I readily admit that I am a technology junkie. At work, much of my time is spent tapping a keyboard and looking at a screen, but I also make sure that I look students and staff in the eyes and interact with them at a personal level as well. Am I known to kill a few minutes playing Candy Crush? Sure, but I'm also know to put my phone away and meet a friend for a drink to chat rather than carry on a conversation via text messages. And yes, I have chosen to put myself on a FaceBook hiatus for a couple of weeks, and it really wasn't a big deal.
A colleague recently shared the video Can We Auto-Correct Humanity? with our staff, after a student showed it during a presentaion about the over-consumption of technology. I believe that most people who watch it will respond in one of three ways. 1)They'll be reflective and realize that they are that person who is missing out on many things because it's easier to use a screen than talk to someone. 2)They'll see glimpses of themselves, but realize that as long as they remain balanced, they will remain connected. 3)They'll immediately recognize the problems, but only in others, and not themselves.
My fear is that my children's generation will not know how to effectively communicate face-to-face. I hope that more people will be intentional when it comes to making human connections and building face-to-face relationships instead of relying solely on technology as a buffer. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing, simply balanced - let the battery die once in a while!
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