Professor Lars Larson is a self-described “Facebook Refusenik” and “a social media illiterate”. He doesn’t have a cell phone and he talks about the Joy Of Missing Out rather than the Fear Of Missing Out.
But he is fascinated by technology.
“It’s an illusion to think we’re missing out,” the English literature scholar said. “When we pay attention to only what comes across on silicon technology we’re ignoring a lot of the thoughts and stories that people who are dead had. Older technology has preserved that. I would hope people would fear missing out on things that Chaucer said and Shakespeare said.”
Professor Larson helps students to see current technology as a point on a very broad spectrum that contains many things from flutes made of bird bones to iPhones. The classroom itself is one of the best technologies to enhance learning, Professor Larson believes, because it blocks out ambient noise and various distractions allowing students to focus on the challenges of critical thinking.
“I try not to be a low-tech elitist,” he says in this podcast. “I try to look at things in the big broad evolutionary spectrum. I’m fascinated by technology even if I don’t participate in all of them. None of us really do.” Don’t miss this riveting discussion!
Professor Larson’s recent UPCrossroads conversation The Professional Amateur as Scholarly Teacher is available in its entirety. He also provided the audience with an insightful list of questions worthy of perennial reflection.
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Full Episode Transcript: PDF
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Continue the conversation at the Teaching & Learning Community Blog: https://sites.up.edu/tl
UP TechTalk is a bi-monthly podcast with cohosts Ben Kahn and Maria Erb of Academic Technology Services that explores the use of technology in the classroom, one conversation at a time. Visit the UP TechTalk archives for a plethora of excellent content from our UP faculty guests. Get a sneak peak at the future with our UP Tech Talk special 5 part series The Future of Learning
