Perception
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Yesterday I was eating dinner with my sister who is in high school. She told me that her high school no longer uses textbooks, and every student is now required to have/rent an iPad. This got me thinking about how advances in technology have changed society.
I graduated high school in 2005. When I was in middle school my family had 1 computer in the house. We had dial up internet through AOL. I still remember the start up sounds to get on the internet. That internet was slow so we didn't really use it much. I also didn't get a cell phone until high school and the one I had was primitive compared to current models. Without dependence on the internet I grew up learning all the basic functions I would need to live in society. This includes abilities such as reading maps, writing in cursive, finding information in a library, writing and mailing letters, writing proper checks, etc... It also think it effects music. People seem to be fixated on music that has been made popular through the internet and tv. In turn they don't experience a wide array of music genres. It's also my belief that music has gotten worse because people are less knowledge and don't have to work as hard to become well known with the internet.
I just think that people who grow up with the current level of technology are getting the short end of the stick. It's like the old saying goes "You don't know you need it until you have it". I think with cell phones this generation will always have a vast amount of knowledge at their fingertips. When your given something you don't have to work to obtain it. In essence I believe cell phones and the internet have made people lazy and dumber. This generation is severely lacking in critical thinking skills that would normally be obtained in school and everyday life activities.
Of course the other side of the argument is that this generation is the most technologically advanced so far. Even so I don't believe all technology is good technology. Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's useful. I tend to think that we've overstepped our bounds in useful technology. Anytime you gain convenience you lose knowledge. The two have to be balanced and I think that this may have happened in the late 80's/early 90's.
I would like to try an experiment, but no one would approve. I would like to have 2 groups of elementary school students. One group would complete their education until the end of high school with the current technology and teaching practices. The other group would complete their education with the technology and teaching practices of the 1990's. They would also live with the technology of their respective generations. At the end of their education I would like to test their real world problem solving capabilities. I think the students from the 1990's would be more knowledgeable and have better critical thinking skills. No only that but in think in 6 months they could catch up with enough of the advances in technology to function however they needed to in society.
I would be curious to see what would happen if the internet on cell phones was cut off, iPads/Ibooks and it's variations were destroyed, and music could not be downloaded from the internet. I think society would be better. Of course I say all this on an internet forum which makes me a hypocrite. I would like to think however that I'm reasonable well rounded and have the basic skills to function in society. Since this is just my opinion I'm curious to see what other people think.
I graduated high school in 2005. When I was in middle school my family had 1 computer in the house. We had dial up internet through AOL. I still remember the start up sounds to get on the internet. That internet was slow so we didn't really use it much. I also didn't get a cell phone until high school and the one I had was primitive compared to current models. Without dependence on the internet I grew up learning all the basic functions I would need to live in society. This includes abilities such as reading maps, writing in cursive, finding information in a library, writing and mailing letters, writing proper checks, etc... It also think it effects music. People seem to be fixated on music that has been made popular through the internet and tv. In turn they don't experience a wide array of music genres. It's also my belief that music has gotten worse because people are less knowledge and don't have to work as hard to become well known with the internet.
I just think that people who grow up with the current level of technology are getting the short end of the stick. It's like the old saying goes "You don't know you need it until you have it". I think with cell phones this generation will always have a vast amount of knowledge at their fingertips. When your given something you don't have to work to obtain it. In essence I believe cell phones and the internet have made people lazy and dumber. This generation is severely lacking in critical thinking skills that would normally be obtained in school and everyday life activities.
Of course the other side of the argument is that this generation is the most technologically advanced so far. Even so I don't believe all technology is good technology. Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's useful. I tend to think that we've overstepped our bounds in useful technology. Anytime you gain convenience you lose knowledge. The two have to be balanced and I think that this may have happened in the late 80's/early 90's.
I would like to try an experiment, but no one would approve. I would like to have 2 groups of elementary school students. One group would complete their education until the end of high school with the current technology and teaching practices. The other group would complete their education with the technology and teaching practices of the 1990's. They would also live with the technology of their respective generations. At the end of their education I would like to test their real world problem solving capabilities. I think the students from the 1990's would be more knowledgeable and have better critical thinking skills. No only that but in think in 6 months they could catch up with enough of the advances in technology to function however they needed to in society.
I would be curious to see what would happen if the internet on cell phones was cut off, iPads/Ibooks and it's variations were destroyed, and music could not be downloaded from the internet. I think society would be better. Of course I say all this on an internet forum which makes me a hypocrite. I would like to think however that I'm reasonable well rounded and have the basic skills to function in society. Since this is just my opinion I'm curious to see what other people think.
