WHITE-THROATED SPARROW

While sitting in the living room at my computer, I quickly snapped a photo of that bird with my iPhone. The cute little White-throated Sparrow was perched right outside my window.

How did I know that it was a sparrow, you ask? That was so easy. I just looked at the picture on my iPhone, and there was the information, clear as could be.

I remember studying about birds at Lincoln School (now the Polk School) in Roselle, New Jersey. The birds I can name to this day are the cardinal, the bluebird, the blue jay, the hummingbird, and the goldfinch.

Wrens and sparrows were part of the coursework, but I couldn’t distinguish the less colorful birds we learned about. How does all the instant information help us, or does it hinder our learning?

What would the old schoolmarms have said about the latest teaching tools? I say life is difficult enough; anything to make life easier is a plus.