Why has technology become such a big part of our lives? We are dealing with technology in school, the work force and in our own personal lives. What has caused it to become such an intricate factor that affects our everyday lives? I'm going to break down our dependence on technology and in the different areas that we use it: school, at work and for our own personal lives.
There has been a growing dependency on technology in the classrooms across America. It has been proven that technology in classrooms causes students to be more motivated when it comes to learning new material. Furthermore, laptops, computers and Smart boards have created different outlets for teachers to make teaching an easier and more innovative process. The amount of technology exposure that students get at schools is beneficial to them because it makes them better trained for learning new programs when it comes to their professional careers.
This leads me to the next topic of using technology at work. More and more employers are looking for employees who know how to work with different computers programs. This is important to a company because these computer programs and technology in general provides for more efficiency and greater organization. Instead of a secretary writing down appointments and keeping filing cabinets overflowing with records and information, he or she can now keep everything conveniently assessable on a laptop. Keeping everything organized at work obviously creates a more stress-free environment because everything runs more smoothly.
Lastly, technology has become an intricate part of our personal lives. It has become an outlet for many people to share their emotions, let the world know what is going on in their lives and a way for people to stay connected with family and friends. These social outlets are ways that you can stay in touch with people even if you don't see them as much. Wherever we are in life, it seems as if technology is making an impact on our lives and we are becoming more and more dependent on what it has to offer.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Blog Post #9: Counter Argument--Technology in Classrooms
Millions of schools across America are taking greater steps towards adding technology in their classrooms. Adding different amenities such as personal laptops, computers and Smart boards increases a student's understanding of a world that is steadily increasing its dependence on technology. Technology in classrooms has proven to have many beneficial effects on students. Children exposed to advanced technology in classrooms, such as personal laptops and Smart boards, have proven to be more motivated to do their work. Technology allows a new outlet of learning. This is beneficial to students because as they proceed to find jobs in the work field, more and more companies will be looking for employees that are qualified to operate different computer programs. Different computer programs in classrooms also allows for a broader and better use of programs that teachers can use to teach students. With the innovation of new programs, teachers are no longer stuck to just teach on the chalkboard or use the overhead projector.
On the other hand, Julia Klaus believes that technology in classrooms takes away learning time, is overused and can cause students to become off-task. Klaus believes that technology should not become the sole source of learning material in classrooms; it should "supplement the classroom curriculum" (Klaus). It seems to me that there is no problem with this because it only allows learning to become more efficient. Technology cannot become "overused" because you are constantly learning and evolving when you use technology.
Technology is increasing in classrooms all around the world today and it has proven to be beneficial to classrooms because it increases a student's motivation, allows teachers different ways to teach their students and it increases students' understanding of technology which will be beneficial to them in the workforce. To read more about Julia Klaus' views, you can read her article Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom.
On the other hand, Julia Klaus believes that technology in classrooms takes away learning time, is overused and can cause students to become off-task. Klaus believes that technology should not become the sole source of learning material in classrooms; it should "supplement the classroom curriculum" (Klaus). It seems to me that there is no problem with this because it only allows learning to become more efficient. Technology cannot become "overused" because you are constantly learning and evolving when you use technology.
Technology is increasing in classrooms all around the world today and it has proven to be beneficial to classrooms because it increases a student's motivation, allows teachers different ways to teach their students and it increases students' understanding of technology which will be beneficial to them in the workforce. To read more about Julia Klaus' views, you can read her article Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Blog Post #8: What Does it Take to be an Innovator?
Facebook, Napster, YouTube. What do all of these big companies have in common? These online companies were created by young individuals who went out on a whim and ended up creating raging businesses. What does it take to make such a successful online company and how do you know that your idea will work? These are the questions that intrigued me when I was reading the chapter on "Innovators" in the book Born Digital.
Let's look at each innovator separately starting with the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerburg. Zuckerburg dropped out of Harvard to create Facebook with his friends but he was faced with some dilemmas along the way. Another group of Harvard students claimed that Zuckerburg stole the idea of Facebook from them. Zuckerburg also faced a speed bump when his idea of a "News Feed" caused controversy among its users because it was too invasive of their privacy. Zuckerburg fixed the problem and the masses gobbled up the idea of controlling how much they want to share on Facebook.
Napster was created by Shawn Fanning, a student at Northeastern University. Fanning had the idea of creating an online website where people could trade music. Fanning's idea may have seemed fine but it was seriously flawed because it was illegal. Soon enough, YouTube co founder Chad Hurley came up with the idea of posting movies online without it being illegal. When looking at all of these young innovators, it is obvious that they took a risk when creating these highly successful businesses and they figured out how to work out the problems that came in their way. More information can be found about young innovators by reading the book Born Digital or visiting the website Born Digital.
Let's look at each innovator separately starting with the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerburg. Zuckerburg dropped out of Harvard to create Facebook with his friends but he was faced with some dilemmas along the way. Another group of Harvard students claimed that Zuckerburg stole the idea of Facebook from them. Zuckerburg also faced a speed bump when his idea of a "News Feed" caused controversy among its users because it was too invasive of their privacy. Zuckerburg fixed the problem and the masses gobbled up the idea of controlling how much they want to share on Facebook.
Napster was created by Shawn Fanning, a student at Northeastern University. Fanning had the idea of creating an online website where people could trade music. Fanning's idea may have seemed fine but it was seriously flawed because it was illegal. Soon enough, YouTube co founder Chad Hurley came up with the idea of posting movies online without it being illegal. When looking at all of these young innovators, it is obvious that they took a risk when creating these highly successful businesses and they figured out how to work out the problems that came in their way. More information can be found about young innovators by reading the book Born Digital or visiting the website Born Digital.
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