This reading was extremely interesting and eye opening for me. Having just received this handout and being able to compare this reading to the readings of Dreyfus proves very interesting. Reading, the alphabet, language is where technology first began. Before the formation of the alphabet, how could we formulate words? How could we compose a language and call it english? Without this technology we would not have the technology we have today. Something that caught my eye in this reading was the idea of being read to versus reading silently to yourself. Borgmann states that all is lost because we no longer sit down as family and read out loud. Which to some degree I do see what he is saying, but what is to say that when a family gets together to watch a show they aren't getting that same value or fix as listening to your father read to you. In both, paying attention is key and processing information is key. While most of the TV shows on today may be based on a bit different information than was in books, they both involve listening to a story. With both you still have that family time.
Yes technology has come a long way, but some very important things have been lost over the time. For people to spend more time watching TV than reading books I think is a problem. Reading is the foundation of knowledge and education. But the bottom line is that we are in a highly technological age. While reading is still essential, we have developed shortcuts for many things that once were done manually. Consider a calculator. You have the choice to enter mathematical formulas into a calculator or work it out on paper. Most would choose the calculator because it is easier and takes less time. This has become a big problem with elementary aged children, really with all Americans. They are taught the math, but know a calculator can do everything, so why learn it? Do we still need to know how to graph complex formulas, do we still need to know how to multiply, divide, add, or subtract??
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