Getting Smarter

     Students are taught to be book smart in school instead of street smarts because people assume intellectually intelligence come from book smart and overlook street smarts. Being book smart is an excellent quality, but simply teaching students what is only in the books can be dull and can further discourage students who already perform poorly in school. 75% of students reveal that the materials taught in school is not interesting or engaging, and if the materials are not interesting, then student are not going to pay attention or want to learn the materials. What is being taught in school has not changed in a long time. Everything in the world has evolved phones, cars, the internet, hair, clothing

Technology nowadays always use to have so much information at our fingertips, but is this a good thing? That is what Jamais Cascio’s “Get Smarter” and Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stoopid?” both discuss; they specifically address the effects that new technology, such as the internet, has on the way humans think. The difference is that Carr argues that this new technology is making us stupid while Cascio argues that it is making us smarter. Nicholas Carr’s article discusses the negative effects of the internet and technology like it. It specifically mentions slight changes in the way people do things because of the influence of technology and gives many historical and anecdotal examples. Jamais Cascio’s article is about the advancements of technology and how it is makes people smarter. Cascio talks about Twitter, mental enhancement drugs and AIs, focusing a lot on the benefits of the advancements.

Clive Thompson’s “Smarter Than You Think” reflects upon the idea that technology is her to help us more than we think, rather than the popular belief that technology is ruining the way we think. Thompson believes that the pair between human and technology is making us smarter. Along with that, our minds are slowly adapting to the use of technology, advancing our thinking. Lastly, the relationship between technology and human, has brought humanity closer than ever with the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Clive Thomason believes the stronger the bond between humans and technology, the smarter we can become; I also alongside with Thompson believe this is true, and if so us as humans need to embrace the use of

The general intelligence of humanity is dropping. It may not be obvious to most, but the people who are smart or bright now, would have been average fifty years ago. Everything is being made easier and being pushed back, so that it is less apparent that things are understood less and to a lower degree. One has to finish college now, to get the equivalent of a high school education.

The different methods of communication cause our society to adapt to the incorrect environment, which will eventually cause us to be dumber. Not only is technology making us lazy and less motivated, but it’s also lowering our IQs. According to TNS research, studies have shown that the IQ of the average person living in the United States is lowering because of technology. Technology distractions are everywhere. Even Isla Campbell, who is a researcher of technology trends, agrees. In "Are We Getting Dumber As Technology Gets Smarter?” Campbell says that “society is getting dumber as technology gets smarter” (Campbell). The movie Idiocracy is an example of what the society could possibly look like if we rely on technology too much. In this movie, the main plot involved how technology has been advancing throughout the years, but yet the people seem to be less intelligent than ever before. This movie is entirely fictional, but from how the society acts upon technology these days,

I believe that as technology improves the human brain improves to create more things. In “Smarter than You Think” the author Clive Thompson believes that technology and humans have equal intelligence. Humans are so reliant on technology to the fact that we are constantly improving on them. Since the development of technology information has been easier to obtain and hold inside our brains. While technology is getting more complex, the human brain is also getting more complex in order to continually create new and better gear.

“We are gradually changing from a nation of calloused hands to a nation of agile brains.” – Marcel Just. (Begley 92) This quote really speaks to me. I find it to be very true as we are focusing more on developing new technology to do the work we might be doing with our hands. It is similar to the common expression “Work Smarter not Harder”. I think that this is what the internet is letting us do. However many authors and writers do not think this is the case. They believe that the internet is making us less intelligent as it is rewiring our brain to think in order of internet articles rather than books. I on the contrary believe the internet is giving us an easy opportunity to learn which is therefore making us more intelligent.

In chapter one of The Dumbest Generation, Mike Bauerlein makes several statements about our generation and comes to a conclusion that helps set the groundwork for the entire book. His analysis of today’s youth states that the current generation is lacking when it comes to intellectual knowledge. He provides evidence that states that today’s under-thirty population in the United States does not have adequate knowledge, and their lack of knowledge with affect them greatly in their adulthood years.

It is a natural tendency for people to assume that they are smarter than people that are younger than they are. It is widely thought that with age, comes more knowledge, and a better understanding of the world. However, this thinking can't be used as a broad statement for entire generations of people. While there certainly are older people that are much wiser than younger people, this fact doesn't mean that younger generations as a whole are dumb. With the knowledge and discoveries made by previous generations at the disposal of younger generation's, the young people of today are smarter than ever.

Along with the progression of society, major advances have been made in hundreds of different fields — particularly technology. Controversy has risen, and debates ensued over whether today's young Americans are really “the dumbest generation,” due to their “money, media, e-gadgets, and career plans” [Source A]. While advances have been made, they have brought with them resources to benefit off of, and ultimately assist in the overall intellect and intelligence of the human race.

Are Americans getting dumber? In the age of 24-hour News cycle and reality TV celebrities turn presidential candidates it would appear so. In fact, author Susan Jacoby wrote a popular editorial for the Washington post in 2008 called How Dumb Can We Get? Claiming that Americans are, well, getting dumber. Jacoby attributes the problem, one she calls anti-intellectualism, to the increased integration of technology into our everyday lives. However, before we heed the message of Susan Jacoby and brush up on our celestial navigation and nephology, let's consider a few things.

It is believed by many that younger generations, those under the age of thirty are the “dumbest”. Apparently, technology has now influenced and molded people into less-intelligent individuals who lack the knowledge and skills that people of the same age once acquired. Though if we look at more aspects of their learning capabilities, millennials do have the potential to be bright beings, now seen through more creative, non-traditional ways. And because of this, younger generations cannot be undermined as they have high levels of cognitive abilities, the help from technology, and how technology makes them write more and be more involved with their interests. Younger generations are not limited in their cognitive abilities, rather these abilities are expanding as time progresses.

The uses of technology like computers and cell phones are growing every day with new uses and forms. There are mixed feelings about if technology is making us smarter or stupider thru out day to day life. Nicolas Carr a New York Times writer wrote an article about “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” and he tries to show people that computers are making our lives simpler and there for making us as humans stupid. Another writher that goes by the name Greg is a writer for digitaltonto.com, and he found the previous article and wrote “How Computers Change the Way We learn” which is about how all lot of the facts in Carr article could have been read to say anything that the author wanted, so he could make people believe.

Intelligence is not based on what one already knows. Instead, it is based upon our ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills towards a certain topic. In other words, how one will process and use the information that has been given to them. The learning and thinking capacity today’s generation posses is not only greater than those of previous generations but more effective as well. Researcher Mizuko Ito agrees. In her 3-year study she states, “...young people acquire various forms of technical and media literacy by

Are we to busy searching the web to realize how dumb we are becoming? We live in the age of technology, where there is easy access to the Internet. Nicholas Carr, the author of “Does the Internet Make you Dumber?” stated a good question that is relevant to our generation. Since we have easy access to the Internet, it is making us dumber instead of smarter. I believe individuals have taken advantage of the Internet and it is costing them their thinking skills. Sometimes individual don’t realize the impact that the internet has on our brain and education. The author states that the internet comes with distractions, many information, and it models our brains.