Comments Regarding Video-"Did You Know?"

I watch very little television and even though I own a Wii, I rarely play it. My main draws to technology are email and FaceBook---purely to keep up with college, high school, and personal and professional friends. As I began to watch the first video entitled "Did You Know?", my failing eyesight and tired gray matter pointed to my age. I had to restart the video three or four times, because I couldn't read and process the screens, as quickly as they transitioned onto the monitor. I might catch the first couple of words that flashed up, but couldn't focus long enough, to process the ideas that popped up, on screen. I think that my mind isn't trained to respond and process such quick, visual bits of information...perhaps gaming would improve that skill/talent....or perhaps I'll just have to become extremely familiar with the pause-video button, for future viewings.



Once I got over the initial embarrassment that I couldn't keep up, I relaxed and decided to watch the video all the way through, twice, before writing anything, in my notes. The first time I watched it, I watched it for the artistic elements and sensory appeal. The second time, I watched it for content of the script. Here are a few things that caught my attention:

The opening graphic of the silhouette of the businessman, made out of zero and one combinations, was a clear testimony to the "digital citizen". I thought that was clever.



As I watched the digital landscape unfold, my mind made the connection between my childhood memories of the gray and rocky landscapes of the first lunar landings. Thoughts included : "...wow, that looks so foreign..." and "...I just don't feel like I know ANYTHING, anymore..." The whole concept of traveling to the moon way back then, absolutely filled my mind with curiosity and about possibilities. Today, I think I'm equally inquisitive about where technology may take us, next. As a 47 year old educator, there are just as many unknowns to me; as there were when I was a preteen, sitting in front of our black and white television....only now, I view my world's next frontier, in high definition on a 24-inch flat screen monitor.



Portions of the video content impacted me through shock, humor and disbelief. For instance, around the 25-second mark on the video, a number with a bunch of zeroes popped up. I had to pause the video just to get my mind around the concept of the existence of 1 Trillion web pages. That was an awful lot of zeroes in that number. I had barely gotten past that thought, when the statistic regarding how many bathrooms have a television in them....oh for heaven's sake! That's just comical...no, on second thought, it's sad, when you consider that even our most private moments in the course of a day, are cluttered with noise from the airwaves. Truly, what is SOOOOO important that it couldn't wait until we finish our shower, brushing our teeth, etc. Puh-leez!



When I saw the statistics relating to texting and that a typical teen sends 2200+ texts per month, I was stunned. I have a 13 year old and we decided not to give her a cell phone, television in her room, or unsupervised access to extended cable television, until we feel she is mature enough to set healthy boundaries regarding these intrusive technologies. If children are getting and sending this many notifications through handheld devices, when are they sleeping? Research shows that teens NEED tons of sleep, due to the developmental needs of their bodies. I can't imagine that they are cutting their phones/blackberries/etc. off at night, so when do they reach uninterrupted REM sleep patterns? When are they making time for "downtime"? How many moments are interrupted at the dinner table, because people are "that connected"?



I guess, this video brought this question to the forefront of my thoughts:

What are we sacrificing, in order to be "in touch" 24/7? Hmmmmmm?



Many things are considered "good"...... but not all things are appropriate, at all times.............everything in moderation!