Technology Woes...

There is no doubting that many advantages in technology have greatly benefited society. However, there many times when I stop and think "why do we need that?" or "why can't I just do something like I used to?" Here are a few things that technology has brought that I could really do without...

Teenagers having cell phones:
Seriously. What does a 12 year old need to have their own cell phone with unlimited texting and talking minutes. They don't have that much to say. I have even seen parents try to limit their teenager to 300 texts a month...HA! That changed when said teenager rang up a 1500 dollar cell phone bill due to texting...yep, you read that right 1500!!!! I see no problem with having a "family traveler phone" which would go with the teen on road trips or other events where they would need to call home for a ride. With the rate cell phones are going by the time I have kids they will be asking for their own cell phone at age 5. My poor kids...they will be deprived.

Videos instead of articles on the Internet:
I am an Internet surfer. I enjoy reading random things that pop up on MSN or Yahoo or whatever else seems to spark my interest. But, I want to read the articles...not watch it. Seems like everything now has a "click to play." Annoying.

Texting/MSN Talk:
As a teacher I forbid it in my classroom. You know, that new spelling in order to shorten all the words for texting...i teach 8 g8trs n skewl but luv my wknds. This absolutely drives me crazy. How hard is it to type out the entire word.

VHS then DVD then Blue-Ray then Plasma then Hi-Def now 3D:
I don't ever want to buy a brand new tv or DVD player again! Why spend the HUGE amount of money on something that is going to need to be replaced as soon as the newest "bigger and better" version comes out. As soon as we get a Blue-ray player (for which most movies are more expensive...most) there will be some "purple-ray" player that we will need to upgrade.

Facebook:
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy connecting with friends on facebook and seeing what everyone "posts" each day. However I do think it is human nature to not know when "enough is enough." I don't want to see half naked pictures of you, I don't want to see pictures of the car accident a student was in, I don't want to have to worry about who might say something or post a picture that I don't like. There is freedom of speech and expression, but lets learn to sensor ourselves!

Technology is great in many ways. It has helped make me a better teacher, stay in touch with family and friends, and even helped Ethan and I in the beginning stages of our relationship...but sometimes I wish I could go back to "the old days."