Prior to this course I had never been exposed to Google Reader . I had heard of RSS but never really played with it. As soon as week three was posted on our wiki, I immediatly checked it out and set up an account. I enjoyed being able to "forget" about my rather long list of bookmarks in multiple web browsers. Google reader changes the direction of information. Instead of going out to my different sources (HuffingtonPost, MSNBC, friend's blogs, NYTimes, and other web pages) updates now come to me.
I kind of like this idea on one level. It saves time, is more efficient and seems completely logical. The appearance is nothing fancy, but it doesn't really need to be. It's just a portal for reading new updates to websites/pages I frequent. It gets the job done and it gets it done well.
On another level, technological advances such as Google Reader have surely contributed to the decline in newspaper readership. This is sad. There is something about turning the newsprint to read the news. Google Reader isn't the only culprit. A 24-hour news cycle and peoples insatiable demand to be constantly updated as preceded these technological inventions.
I am conflicted. Yes, I want to use the most up-to-date and helpful tech tools in the classroom; however, does this mean that such tried and true methods such as newspapers have to become extinct? This is a question that I, along with others I'm sure, are struggling with to answer. And I probably will be struggling with for a while to come.
Monday, September 14, 2009
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4 comments:
I agree that "technological advances such as Google Reader have surely contributed to the decline in newspaper readership," but as the Time magazine article on Jay Leno noted, http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1920038,00.html
times are changing, so we have to find new ways to appreciate each experience. (I couldn't find how to add the link while replying to a blog, help!)
The article related our current tech boost to what happened to radio when television came along. As we all know, we still have radio, I am going to assume that we might still have newspapers in 20 years.
Vanessa,
I see what you mean about newspapers. We did cancel our subscription to our local newspaper not because it is available on-line but because we could no longer afford the cost. We both miss not having it. There is something about having the paper in my hands and turing the pages that I love. I was also thinking about how technology has impacted our communication skills when it comes to face to face interactions with others but, that is another topic altogether!
Alison
@Vanessa - I know what you mean. It is sad to see so many people losing their jobs over technology advances. I am sure the newspapers decline also is that they can't sell advertising any longer and it is a lot easier to advertise online now. As we have all seen in history, there will always be something that is "new and improved" that replaces something we really were attached to. How about the robots that replace the workers in the auto industry? This is the nature of outsourcing jobs to other countries via the internet. How can we compete with this technology? Hopefully we can embrace the technology and figure out new ways to create jobs here in the United States.
I sympathize with your feeling about the decline of newspapers, but I like to think of it as an ecologically sound move and from a personal standpoint I hated having all those papers around! I already have so many books my family calls me the family librarian, add papers to the mix and I would be in real trouble. :-)
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