Technology As A Way Of Life And Express

Education is a constantly changing aspect of every individual’s life, and it will never stop transforming. The format that a student learns has drastically changed over time, and continues to morph every year with new standards and new technology. The idea of utilizing technology in the classroom is a controversial one for many reasons. Some argue that it is too costly and ineffective to justify. While many people argue that the use of technology in the classroom is too expensive, offers an unneeded distraction, and is ineffective for the student, there are many positive factors that technology can have such as improving the lives of students with learning disabilities, all-access to educators, improving the damaged school system, and

Lass, D., Morzuch, B., & Rogers, R. (2007). Teaching with technology to engage students and enhance learning. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Department of Resource Economics/Working Paper No. 20071. Retrieved from: http://www.umass.edu/resec/workingpapers

Distinctions between “digital immigrants” and “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001a; Prensky, 2001b) have been frequently referenced over the past decade. Much has been written about digital native students as a part of the Net generation (Tapscott, 1998; Tapscott, 2008) or as Millennials (Howe & Strauss, 2000), which generally includes learners “born in the 1980s and later” (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005, p. 1.2). However, little work fully considers the impact of digital immigrant discourse as it appears within the field of adult learning and continuing education. Indeed, such discussion seems increasingly necessary given the growing body of recent evidence calling into question such popular, binary notions characterizing youth as ubiquitously tech

To demand a new way of teaching and learning involving technology. (Thomas, 2011, p. 4) These popular claims within the seminal literature on digital natives (for example, that digital natives possess a sophisticated set of ICT [Information and Communication Technologies] knowledge and skills or that they have different learning styles or preferences) are largely unsupported by research evidence (Bennett, Maton, & Kirvan, 2008, p. 777). However, using these claims, enthusiasts’ present digital natives as a part of a utopian vision of technology tied to an exoticized picture of liberated young people (Buckingham, 2011). Despite slight distinctions, the terms digital native, the Net generation, and Millennials are used interchangeably (Jones et al., 2010, p. 723). Digital immigrants are characterized as individuals born before 1980 who knew an analogueonly world and still rely on analogue forms of interaction. For digital immigrants, the communication changes happening via the introduction of digital technologies are supposedly learned and relearned, instead of easily becoming second nature (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008, p. 4). Problems are often identified not with the digital natives but rather with older generations of non-natives who display their “digital immigrant accent” (Prensky, 2001a, p. 3) when using new technologies. In this way, digital immigrants are portrayed as being tied to older media, unable to catch up (Buckingham, 2011), therefore embodying the antithesis

The people of this world, especially today's youth, heavily rely on and engage in technology. With technology comes new ideas and processes that at first may be hard to understand, specifically if the person is from an older generation. Since today's youth was born into technology, most adults consider the youth to be "digital natives". Along with being native to technology and the media it produces, today's youth is also thought to be digitally literate. When someone is digitally literate they generally understand the processes and creation of this technology and how it functions. Due to the fact that technology has such an impact on our lives and the topic of digital natives is such a big debate, it has sparked some conversation on the question of whether or not youth are truly digital natives.

The students in school all the way to university level that are currently studying are considered the “Digital Native” generation (Prensky 1-6). This is the generation that was born into technology and have always had computers, video games, cameras and mobile phones as part of their lives. They have grown up playing computer or video games, emailing, instant messaging and browsing the internet. They have always had a plethora of information at their fingertips and this has shaped their ways of thinking and processing data, as compared to the previous generations. While some speculate as to whether their early exposure to digital technology has affected their physical brain structure and patterns of thought, it is agreed that they definitely approach the world differently. (Prensky 1).

In Jennifer Fisher’s article “Living and Learning in a World of ‘White Noise’: Technology, Youth, and the University” the article mentions two opinions of scholars on either side of a debate, on the impact of technology in youth. The first extreme is, that the current generation is the “dumbest generation” made up of illiterate, self-absorbed people, who do not care about the history politics or culture of their society. The opposition is a romanticized version, where youth are literate intellectuals, who are “connected , publicly minded, sociable and contributing members to the digital world”. Regardless, both ideas depend on the adoption of information communication technologies, and the internet, a place where anyone can be free to learn

In Urs Gassers and Jon Palfreys, Born Digital, both authors take a sociological approach on analyzing and interpreting the new phenomenon known as the emergence of Digital Natives, or the part of society born after 1980. The main thesis for Born Digital that Urs Gassers and Jon Palfrey were trying to transcend, was how individuals who are Born Digital are transforming the world we live in. Digital Natives are transforming our world because of their interactions and intuit with technology and the web. Those born after 1980 have grown up in a networked world and are different, in sometimes enigmatic ways, from those born before them. In Palfrey and Gasser's view, the digital natives promise to make astonishing contributions to society,

