Pick up a newspaper and look at the front page headlines. I challenge you to find a glimmer of hope amidst the black and white print. Oh, you're reading the "paper" online? Ok, well in that case I dare you to scroll up and down to find a gem of joy at some point on the screen. Good news is hard to come by. With so many depressing things happening all around us all the time, how are we supposed to stay afloat? How is humankind supposed to overcome the reality that crushes our spirt with every morning news cast?
Enter: Laughing Babies.
While certainly a mood elevator, the link is provided in jest. A clear cut panacea for global dismay is not something I am prepared to offer in the paragraphs to come. However, I do believe that the use of technology can help us remain optimistic in spirit and action.
Technology provides us with immediate access to information on a global scale. I do not believe that ignorance is bliss, and as technology enhances my learning by granting me access to any information I might need at any given time, it also provides me with an outlet to take immediate action on a global scale. Granted "action" from behind a computer screen is limited in certain ways. How can I feed a hungry family across the ocean from my desk? Well, I would argue that technology provides us convenience of action. If feeding a hungry person required of me a plane ticket, an investment in 2 weeks of travel, and figuring out logistics for the allocation of resources, I might be less inclined to follow through with a desire to help my global neighbors. However, with access to hundreds of websites I can more easily research my cause, and contact organized parties for specific ways I might be able to help from home. By helping to close pockets of ignorance the internet and technology at large create a sense of moral responsibility and course of action.
Furthermore, as my esteemed colleague, Megan Hart, points out, technology improves peoples' learning (and motivation to learn) by providing information through another context: images and videos let learners in on another level of understanding that sheer text cannot include. To run with the example of global hunger, perhaps seeing images or videos of those communities in need inspires us to act more quickly. Connecting to the universal human characteristics on a physical level might help us to form a bond with a stranger, and foster a sense of empathy within us. Of course this is not a complete analysis of our global situation, nor of the psychology of giving, but I do believe it offers a positive look at our situation. Plus, now you have the joy of Bob Marley singing to you in your head.
No comments:
Post a Comment