Price of Perception: a great read from the NYTimes about the cost/price of college tuition. Where's the MA angle in this story?
Keep Your Thumbs Still When I'm Talking to You: Another gem from the NYTimes. Does this ever happen to you or friends? Where's the MA angle in this story?
One more post this month and then we're in the final month!
4 comments:
Keep Your Thumbs Still:
This has actually been a problem for me recently, because my brother recently got a good phone and randomly texts everyone he knows, all at the same time. I don't have a "good" phone, and although I could get an iPhone I am really happy that I'm not prone to distraction from my crappy phone.
Texting, Twitter, Facebook and everything else have become so accessible that we could possibly never get off them. It's become an addiction for some, addicted to the nonstop interaction. The man in the article who vehemently supports checking his phone during dinner is one such sad addict.
Business, social, it doesn't matter. To consistently break from your present reality every five minutes to talk to someone far away is annoying and psychologically disruptive. Google announced that it was in the tentative stages of designing a surgical implant to connect your mind to the internet, but I hope against hope that it doesn't come any time soon.
Charlotte L
Price of Perception:
I found this article interesting, but also a little confusing, since I do not know much about interpreting the "supply and demand" of various colleges. However, I found it when Riggs said, "Tuitions will continue for some time to rise at a pace well above inflation." This immediately makes me think of MA's tuition price, and whether it will also keep growing. After reading the article, I think it probably will. And like the colleges, MA will continue to get richer and richer. As a result, MA will be able to hire the best teachers and give out more financial aid (etc., etc.).
Sometimes I forget MA is an industry and colleges are an industry. But, this article reminded me that these institutions are charging a ton for an education.
Keep Your Thumbs Still When I'm Talking to You:
Although I am not a texter or tech crazy in any way, this reminded me of my dad. He's always on his ipad, and when my mom or I try to communicate with him, he will reply nonsensical things, or the occasional ya sure. Like Carr points out, it's really annoying. I don't think MA has a huge problem with this. I will occasionally see a student texting in class or during a discussion at lunch, it's not something I see people doing constantly. What I've noticed being the biggest time suck for students is Facebook. When I see people on their iphones, they are often on Facebook, or checking their e-mail. This outlet of instant access that phones provide is, I think, sometimes a problem.
Keep Your Thumbs Still:
I'll be the one to say it - I take the opposite stance on this than the author. I have checked my phone many times during many conversations, and don't personally feel that I'm missing out, so to speak, quite the opposite, in fact. I feel that I am getting another experience as well. I'm not simply pulling myself out of the first.
However, I may have an unusual reason to be partial to this. As you may or may not know, I, for ten years, lived in London. In California, we are 8 hours behind England, leaving only a brief window in which I can communicate with my british friends. For this reason, I feel inclined to use my phone for such a purpose, and I'm often using my phone for this exactly.
This belief is not something that can always be applied. There are certain instances when I believe a phone should be put away. These instances include class, movies (at the cinema), plays, ceremonies (i.e. a Baptism or graduation), and during homework. These instances deserve special treatment because you simply cannot experience these without both audio and visual focus. Also, for class and homework, you simply need complete focus. But other than those specific situations (and maybe a few more), I will stick to my opinion that using one's phone, no matter what else may be happening, is perfectly acceptable.
Price of Perception:
I hadn't really considered that colleges might use tuition as a way to reflect prestige. Reading Price of Perception opened my eyes to the marketing aspect of colleges. The notion of supply and demand and this "paying for prestige" idea actually go hand in hand, which I hadn't realized while reading the piece. Supply and demand insinuates that colleges are able to raise their tuition fees because more students want in, so then of course colleges with higher tuitions must be all the more popular. It's clever, really, but I think that people often scoff at second-tier college tuition prices. I've heard a lot of bad-mouthing about various colleges and "why would anyone pay that much to go THERE?" quotes. It's a difficult issue, and relevant to any college prep institute. Personally, I'd never consider a college to be better or worse depending on the price of tuition, but I can see how that might affect others' decisions.
Keep Your Thumbs Still When I'm Talking to You:
I loved this piece. The writer did a great job of capturing texting-while-talking interactions, and I enjoyed the rhythm throughout. I think with the younger generation, we tend to do it to each other; it's accepted. When there's a mix of older and younger people, however, it's looked at as more of a rude thing. At my dinner table, I tend not to text or be on my phone, but I know other of my friends who practice otherwise. It becomes tricky when generations are mixed, but I think that from here on out it will be a regular part of our daily lives.
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