Week 3 Online

Questions for Thought:

-What has changed from the first one (Growing Up Online) made in 2008 to the newer one (Digital Nation) filmed in 2010?  How did what you watched in the two videos support your feelings about technology or how did it change your views? 

My feelings after watched two video technologies is taking over, which is true. Is that a bad thing? I started to think maybe technology has a negative effect on us and we don’t even know. Two videos that I watched caught my eye and I became interested to know if it’s possible for technology to rewire our brains. . Does technology change our brains and society, and if it does, how?

I think technology is a process that defines and nurtures the way people make contact, then technology not only changes culture but it changes it in a very particular direction–a de-humanizing direction Technology has increased dramatically. Despite using science and technology to better our lives, we are the real slaves to technology. We indulge in the need to always have something electronic in our hands – a tool that connects us to the Internet, our games or to our social networks.

-Your thoughts on multitasking.  Do you agree?  Can you multitask?  Do you disagree with the video on the topic of multitasking?

 Actually, I agree and disagree with multitasking. I disagree with multitasking because is inefficient and it is possible to use multiple senses at any given moment, it’s easy to believe you can answer a phone, enjoy a meal, review documents and listen to a conversation effectively.  Also, breaking the multitasking habit and learning to focus on one project at a time requires discipline and the ability to prioritize. Single-focus tasking is by far the most productive way to work.  In addition, multitasking is that it promotes the illusion that people can do two things at once, and nothing could be further from the truth. On the other hand, I agree because the ability to switch between different projects can also stimulate our creativity, keep us from being bored, or even inspire us. Also, multitasking is the ability to create applications that use more than one process and to create processes that use more than one thread of execution.

-Is there an addiction happening in society today with technology or is it just a new way of living?   Should we be concerned?

Not all of the changes created by technology are good. Advances in medical technology have extended the time people live. But sometimes the quality of life for these people is very low. Most of us who inhabit mass technological society find it difficult to understand technology's impact on social reality, let alone on our psyches. It is not a new idea that we who live in mass technological society suffer psychological addiction to specific machines like cars, telephones, and computers, and even to technology itself. But the picture is bigger and more complex. Technology addiction has swept through every corner of the globe, leaving not one man, woman or child untouched. While addictions have plagued societies for hundreds of years, historically addictions affected primarily the adult population, leaving the children to suffer only the secondary effects. As we are all aware, adult addictions create havoc on work productivity and home relationships. We know very little about child addiction, yet are handing children highly addictive technological devices at an alarming rate. Even our health and education systems appear blind to the utter disorder and chaos that is resulting from unrestricted and escalating use of technology by young children.

  

-Do video games serve a purpose in education or are they a waste of time?

The saying goes, “anything in excess is bad”. The same rule applies to video gaming as well and this is where the activity becomes meaningless and a waste of precious time. Without proper discretion on the gamer’s side, he or she can easily become addicted to the excitement and fun that video games can provide for him.  The important thing here is to understand that video games have both good and a bad aspects to them and that focusing more on the positive aspects can help make gaming more valuable and useful instead of serving as a bad way to pass the time. In addition, I thing using games the impact of entertainment software and that utilize games as a teaching device in a growing number of classrooms and business settings.  Expanding the use of a favorite leisure activity, computer and video games, into a critical and still-emerging educational resource. More than just play, entertainment software helps impart knowledge, develop life skills and reinforce positive habits in students of all ages.

-Do you believe that digital tools such as Google tools can save schools that are struggling?

I thing one of the challenges of using Google with a class full of students is in managing all those Google. While it's fairly easy for students to learn to share their work with you, the clutter that ends up in your email box can be overwhelming. For many schools, the dream technology program is just that a dream.  Teachers do not have the time or experience to properly integrate technology into the classroom. Many educators mistakenly believe that any technology is good technology.  This means that, at times, the introduction of technology may be a barrier in and of itself.

-Do parents of today have any idea what their kids are doing online?

I agree, in that parents should monitor what their kids do online, if they start to do too much, teenagers will just rebel against it and it's the parents' responsibility to set boundaries. Sadly most people are happy to shove a tablet or laptop onto their child and let them get on with it.  Also, parents need to educate themselves and become comfortable with the Internet. Communicate the dangers and risks of being online with your children. Supervise your children on the Internet just as you would monitor what movies and TV shows they watch and the places they go with their friends.

-Are kids and adults today ruining their digital footprints by sharing too much information online without realizing that it may be detrimental to their future? Should they care?

I think some people both kids and adults do not realize that what they are posting or saying to people does not go away. People do not realize what they say can be seen by future employers, future in laws, and law enforcement. The parents in this video probably trust their kids too, thankfully though this video was put out almost a decade after I was a teenager online. Parents are getting smart; they are learning that there is a need to educate your teen to be safe online.

-“Stranger Danger” and predator fears are often overblown by the media on shows such as Datelines “To Catch a Predator”.  What are the real dangers of technology in this day and age? 

There are many dangers of technology in this day. First, creates new diseases and disorders such as obesity, laziness and a loss of personality. Second, the increase in transportation technology has brought stressful traffic congestion in some areas. Third, new forms of entertainment, such as video games and internet access could have possible social effects on areas such as academic performance. Forth, children and Teens sometimes spend too much time online.