One of the first phrases out of Lisa Rigoni Reeves' mouth when we sat down to chat with her was, roughly, "I'm not afraid of technology, and you shouldn't be either."
This phrase, so early on in our course, seemed to ring in my ears. Of course, being from a generation where "technology," as it is more often than not defined right now, has been around and we are considered natives creates a different mindset. I would never think of telling someone my age or younger to not be afraid of technology. That seems like an antithesis to what we have been raised to believe - you wouldn't be afraid of the puppy that has grown up alongside you. But still, this quick little phrase that Lisa spoke seemed to be a very strong point she was making. I just sat and thought about why that might be, which was quite interesting.
I would guess that the average age in our class was around 25 or 26, only because of the few outlying ages in such a small sample, but for the most part all of us were in our very early 20s. It might be wrong of me to assume that we all come from a strong background in using computers in school and home to help us with our work. I remember in second grade using the Encarta Encyclopedia program on our computer, which required the disc to be in the disc drive to browse. I used that program to search for the definitions to my Word of the Days. This was such a cool thing for a second grader to be doing, I got to use the computer and be hands on with an encyclopedia and I was learning! Even my brother, Alex, who is two years older, could use this and has since as early as his 4th grade year. To have this kind of technology at home, being able to eliminate the paper of an encyclopedia set as well as the price tag that goes along with it, was something I just may have taken for granted. Thinking in a lens of others in our class, not having home access to computers until being out of high school, leads me to wonder just how intimidating is this technology? When that concept could fully gel in my mind, it becomes much easier to see where Lisa was coming from in saying to not be afraid, to take things head on and not worry about making a mistake or breaking something.
The main idea of Malcom Gladwell's book, Blink, is the power of snap judgments and how unwilling we are to move from that initial judgment. When we encounter a new situation, we uncontrollably make assumptions - whether they be good or bad. However, our mind is not so willing to make a change to these first-glance decisions and judgments. Because of this, there may be a hostility that older generations might show towards technology and the implementation of it in the always-changing society they live in. Is this the same idea that Lisa eluded to in saying she wasn't afraid? Does having this snap-judgment change our willingness to adapt to society?
Having a mindset that you are unwilling to bend or break can be one of the most dangerous things in life. ZeFrank, a premiere video-blogger albeit quirky, conceptualizes what Lisa was talking about and calls it "Busting the Cycle". According to Ze, busting your cycle is where you "take one aspect of your life that's more or less constant and you purposely bust it. By temporarily breaking a routine, you can often experience the world in a very different way." When we apply this idea of busting the cycle of being weary of technological advances we can see that taking the chance, and surrounding ourselves in what we aren't comfortable with, we can have a new experience that we may find enjoyable. Ze also says that, "If you bust the right cycle, this shift in perspective can often lead to elation and a sense of possibility." This elation from a new perspective, I can say firsthand, is a fantastic feeling. I would imagine that Lisa has felt a similar change in perspective from when she first encountered technology and her current state of being in charge of UMD's Knowledge Management Center and pioneer for the GradPlanner system.
Not being afraid to new technology is something I think is undeniably important for myself, as both a teacher and member of this globalized world. Being able to understand that there will always be a stepping stone to a greater and bigger picture is a value that I hope employers see in me and feel is a great strength I can bring to the table in their facility.
So when my children are sitting in the position I am now, what will they be natives in? What will I be be afraid to adapt to, or what will I embrace without fear as Lisa does technology? Only time can tell, and I am looking forward to what it brings.
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