Doug Johnson

Technology Dinosaurs
Head for the Edge, Library Media Connection, September 2005

My dad never bought an answering machine - nor would he use mine when he reached it. When I teased him about this strange aversion, he would grumble, “When I want to talk to a machine, I’ll go to the garage and visit with my lawn mower.”  

“What a dinosaur,“ I thought.

So now it’s a surprise to look in the mirror and see another technology dinosaur looking back – me! A short list of the technologies to which I am now as adverse as my dad was to the answering machine includes:

• Instant messaging/Chat. IM has all the limitations of e-mail and none of the freedom to respond as time permits. I’ve used chat as a “guest” expert in online classes and find that I suffer from either premature or delayed articulation.  Wherever the conversation is, I’m somewhere else.
• Digital music players. Music is fine in its place, but so is silence.  Don’t get me started on “podcasting.” If I want news, I’ll listen to NPR.
• Cell phones. OK, I admit I own one. It has thirty minutes a month call time and rides around in the pickup. I pridemyself that I have made those around me so confident of their problem-solving abilities that they need not contact me during meetings, while on vacation, or during a movie at the local bijou. And forget text messaging – do you how many times you have to press a number on the keypad to get the right letter?
• Blogs. The popularity of these shared “diaries” astounds me. When publicly commenting on professional matters, I find it challenging to find enough to say in a column a few times a year. I am far too slow a thinker to be “profound” on a daily basis. And why, for heaven’s sake, would anyone want to read my musings on anything to do with my personal life which ricochets from boring to embarrassing?

Perhaps what all these technologies have in common is that they are invasive. They simply cut into the time I would rather spend doing other things. Reading books and journals, enjoying a quiet walk, or concentrating on a task. Perhaps being a dinosaur isn’t a bad analogy. I’m a rather slow-witted creature who needs undistracted information processing time to make sense of the world. And all around me are these new young critters for whom information “now” is not quite soon enough.

Dad was a crop duster and using an answering machine never had much impact on his work. The farmers whose fields he sprayed didn’t like getting an answering machine any better than he did – and the corn borers certainly could not have cared less. But as an educator, the decisions I make, especially related to information technologies, do matter. And even if I personally don’t embrace blogging or text messaging, I need to have an understanding of both the technologies and my students who do.

An e-book I would highly recommend is EDUCAUSE’s Educating the Net Generation, edited by Diana and James Oblinger published March 2005. Sorry fellow diplodocuses, the file of the complete book is only available for free downloading at: <http://www.educause.edu/books/educatingthenetgen/5989>. If you’ve time for nothing else, read at least the first couple of chapters that describe the learning styles and preferences of the “Millennials” or “Net Gens” we are teaching today. The authors have synthesized many of the findings of researchers who look at how young folks are using technology and how that impacts their learning styles.

Understanding, accepting and respecting the differences between most of us who are of the Boomer generation and our current students is important. We know this generation values visual media, individualization, collaboration, socialization, and experiential learning. They appreciate the human element of education, but want information access 24/7.

How does this respect translate into library and technology services? The Net Genners will appreciate graphic novels, increased reference materials online accessible from anywhere, and a good library website.  They want physical libraries that encourage positive social interactions and collaborative learning. We need to encourage and co-teach constructivist lessons with our classroom teachers that allow kids to discover, rather than be simply told, information and conclusions.

I don’t think it is unrealistic for us as professionals to begin using some of the popular technology tools to provide library services. How about a library blog related to the latest books and resources? Can your students contact you with questions via e-mail or IM? Does your library offer wireless network access?

The Millennials have another nickname as well – the “Next Greatest Generation.” Our young people are different from us in many and often confusing ways, but they are also motivated, academically oriented and socially conscious. Let’s go at least halfway in meeting their needs by using their tools.

Evolve!