I'm not sure if this is permitted in the underlying rules of blogging, but my post is going to cover many topics, so bear with me!

1.  Recreational computer use vs. Required computer use
This past week, I've been thinking a lot about the various reasons we use computers, and how these uses impact each other.  Sometimes, we log on to our computers with a specific purpose: to write an email to a parent, to work on grades, to take attendance, to find a resource for an upcoming lesson, to write another email to the same parent.  And some of the times, the interaction ends with the specific task we sat down to do.  More times than not, however, these same brief tasks are accompanied by several other open tabs, leading us to news websites, fantasy football box scores, youtube, a quick check of our online banking, facebook, personal email accounts (sometimes more than one), a retail store's website (because when we opened our email, we found a one-day-only coupon for 20% off plus free shipping!!), plus any number of other sites.  And don't forget about the documents, spreadsheets, and media players opened behind those browsers!  This scenario, in my opinion has taken the concept of multi-tasking to a whole new level.  It goes far beyond being able to complete several things at once.  The idea of having several tabs and programs open with such diverse content requires our brains to switch gears in opposite directions, sometimes at lightening-fast speeds. 

My first thought about this idea of "21st century multi-tasking" is that sometimes, when I've been so focused on completing my 'required' tasks on the computer/internet, I don't even want to begin the recreational uses for the internet.  This week, for example, after completing grades and extra online research about a lesson I was preparing for an observation, the thought of  sitting down to the computer for personal/leisure purposes nearly gave me anxiety.  All of the required uses (which are clearly piling on as we find more practical uses for the web) leave me wanting to turn off the computer and spend as much time outside, spending time with family, or doing anything that does not involve technology. In other words, the more I have to use technology, the less I want to use it for other purpose.  It is becoming synonymous with work tasks that the 'recreational' uses are losing their excitement for me.  Admittedly, I am still going to enjoy writing emails to friends, posting pictures, following the latest celebrity gossip on TMZ, searching for a new recipe to try, and even eagerly searching for new ways to spice up a lesson.

In order to move forward,  I think I need to make an effort to separate my web-usage.  I think I will enjoy the web more and even be more efficient if I don't try to conquer the 21st century multitasking.

2.  Student Web Use 
I suspect that while I am shying away from web browsing and online multitasking, or students are probably embracing this multitasking and absorbing themselves (and much of their free time) in exploring the web.  My current group of 6th grade students are the most web-savvy of any classes I've had in the past few years.  They are comfortable with email, often suggest new sites to each other during class discussions, and are even more willing to edit and revise their writing because they recognize how easy it is to do once a document is typed.  

It would be interesting to spend some time discovering student opinions about their personal internet use.  Do they multitask with ease?  Do they feel the same pressure that I feel when balancing required web tasks and leisure-browsing?  Do they recognize the practical uses for the internet, or are they too busy instant messaging and posting on each others' walls? 
Regardless, I'm happy to realize that despite the fact that, as we've discussed, students to need guidance on appropriate internet use, along the way they have learned a great deal of computer fluency that has been and will continue to be beneficial in a classroom setting. 

3. How Far We've Come
I am still pretty new to teachings, so I didn't expect that I'd be saying something anything like this for many years, but--- it's amazing how far technology has come since I started teaching.  To think of the technological improvements that have been made in the classroom in just five short years is incredible.  As an example, the fact that students (and I) get frustrated when a computer's wireless printer queue isn't set up to print to the exact printer right across the hall is incredible!  Five years ago, wireless printing wasn't even a possibility, and now it's become a norm.

4.  Comment on the 'Blogging on the Brink' article

The article Blogging on the Brink  brings up several interesting points about the accountability of bloggers.  Then, below the article, there are dozens of comments that people have posted.  The irony in these comments, however, is that many of them include spelling errors, capitalization issues, and poor sentence structures.  So, here are people who feel strongly enough to agree that people should be held accountable for what they blog about, yet they don't even realize the basic idea that whatever they type, regardless of its content,  is also a reflection on their intelligence, writing ability, and basic knowledge of grammar! 
As an ELA teacher, I may have a stronger interest in spelling and grammar than most, but as we are all reading a great deal of web content, a quick way that many of us sift out less-reliable and less-respected sources is to make snap-judgments based on typos, forgotten punctuation, and often blatant disregard for capitalization.   

5. Texting (not much relation to the class content, just an interesting tidbit)

I was at a wedding this weekend, where the father of the bride mentioned in his toast how he loved his daughter and her new husband, and how it has been such a pleasure watching their love grow.  "However," he added, "I could do without all the texting between you two!" This was a tiny moment that caught my attention, mainly because it seemed so out of place for texting to be mentioned at a wedding!