Technological advances have certainly entered this era to facilitate people’s lives. There is no doubt that some new technology has been created to help operate or effectively manage time in a way that would be beneficial to humans. Technology significantly helps a number of people. A group that greatly benefits with the advances of technology is teenagers. Teens constantly use computers for schoolwork, networking, or knowing anything they want to know with a simple use of their fingertips. Furthermore, with the advances it is no longer needed to leave the household to run an errand such as going out to pay a bill or do some shopping. As technology advances and enters the life of mostly all humans many begin to question how healthy these technological advances truly are. A couple of decades ago kids spent their time outside playing with their friends by the same token with items that did not require the use of electricity. Kids and adolescents would dedicate at least a part of their day to reading books and gaining knowledge from there instead of social media. Distinctively today’s adolescents instead of reading books will go on the internet for a summary and inform themselves in less than 5 minutes, spent their time inside playing video games or on their cellphones allowing technology to be the only thing they know and rely on to have fun or be informed. Moreover, this guides us to the points Ray Bradbury makes in his novel Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury touches on several

In her essay “Digital natives: where is the evidence?”, Dr. Helsper of the University of Oxford argues that “generation alone does not adequately define if someone is a digital native or not” and that a digital native is “someone who multi-tasks, has access to a range of new technologies, is confident in their use of technologies, uses the Internet as a first port of call for information and…uses the Internet for learning as well as other activities” (Helsper, 2009). In order to be a true digital native, the person would need to turn to the Internet and technology as a first source of information, not a second or third. Helsper believes that assuming all of those perceived to be digital natives have the same education and understanding of technology will be detrimental to those who do not have the knowledge and experience of their classmates, and that education and usage plays a greater part in understanding technology than generation (Helsper,

Now that technology is more accessible and used more often “Students today expect the use of technology in their classes, rather than have to listen to less-than-engaging lectures”

Technology has played an integral part in shaping society in many different ways. Throughout history, technological inventions have changed everything from the way humans are clothed and fed to the very ways we communicate and interact as a species. Examining the effects technology has on society illustrate both how technology shapes culture and society and how society can affect future technology. This can be seen by examining a few of the major technological innovations in human history followed by a look at a new technology and how it may shape future society.

Technology is the foundation of a teenager’s everyday life. It is hard for them, and myself, to imagine our lives without it. I am always on my cell for either work, communication, or entertainment, but sometimes it feels as if I am addicted to my cell phone, and I would say that my friends may even be worse. Even though I may be connected with everyone on social media, it’s hard to say I have a real connection with them in real life. Technology is unarguably one of the greatest achievements in history, but I think it has limits and restrictions on people’s social lives, including millennials. Technology hinders millennials from developing deep, meaningful relationships, gives them a false sense of reality, and creates impatience and lack of focus.

Technology has been involved in people’s lives forever, especially in the Millennial Generation. This generation consists of individuals born between the years of 1982-2004. The articles “The Flight From Conversation,” “Teens and Technology 2013,” and “Leading The Charge For Change” deals with teens interacting with technology today.Each article has different topics, but they connect through the over dependence of teens to technology. The Millennial Generation becomes less and less in touch with the real world and morphs into a quasi-reality.

At the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), technology is immensely incorporated into the lives of all students, faculty, and administration. With the Canvas Learning Management System, LionPATH, and wireless connectivity almost anywhere on campus, students are provided a technological infrastructure that allows them to stay virtually connected. Most students on campus are intensely focused on their smartphones or furiously typing away on their laptops. Some might say technology is a distraction from studies, while others think it comes with essential benefits. However, everyone can joke that by adding “.psu.edu” to the end of a word, there is probably a Penn State website for it. In the classroom, many professors utilize student response system (SRS) technology to gauge student understanding and increase participation. Studies show that SRSs in the classroom enhance learning performance and go beyond the typical spoken lecture (Cohn, Stephen, and Barry Fraser). Unfortunately, since Penn State does not enforce a universal SRS system, professors are inconsistent in choosing their methods of student response. This burdens students with additional costs on top of purchasing textbooks and other school supplies. Implementing a free-to-use student response system into the Canvas Learning Management System would drive the use of technology in classrooms, increase student engagement, and enhance overall academic excellence at no additional cost to Penn State students.