IMPACTS ON TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT

Many of us have become very dependent on technology as it plays a very important role in our daily lives

We never really acknowledge the way technology has evolved over the years and how much it has both helped and hurt us. 

In many ways technology has enabled us to strengthen relationships by keeping in contact with old friends, colleagues, and co-workers. 

Let’s use our imagination a bit. If the internet, mobile devices, and games were taken away from us, how would we feel? I know many of us would feel like a part of our life is missing due to technology now being a necessity in our everyday life.

In my opinion, being dependent upon technology has only conditioned us to become less social, interactive, and outgoing.

With technology playing a significant role in my life as a student, parent, and employee, sometimes I find it rather difficult to engage in a conversation with friends without the use of technology.

Society has always been impacted by technology. Each invention has affected how people relate to one another and how cultures have expanded or ended. Technology impacts how cities grow, where people live, and who owns what. Technologies are the reason a few people are very rich, that people are more social, and that teaching and learning is changing.

People developed a language so they could communicate and learn from elders through their stories. They invented tools for agriculture, to build homes, and to create weapons for hunting and protection. Civilizations have been impacted by natural disasters, encroachment from other civilizations, and from problems within their own community. Technology not only increased humans’ life span but how we live, how long we live, and how many there are of us.

Public transportation changed when the automobile became part of every family. Television shows replaced dinner conversations. We saw man walk on the moon and the horrors of war in our living rooms.

The Internet and mobile technology are changing the way people interact, work, and learn. Everyone can report the news or share a picture from their cell phone. You can produce your own music, publish your own book, blog your thoughts that you usually keep to yourself, create a website with even personal information, and talk on your cell whenever and wherever you want. We are using technology for our own use yet it infringes on others.

People are leaving landline phones and television. They use Internet-based services like YouTube and Skype. It is a generational shift with even older generations jumping on board. Companies are marketing to a new kind of multinational and navigating the digital Silk Road.

 The old hierarchical system is falling away. Textbooks are starting to become open source.

With more people and crowded conditions, new technologies will be necessary to support and sustain us. Let’s also make sure we use these tools to tell and protect our stories. Video, audio, images, and interactive features open doors to worlds and cultures that children could never learn in a book. We need to allow for private spaces for confidential discussions and provide guides for tentative and eager participants. 

It is our duty as educators to guide students and other educators as they become innovative producers, teach them to become cautious consumers, and learn how they can use these tools to reach their fullest potential. We need to support the arts and artists and value each other’s culture. Let’s take these next few years to design digital ways to connect us not only to each other but to promote our values, to respect each other, and to encourage innovation as we develop a place for ourselves in the 21st century!