Blog Post Assignment #13

Engage in an E-Media Fast

Okay so E-media fasting is not for me! I have attempted several times to go without anything electronic and all attempts = FAIL. It is extremely hard to fast from electronic media when your day-to-day life “depends” on it. You do not realize how many electronic devices you use throughout the day, until you try to go without them, starting with an alarm clock! During the weekdays, my cell phone is necessary! We do not have a landline; we did away with it about six years ago. I use my cell phone for all means of communication, texting, emailing, tweeting, facebook, etc. I have children so my cell phone is a must! I receive text notifications from my daughter’s school along with emails from her teacher. This is how I stay updated on the many different things going on at her school and in her class. I also use this to communicate with our neighbors when my children are out about in the neighborhood playing.  I can usually go without my cell phone and laptop on the weekends as long as my husband is with me and I have completed all my class assignments. 

Sundays are usually the days I try to step away from my laptop and cell phone and spend time with the family. We usually visit my husband’s grandparents on Sundays after church. I can usually go without my cell phone all day, but this Sunday I received a text message first thing from my pastor’s wife because the person scheduled to teach in children’s church was sick and not going to be there. So, I sent her a text message back to let her know I would fill in. First attempt =FAIL, used cell phone to text.  I had good intentions on just spending the rest of the day without the use of anything electronic and thought about how peaceful it would be. I was able to get some walking done and I did finish reading a book I originally started back in February. However, as the afternoon crept by, I soon found myself getting extremely bored. My husband and son decided to take a three hour nap and my daughter decided to go over to a friend’s house to play and there I was without nothing to do and no one to talk to.  I’m sure I could have done some cleaning around the house or tended to some laundry but I couldn’t resist the temptation of jumping on the laptop to check my email.  Second attempt =FAILED! I needed something to entertain me!

 I’m not sure how anyone else did with his or her fast but I know that for me it was extremely hard to “power down” for the day. With that being said, I know that I must find ways to keep my students engaged and “entertained” at all times if I want to keep their interest and educate them in a way they are use to. Majority of students today are use to having lots of brain interaction with different types of electronic media. They are fast paced and technology driven. So asking them to come into a classroom where pencil and paper are the only tools used for learning is like asking them to put their minds in sleep mode. “Sit still and be quiet”, I can’t even do that! We have to find ways to keep students engage at all times. Get them up and moving, investigating, exploring, testing, problem solving, collaboration, teamwork. As teachers, we try to build on prior knowledge or what students already know and do, using electronic media and technology is just another way to do this. USE WHAT THEY KNOW!