also think there is value in being "unplugged" for a bit so that you can process all the stimulation that has come your way.
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Thank you so much for highlighting that part of the Richardson quote and for your comment. I absolutely agree that when I get on the Web I seem to put myself in overdrive. With my RSS, for example...Of course, too often I wait until the number of items is intimidating, but I tend to pull up a feed and see how fast I can race through it.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have tried is to open up a text document and compose entries there. I actually do this when my foolish Internet is acting up and cutting out (like this morning), but I think it may give me some space to allow for more thought and more careful writing.
One thing I do wonder about is how our students needs and expectations will be different from our own. Your entry suggests that maybe we think differently (or less, or not at all) when we are on the Web. I wonder if our students' relationship with technology changes what for them will be the nature of thinking.
There's this concept of the Internet as rhizome--a network of stems and shoots--and I just wonder if a kind of thinking will evolve (or is evolving) where the activity of thought is out there, distributed on the Web. Will it be possible for our students to feel there brain is part of some bigger brain and it's all happening out there?