Last week I got a call from a student who was trying to find her class. The conversation went something like this:
Student: I am trying to find your building but the GPS dropped me off in front of the bowling alley.
Me: Is that the bowling alley near the highway?
Student: Yes. I can't find where you are.
Me: Here is how you get to the building. Drive out to the street and turn left. Then you want to drive about a mile to the main intersection. There is a brake place, a car dealership and a sign to the airport on the corners. Turn left and then make an immediate right. You will see our building when you make the right turn.
Student: Well that's not what my GPS says.
Me: Well your GPS took you to the bowling alley so it is obviously wrong.
Student: OK, I will just check Google Maps.
After we disconnected the call I was totally amazed. This student who is talking to a person in the building they are trying to find does not want to believe the directions. Since her GPS was wrong then she would rather check Google Maps instead of following directions from someone who knows the area and the location of the building she is seeking.
After that conversation I felt like a dinosaur. Are we raising a generation of young adults who would believe Google over the directions from a live person. The amazing thing was I had this same (or very similar)conversation with several students that week.
Let's hope the satellite systems, GPS and navigation systems and Google Maps all stay active and available. I see in the near future an entire generation of people who are unable to find their way anywhere without an intervention from a satellite!
