In my introductory class, while explaining how technological changes trigger significant changes to the economic landscape, I used video stores as an example. About how even a few years ago, going to the video stores to rent VHS tapes was the typical way we rented movies, and now those stores are fast disappearing.
It was then I made a comment that perhaps not even five freshmen at WOU own a VCR anymore. And boy was I mistaken when I asked the class to raise their hands if they owned a VCR. It seemed like more than half the class did. And right here in their dorm rooms. "I still watch those VHS movies from when I was a kid" said one girl.
I admitted to them that it was a revelation to me. I told them how it has been almost two years since I canceled my Blockbuster card. Increasingly, I even head to hulu.com, or the respective networks' websites to watch a few TV shows. I told them that maybe the last videotape I ever used in a class was a few terms ago, and that when I donated all my educational VHS tapes to the library, the librarian told me that they too might not use them!
I am, therefore, wondering whether this particular class was an exception, or whether WOU is an exception, or whether the stereotypical representation of the younger generation as into iPods and all-things-mobile is a complete exaggeration that misled me to hypothesizing that our students don't own a VCR anymore.
Do we have any surveyed information on the use/proficiency when it comes to our students and technology? I just think this is so strange a response from my class; I was so convinced that VHS had become prehistoric :-) Even if you folks don't have hard data, any anecdotal information?
1 comment:
In my InfoTech classes I do not see any level of high tech among my undergraduate students. Occasionally a student will be relatively "techy" but it's unusual. Example: last week we worked on digital video production. In my first class, 4 students had used a digital camcorder before. In my afternoon class, ONE student claimed to have ever used one -- the rest had not. None of them had edited video on a computer. This week we did GoogleEarth and I didn't get any sense that it was not new to all of them. And this is standard from term to term.
They all text; most of them have Facebook accounts. I think they use technology to connect to other people and to type and to surf the Web. Many of them use iTunes. But most of them have never used the drawing tools in Word.
VCRs? Well, what do you do with the huge VHS collection? My kids have switched to DVD, but they still watch their VHS tapes. They aren't about to give up their collections. Renting or watching on the Web isn't the same--they want to own. At some point, I suppose they'll just become too worn out, but for now they just use whatever device plays what they own.
BTW--we still have both DVD and VCR set up and ready to go at any time.
Mary
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