Reflection Post

Before reading this book, I would never have characterized the current generation as "The Dumbest Generation." As an educator, I would have said that this generation is much better educated and well-rounded than generations ten years ago. However, the author of this book brings up many many good points that are backed up with facts. It seems as though this generation isn't doing anything better, or smarter. They are doing more. Multitasking, without doing any one thing well. They are exposed to so much and have a lot of information at their fingertips. And after reading this book, I believe that they are spreading themselves too thin. I don't agree, however, with the doom and gloom upon which this author dwells. He tends to speak so negatively about youth, generalizing constantly. The picture he paints of the "dumbest generation" may be his experience with the youth he is in contact with. However, to generalize is a disservice. He does state that adults need to be more influential in the lives of youth, which is true. One of the people who did a summary in our blog used the phrase "the generation this book is talking about...." which really does signify who this book portrays. It is the youth with which the author has a relationship, not all youth. I am not so fatalistic to believe that the youth of today are going nowhere fast. I believe that we are all evolving, and that technology is speeding up that evolution. It will take awhile to get a grip on what technology has to offer us. In this point in time, kids feel a fascination with technology, and it's taking up a lot of their time. Actually, I feel a fascination with technology and it takes up a lot of my time! If indeed our future is in jeopardy then it's our job to realize technology's pitfalls and to turn the negative into a positive. This book did a lot to open my eyes, whether I agreed with it or not, and helped me look with a little more discernment at the technology that is pervasive in our lives.