Technology and Change: the Unending Debate - Essay Example

?Technology and Change: The Unending Debate Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid What the Internet is doing to our brains." Atlantic July2008: pp. 186-94. Web. 31 Mar 2011. . Nicholas Carr has written several articles which are informative and credible as per the intelligent reflections of his opinions and experiences. The article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" was published in The Atlantic magazine. This article focuses on the reality of the famous search engine Google. This search engines stands among the most common and leading search engines. The writer, Nicholas Carr, is of the opinion that although internet brings an unending pool of information, there are some discrepancies regarding the information available on it. He argues that internet has altered the way we think and read. The cognitive effects of using internet for reading and research have been emphasized and the article clearly provides a balanced opinion on the use of internet. Carr appraises internet or Google specifically, for providing information easily, quickly and in vast amounts. He highlights the time saving ability of internet and the ease of gathering information without spending days on finding the correct book for the information required. Carr provides much of his article on how internet is badly affecting the reading habits and in doing so he asserts that "The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing" (Carr p. 187). The analysis of the topic is credible for the use of views of other professionals in different fields like computer, medicines, literature and so on. This article is useful for our research topic as it provides ample information on the negativity of internet on our learning, reading and thinking abilities. Gibson, William. "THE NET IS A WASTE OF TIME." New York Times Magazine 14 Jul. 1996: n. pag. Web. 31 Mar 2011. . William The article written by Gibson is a good source of information for our research topic. This article was published in the New York Times magazine. The fame andreputation of the magazine itself shows the credibility of the work of Gibson. Gibson provides an indepth yet sarcastic view of the role that internet and technologies play in our lives. His sarcastic way of telling the internet story is brilliant. The article focuses on how internet use employs all the time we have. The person surfing over internet, emailing, chatting or browsing ends up doing nothing or having lesser information in hand by the end of the day. Internet provides a number of distractions for the user, hence the author titles the article "The net is a waste". Gibson concludes that " it offers us the opportunity to waste time, to wander aimlessly, to daydream about the countless other lives, the other people, on the far sides of however many monitors in that postgeographical meta-country we increasingly call home" (Gibson 1996). The article helps in understanding the real image and position of internet in our lives. The internet provides a whole new world to the users but is it reality? The author questions the practicality of the ideas provided and efficiency of it in the real life of people. This article is a good source of information on how well we use the technology in pursuing our goals and how its use is wasteful for us. Bradley, Eric. "Technology is making us lazy ." Computers & Technology. Helium, 10 Mar 2009. Web. 31 Mar 2011. . Erica Bradley's article is a more informed research towards understanding the technological impacts on our lives. The article contains researches and articles of various newspapers like from 'the rocky mountain news' which make the information in the article credible. Most of the authors indicate that ease of communication is the benefit of internet and latest technologies. However, Bradley suggests that "the best example of our laziness is inability to communicate face-to-face". Bradley sees virtual communication means as a negative impact of internet and communication devices. The article firstly questions on the advantages that the technologies bring for us. The article provides many open-ended questions and the author simply leaves those questions unanswered after providing the facts and opinions in detail. The article is a good piece of information which do not directly provide any hateful comment but gives a one-sided view and leaves the decision on the reader. This article is helpful in our research as it provides a simple yet helpful discussion on how the technology is making us lazy and less active. This can further be evaluated by the use of cars and other vehicles to move around to the nearby places even and using video games as a source of leisure rather than physical activities and other sports. Similarly, using computers and the internet for shopping supports this claim by the author. This article, hence, provides a great deal of space for further research and critical thinking over the topic. " "Technology's a blessing and curse to students". USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education). FindArticles.com. 31 Mar, 2011.< http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2724_134/ai_n15380367/?tag=content;col1> The USA today provides a brief yet informative work on the evaluation of technology. The article provides informed claims about the benefits and drawbacks of technology. The technological advancements on one hand provide an easier means of communication to the people living away from their homes and homelands. The article emphasizes on the concept of diversity and globalization by pointing towards the migrant population who leave their native countries for higher education or work. Technology is of particular importance for them to communicate with their families and friends. The article, for instance, suggests that "technology, including computers, e-mail, and cell phones, gives students a way to keep their relationships warm". An opposition to this claim is the fact that "some students may find it easier to watch their favorite television show or play games on the Internet". This way they will not only isolate themselves but will also minimize their socializing skills and physical activities. Technology is helpful in keeping and bringing people together, however, the negative elements cannot be ignored. The article is a short piece of information for the readers and is helpful in understanding the basic factors to distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of technology. It is important in starting up a debate on the topic and supporting claims of both ends of the topic. Bizymoms, . "Internet as a source of information. ." Computers and Technology. Bizymoms, Web. 31 Mar 2011. . The website Bizymoms.com provides an article on the use of internet as a source of information. The article provides that "the internet has become the best source of information as there is nothing on which you cannot find information by browsing the internet." It is true that we can easily browse about any topic and issue over the internet and usually we find useful information easily. The article provides some simple information and goes so far as to call it the BEST source of accessing information. The article, however, lacks to identify the weaknesses which are obvious and should have been included for a better understanding. This article provides some guidelines to detect good sources of information on the internet. The article does not provide information about the individual writers but publishes it in the database as a copyrighted material. The information is all dependent on personal evaluations and much referencing is not done. The credibility of the article may be questioned but the claims are so visible in the real life that we can and do experience them. The article is closer to our daily life experiences and is hence easily comprehensible. The article is helpful in understanding the ways to find credible sources, useful information and making sure that information is relevant to the topic. This article may help in explaining how internet can provide information which is helpful, relevant and up-to-date. Technology in the field of information gathering and education is, hence, helpful if it is used wisely. Means, Barbara. "Critical Issue: Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students." Learning point Associates. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1997. Web. 31 Mar 2011. . Means uses a number of research articles and studies to support the claims made. This article is made and published for an educational website and is, hence, credible and academically suitable. The article provides detailed, rather than brief, view on the claims. There are a number of research papers which are amalgamated in a single paper to provide in depth knowledge on how technology enhances learning. This issue is of particular importance for us as learners and may provide a crucial point for the debate. The article analyzes how technology and its advancements have changed the course of studies and how students are affected by them. This article is a good source to understand the peculiarities of the topic and generate information based on evidences by credible sources. This article provides information about teaching models which incorporate and encourage technology in learning like constructivist learning and teaching models. This article is a detailed piece of information on the use of technology in aiding the learning environment of children. Read More