Turkle VS. Wesch

 Connected But Alone

In this TED Talk Sherry Turkle starts off talking about what it was like to get a text from her daughter before going on stage. Saying that it felt like a hug. She goes on to say that she was so excited for technology back in 1995 when we logged in to technology and then we logged off and went about our lives. Compared to when this TED Talk was recorded in 2012 where technology runs our lives. ( and still does in 2021) 

She claims that technology is changing what we do and who we are

WE ARE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR TROUBLE....

"Goldilocks Effect"

People have more control over where they put their attention

we are hiding from each other

we can't get enough... if we can control it

Conversation Problems: 

                                       1. they are in real time

                                       2. we have no control over what we say. No time to revise and edit...

because human relationships are rich, messy and demanding

-She goes on to discuss how technology offers us companionship without the demands of friendship. She says that technology appeals to use where we are most vulnerable, we are lonely but afraid of intimacy 

3 Fantasies

1. we can put our attention wherever we want

2. we can always be heard

3. we are never alone

- being alone feels like a problem that needs to be solved

"I share therefore I am" 

Turkle says that we need more time alone. We need to learn to be in isolation because that is where we find ourselves. She states that we need to teach our children to be alone so that they don't only know how to feel lonely. We need to have safe spaces in our home and put the technology away, make time for teaching our children to have conversations. We need to start listening to each other, even the boring bits. 

Anti-Teaching, Confronting the Crisis of Significance

Wesch begins by talking about how students are trying to find significance and meaning in their education.  He found that only 26% of students found their readings to be relevant. Wesch goes back to his discussion about people stating that students are not cut out for school. He argues that if students are not cut out for school, then maybe we have made the mold too narrow, inflexible or just not meaningful enough to inspire students .

Wesch talks about how he went to work to make his classroom a learning environment that was more conductive to producing the type of questions that create lifelong learners rather than savvy test takers..

"teaching can actually be a hindrance to learning" 

Wesch sets out to create a class where he spends his time managing the environment rather than simply conveying information. He works with his students to help them find significance in their education and their place in the world. 

Wesch goes on to talk about how our society has changed. About poverty, hunger, global warming and human effects on the world in general... 

He has students become an expert on a different location in the world and they work together to create a 2 hour simulation of the last 500 years of world history.

While Wesch and Turkle are not speaking directly about the same things they make similar claims. Turkle believes that technology is not being used correctly, that it is taking over our lives and not leaving space to connect with one another and Wesch is saying the education system does not leave space for students to connect to their world or learn about themselves. They both believe that technology is important and can be used as a tool but that it should not overshadow the human connection and learning how to communicate and work together.