Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?

Open Ended

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Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?

By Cailin Loesch

​Background

New technology changes our daily world with ever-increasing speed, often causing things to become obsolete, or out-of-date. These changes can leave older people longing for what they feel was the simpler, less complicated world of their youth. Is every generation destined to long for the past

Open Ended

Think of an example of an invention or a device you once thought was wonderful, but now think is outdated. Try to think of more than one example!

“When I was your age, I had to wait for the hourly report on TV in order to get the information that you have right at your fingertips. That’s the problem with the world today.” It was the summer of 2012, and I was standing in the kitchen with my dad and sister—holding my iPhone—a towel and bathing suit thrown over my shoulder. I had just finished reading aloud the full-day weather report, and, until my dad spoke, had nothing on my mind but the gleaming pool water that seemed to be calling my name. I waited a moment for his comment to process, then looked down at my phone, analyzing it in a way that I had never before: feeling the cold, hard metal in my palm, and the smooth, sleek screen underneath my thumb

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​Begin Reading

Multiple Choice

According to “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” how did the author’s father find out what the temperature was when he was a young boy?

• by checking his phone

• by watching television

• by making a phone call

• by listening to the radio

Multiple Choice

Who makes the comment “That’s the problem with the world today,” which appears at the beginning of the blog post “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?”

• a teacher

• the author

• a TV reporter

• the author’s father

​I asked Dad to elaborate on his comment.

“When I was a young boy, we had a pool in our backyard. My brothers and I weren’t allowed to go swimming until the temperature reached 75 degrees—not one degree less. And so we boys spent our summer mornings waiting by the TV for the hourly report that read the temperature, praying that it would say the number we wanted it to so that we could dive in. I have vivid memories of those mornings.”

Suddenly, life in the 1970s seemed distant, and people detached. It occurred to me that my dad has experienced life like I will never know it, and that I have experienced life like my children will never know. I even started to think about how things have changed in the years that I’ve been alive. It’s not just technology that’s changing, either: It’s our way of living. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and it’s only becoming clearer as the years go by

​Continue reading...

Gradually, evenings spent doing homework at lamp-lit desks covered in pencils, paper, and textbooks are turning into late nights under bedsheets and blankets, a Google Docs page pulled up, fingers typing aggressively on a keyboard that can barely be seen in the dark. It seems as though I am part of the last generation that will know the satisfied feeling of stapling together a completed research paper, pages still warm from the printer. People of the next generation will never go on a family trip to the local Blockbuster in search of candy and a comedy for movie night. They might miss out on handwritten letters from their grandparents, available to read and reread for years. Do we even realize what we’re all leaving behind?​

continued...

Multiple Select

Which of these experiences does the author of “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” fear that children of the next generation might miss out on? Choose two options.

• watching old commercials on YouTube

• being able to do homework electronically

• printing out a hard copy of a research paper

• using a smartphone to check a weather report

• enjoying handwritten letters from grandparents

This morning, I was sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal when my dad came in to say goodbye before he left for work. When he saw that I was eating Life cereal, a huge smile immediately crept across his face, and he started excitedly reciting a commercial that he remembered from his childhood. He called me into his office, where he threw himself down in front of his desktop computer to search for the ad on YouTube, eager to take me back in time with him. Watching the commercial, my modernly-adjusted ears picked up on a faint hum in the background of the actor’s voices. There were no snappy graphics or fast-paced cuts. In fact, the colors were a bit faded and the actors’ faces were only highlighted in dim lighting. Then I turned to my dad, who was still beaming, as if all the happy memories from his childhood were flashing before his eyes. Judging by his enthusiastic clapping at the end, he sure didn’t seem to miss modern technology during those 30 seconds.​

​cONTINUED...

Multiple Choice

In “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” what is the most likely reason that the author’s father becomes excited when he sees his daughter eating cereal?

• It reminds him of a meal his mother used to make.

• He is happy that she appreciates his favorite cereal.

• It reminds him of an old commercial that he once enjoyed.

• He is glad that she is taking the time to eat without electronics.

Multiple Select

What does the author of “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” notice about the old cereal commercial? Choose two options.

• It lacks snappy graphics and fast-paced cuts.

• It features modern music and technology.

• It does not clearly advertise the product.

• Its actors are mostly unknown.

• Its colors seem fairly dull.

Multiple Choice

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A The author of “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” sees many flaws in the cereal commercial she watches. What is her father’s reaction when he watches that commercial on YouTube?

• Disappointment: It is not as great as he remembered.

• Surprise: It seems old-fashioned and poorly made.

• Delight: It reminds him of his younger days.

• Pride: It looks just as good as modern ads.

Multiple Choice

Part A Answer: Delight: It reminds him of his younger days.

Part B Which sentence from “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” best supports the answer to Part A?

• And so we boys spent our summer mornings waiting by the TV for the hourly report that read the temperature, praying that it would say the number we wanted….

• He called me into his office, where he threw himself down in front of his desktop computer to search for the ad on YouTube, eager to take me back in time with him.

• Then I turned to my dad, who was still beaming, as if all the happy memories from his childhood were flashing before his eyes.

• The thing that has really stayed with me, though, is my dad’s comment about how all these new technologies are a “problem.”

