This is might be a familiar scene to you: you’re walking down the street and see someone heading towards you, not looking up, face firmly transfixed on the small screen of a smart phone or tablet. What does all that time spent attending to devices do to our personal interactions, conversations, and learning? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger look at the personal and educational implications. Social media and digital technology are great in many ways. They connect us quickly and easily and allow us to access information in seconds. But what does time spent communicating and learning that way do to our personal interactions? Ed and Jennifer discuss the possible impacts as well as what education can do to help students and life long learners navigate and balance the availability of so much communication and information. Listen on for their conversation and to find out the answer to last episode’s puzzler about the row of radio hosts.
This episode was recorded on Jan. 19, 2017.