     | Our students live in a very visual world so I guess pictures help to engage their interest (a critical first step in the learning process) and in some cases illustrate concepts in ways that words alone cannot. Nonetheless I wonder where this technological revolution and resulting evolution of learning and thinking is taking us. In my mind, technology has made our lives easier but it has also made most of us lazier mentally, physically and creatively. What happened to painting pictures with words ... reading books, imagining characters and fanciful worlds? Now good stories are brought to life on the big screen before the book is out in paperback, and the special effects are hard to compete with in the classroom. Spelling and grammar checkers have made for lazy writers, "googling" has replaced research, the calculator has undermined mathematical literacy, and "cutting and pasting" has taken the place of composition. Has e-mail made us more meaningfully connected with loved ones far away or addicted to a box? It is a sad world when family members text message across the dining room table. Is this connectedness or social isolation? Do more meaningful conversations occur because we are never away from our phones? Don't we need time to be quiet with our thoughts? Difficult in the din of continual stimulation. |
Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying technology is inherently "bad;" it is certainly necessary for us to stay competitive in the global economy, but I wonder if it is a bit of a "runaway horse" as it infiltrates education. Is the pervasive use of PowerPoint really better than traditional lectures and notetaking? While I can see the benefit that Flickr Speller, Flickr Sudoku, or other mash-ups have for the individuals who wrote the programs, what is it beyond a novelty for those of us who play with them?
I try to think about all this in terms of scientific research and evolutionary theory. In pure or basic research, scientists investigate phenomena just to understand why things are the way they are; there is no necessary practical applications for this type of study although what is learned may serendipitously help to improve our quality of life. In much the same way, technology is developed "because we can" and then how it is applied depends on the results. I just wonder if we are doing the same kind of risk/benefit analysis with the application of technological tools in education that we do in clinical trials of new pharmaceuticals. Is technology really making learning better or are we being confounded by all the bells and whistles?
Technology is clearly a product of human creativity. It can only change with our input. However, I wonder if we have become intellectually one with our technology. As our computers get smarter do the minds and thinking skills of the average human devolve since there no longer is selective pressure on us alone to perform these tasks?
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Interestingly I heard a little sound bite on NPR that with all of our "electronica" human memories were declining. Thanks to cell phones, blackberries and other data storage devices, one doesn't need to remember phone numbers, your appointments or much of the other important bits of information we used to memorize. This study supports the hypothesis I posed in this entry. Hopefully we are using our "freed up" brain space for higher level thinking, but I kind of feel like it being filled with white noise instead.
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