Technology, Education, and Society

We are a culture driven by the need for speed, fast cars, supersonic planes, lightning quick computers, high speed internet access, we want everything at the touch of a button. Our lust for high tech gadgets and gizmos is only satisfied through the advance of technologies. Technology has become the foundation upon which people base their daily activities. Though few people oppose technology, most people would agree that technology is an extremely essential tool to our everyday lives. It is important to continually advance in technological ideas. If a nation fails to develop their technological skills, then that nation will become inferior. Being the 21st century, it is important to persist on using technology because it will lead to an improved, superior society.

Technology has become an increasingly popular source for finding information. Ever since the printing press was invented, information has been widely available for use. Gutenburg invented the printing press over 500 years ago, in effect creating what is known as the age of information. During this time, books, magazines, and newspapers became available to the common people. All these different sources contained information that previously was inaccessible. A recent surge in technology has brought about another age of information.

Technology advances have created the latest tools for using information to learn. Learning by experience is the most productive technique in discovering how to do something. John Dewey, an educational theorist, would try to do something on his own. Even though he would take risks and make many mistakes along the way, he would keep trying until it was right. According to Dewey, this is the most effective method. Dewey’s point has effected many people and companies. Computer manufacturers and software developers are now following Dewey’s lead by not including instructions with their products. It is best to learn by doing. Hence, if there is a problem, then there is a number included to call to ask for help.

In the past, the foremost means of gathering information was through encyclopedias, books, and newspapers. Although finding information through these processes were effective and beneficial, it was also time consuming. For those who always seem to get lost in the endless stacks of papers and bookshelves in the library, technology is a lifesaver. The most recent and popular way of finding information is through technology. CD-ROMs have replaced encyclopedias, and computers now provide Internet access. The Internet puts massive amounts of information right at the fingertips of the user. Sections of books or encyclopedias can be accessed with the click ...

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Computers are notorious for their myriad uses. Most people find computers to be a user-friendly invention. However, Ted Gup, the author of “The End of Serendipity,” blatantly disagrees. He pessimistically admits that “the computer, the Internet, and the World Wide Web are redefining literacy and reshaping the architecture of how they learn. (Gup 479)” According to Gup, the problem with computers is that when a person is searching for information on a computer, the search is found in a single keystroke. There is no browsing through the book, flipping of pages, no risk of derangement, and no unintended results. His solution to this problem would be to create a computer virus that

would display a random assortment of information to all computers, so everyone could experience the act of learning serendipitously. Ted Gup is one of the authors that openly opposes the uses of technology.

Just like any new idea developed, new technology tends to favor some groups of people, yet harms other groups. As Neil Postman states in his essay, “Informing Ourselves to Death,” technological change “always results in winners and losers. (Postman 487)” Technology interferes with a person’s private life. People are more vulnerable to being tracked and controlled, they get obscured by junk mail, and they are easy targets for advertising agencies. A major problem with technology is schools are teaching their children about computers instead of teaching more valuable lessons. The computer can be thought of as a “magnificent toy that distracts us from facing what we most needed to confront - spiritual emptiness, knowledge of ourselves, usable conceptions of the past and future. (Postman 493)”

However, the computer is not capable of answering the fundamental questions needed to make peoples’ lives more meaningful and humane. Postman affirms “that all of this is a monumental and dangerous waste of human talent and energy. (Postman 494)” Technology is not manipulated to explore a single interest. An endless array of knowledge can be gained from what technology has to offer. If technology doesn’t continue to improve, then people must learn to be satisfied with living in a society that is equivalent to a pre-scientific age. The world would never advance or become a more developed place.

Fortunately, technology has been advancing at an inexorable pace. According to

the scholar Peshe Kuriloff’s essay, “If John Dewey Were Alive Today, He’d be a Webhead,” to keep up with the new technology, students also need to upgrade their skills with the computer. “…we should encourage them to search the Internet for new information and ideas. The skills involved in that process are the same skills that will help them find solutions for today’s social, economic, and political problems. (Kuriloff 485)” Furthermore, computers and technology improve modern education. Learning from multimedia sources has been given a rapid thrust ahead of learning by reading.

Additionally, technology expands on Dewey’s idea of learning how to do something by trying. “Learning how to learn has become the most fundamental skill that an educated person needs to master, and the instrument that enables learning in almost every field is the computer. (Kuriloff 484)” Computers teach people how to be open-minded. Open-minded people are independent thinkers that are more likely to try various approaches needed to make something work, or to solve a problem. The influence technology has on people has had valuable effects not only for independent people, but also for employees, businesses, and the world.

Computers have become a source of globalization. It is a great machine that can be used for interconnectedness ranging from all parts of the globe. Gup explains that it would be a shame if computers also created a world of isolationists. He believes we use computers only to engage in information of our own personal interests. “Instead of a global village, we risk a race of cyber-hermits. (Gup 480)” People more commonly are spending their time on the Internet with instant messaging and e-mails, becoming secluded from other activities and their surroundings. Though the World Wide Web can

be used for one’s own interests, it can be used for educational purposes as well. One does not need to be a Luddite, a person who opposes technology, to understand that technology does not obstruct a person’s well being.

Those that use technology can appreciate all the benefits that it offers. It is extremely important to continue the advancement and modernization of computers. A nation that does not encourage computers would be considered substandard. These nations continue to live in a pre-scientific age, where education and society are deemed inferior. Being the 21st century, in order to maintain a nation’s success, the nation must be willing to encourage and improve technology.

Works Cited

Gup, Ted. “The End of Serendipity.” Kirszner and Mandell 471-481.

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. The Blair Reader. 4th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002.

Kuriloff, Peshe. “If John Dewey Were Alive Today, He’d Be a Webhead.” Kirszner and Mandell 482-485.

Postman, Neil. “Informing Ourselves to Death.” Kirszner and Mandell 486-494.