In a world of iPhones and missions to Mars, is it even possible that my childhood will ever be looked at in the way that I look at my dad’s? By then, will our TV shows be even crisper? Will it be unimaginable that we needed long, easily tangled wires in our ears in order to listen to music? Will my kids marvel at the idea of us old-fashioned teenagers having to wait by wall outlets for our phones to get out of the dreaded red battery zone before heading out for the night? Will they laugh at us for using pieces of green paper to buy things?

​cONTINUED...

Multiple Choice

The author of “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” asks, “Will they laugh at us for using pieces of green paper to buy things?” To what is she referring?

• coupons

• dollar bills

• fake money

• credit cards

​What seems to be the problem?

The thing that has really stayed with me, though, is my dad’s comment about how all these new technologies are a “problem.” One day, will we late-millennials3 feel nostalgic as we look back on our simpler days, where we sometimes got a 10-minute homework break when our laptops lost battery life, giving us an excuse to sit in peace in front of a warm fire while we waited for them to charge? Will a lack of instant-charging mechanisms become the new lack of a weather.com app?

Will we pull out our old Nintendo 3DS XLs to smile at what was once the hottest new piece of technology, recalling memories of online play with friends, in the same way that my dad smiled at an old commercial? Will we wish that things had never changed? They say that you should never try to fix what’s not broken. Does the charm of the way things are now trump the need for things that are fresher, newer, and more advanced? Will we ever reach a point where there is no possible way to make any more “improvements”? And does this possibly inevitable peak signal impending doom or the continuation of tradition?

Multiple Choice

Read this quotation from the author’s father, which begins “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?”

“When I was your age, I had to wait for the hourly report on TV in order to get the information that you have right at your fingertips. That’s the problem with the world today.”

Which sentence best explains the “problem” about which the father is complaining?

• It isn’t fair that people now can immediately find information that used to be found only in libraries.

• His childhood friends understand modern technology better than he does.

• As a child, he rarely was able to do things when he wanted to do them.

• New technologies are making modern life move too quickly.

In my last-period sociology class the other day, the teacher ended a class discussion about the impact of changing technology on society with a statement that summarized my thoughts on the matter and left me with something to think about:

“I don’t know how new technology will affect future generations, and I don’t know if it will do more good or bad.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Final Thoughts

Multiple Choice

Which of these situations most clearly illustrates the meaning of nostalgic?

• Grandma loves to look at photos taken when her children were young.

• Mike allowed his nephews to hand him tools as he fixed the tractor.

• A variety of berry pies are available at the bakery near the post office.

• The mayor called the meeting of City Council to order at 7:00 p.m.

Multiple Choice

In which of the following situations is a vehicle moving gradually?

• The ambulance zoomed in and out of the traffic along Route 3.

• The sled whooshed down the driveway, banking at each curve.

• The bulldozer inched forward toward the edge of the pit.

• The sailboat skipped merrily across the sunlit waves.

Multiple Choice

If an episode of a television drama is a continuation of a previous show, which of the following must be true?

• The episode has many new characters.

• The episode is the next part of the story.

• The episode has some different characters.

• The episode takes place in a new location.

Multiple Choice

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” Cailin Loesch states, “It’s not just technology that’s changing, either: It’s our way of living.” How does she support this statement?

• by describing recent advances in technology

• by recalling memories of playing video games

• by contrasting activities today with activities of the past

• by imagining a future in which no improvements are possible

Multiple Choice

Part A Answer: by contrasting activities today with activities of the past

Part B Which sentence from “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” best illustrates the answer to Part A?

• I waited a moment for his comment to process, then looked down at my phone, analyzing it in a way that I had never before: feeling the cold, hard metal in my palm, and the smooth, sleek screen underneath my thumb.

• Gradually, evenings spent doing homework at lamp-lit desks covered in pencils, paper, and textbooks are turning into late nights under bedsheets and blankets, a Google Docs page pulled up, fingers typing aggressively on a keyboard that can barely be seen in the dark.

• When he saw that I was eating Life cereal, a huge smile immediately crept across his face, and he started excitedly reciting a commercial that he remembered from his childhood.

• They say that you should never try to fix what’s not broken. Does the charm of the way things are now trump the need for things that are fresher, newer, and more advanced?

Multiple Choice

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” Cailin Loesch reflects on her concerns about the future. Which of the following is a major way in which she does this?

• She uses examples from American history to predict future events

• She asks questions about the future that cannot yet be answered.

• She interviews her father about his fears about future events.

• She dramatizes scenes involving people of the future.

Multiple Choice

Part A Answer: She asks questions about the future that cannot yet be answered.

Part B Which excerpt from “Is Our Gain Also Our Loss?” best illustrates the answer to Part A?

• People of the next generation will never go on a family trip to the local Blockbuster in search of candy and a comedy for movie night.

• Judging by his enthusiastic clapping at the end, he sure didn’t seem to miss modern technology during those 30 seconds.

• In a world of iPhones and missions to Mars, is it even possible that my childhood will ever be looked at in the way that I look at my dad’s?

• The thing that has really stayed with me, though, is my dad’s comment about how all these new technologies are a “problem.”

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is correct?

• This computer class is the too advanced course the college offers.

• This computer class is the advancing course the college offers.

• This computer class is the advancedest course the college offers.

• This computer class is the most advanced course the college offers.

Draw

Compare technology of the past to technology today!

Be sure to include at least 2 similarities, and 2 differences on each side.