Instant Gratification.. Good thing or not so good thing.. (or does it depend)

When I was reading the article on "using the technology of today" I was struck by Patricia Marks Greenfield's argument that habitual playing of video games results in the development of a new brand cognitive abilities that translate into the key skills for today's tech savvy generation:
• The ability to process information very quickly;
• The ability to determine what is and is not of relevance to them;
• The ability to process information in parallel, at the same time and from a range of different sources;
• Familiarity with exploring information in a non-linear fashion;
• A tendency to access information in the first instance through imagery and then use text to clarify, expand,
and explore;
• A relaxed approach to ‘play,’—the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem solving

For the past year or so I have really been rethinking my position on technology, and trying to come to terms with the way the world is heading. I can't help but feel like an old woman when I think about how stubborn I am about changing and learning new things, but its so hard to give up ideals I have held onto since I was a little girl!
When I was little I had dreams of becoming a teacher. I couldn't wait to write on a chalk board, I loved the way the chalk felt in my hands, and the way it sounded when I wrote on my little Playskool Chalkboard Easel I had. I would sit down with a red pen and practice making stars and smiley faces on my students (teddy bears) papers. That little girl never imagined that when she would someday be old enough to be a real teacher, chalk boards would barely exist in classrooms anymore; except possibly in rural areas or third world countries. There is just something inside me that can't let go to ideas about what "being a teacher means."
I have similarly strong ideas about the future of reading and books as well! When I saw this commercial that starts out with the words "... once upon a time there were books.."


I freaked out! What do you MEAN once upon a time?! I grew up treasuring books, and still do as an adult and the thought of them going the way of records and typewriters really scares me!

Coincidentally today I had a conversation with my Assistant Teacher about how education and children have changed so much in the past few years. Like Patricia Marks Greenfield says, children of today can process information very quickly, which also means that they expect a lot of input and stimulation in most cases. I see it in my kids at work, they really don't know how to play as well as the generations before them did. They prefer things that give them instant gratification and really need to be "entertained", they have a harder time self regulating and using their imaginations (in my own humble opinion). Maybe all this is a good thing? I don't know, but I am really curious to see what kind of citizens these kids are going to grow up to be. What kinds of things will they value? Will they be able to appreciate the simple things in life? Or will everything need to "do" something, and have bells and whistles and fancy shmancy attachments.

I guess I am just old fashioned.

Sorry for the length, I get very passionate about this subject!