FInal Blog Post

 

How Has Technology Impacted My Life & The Lives of Others ?

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Technology: A Digital Monkeys Paw

The Benefits

   Throughout most of my formative years from an educational sense, technology has been ever present and seemingly almost always necessary throughout my academic life. I began using a laptop when I was in fourth grade, and as I entered 5th grade I was required to have my own device, an iPad, present at school all day everyday until my 8th grade year. Upon hitting high school I graduated to using my laptop for my freshman year, and from then on I have been cycling through a series of laptops, cameras, touch pads, and multiple other tech based items. As one can see technology has been inscribed into my life and the lives of many around my age I assume. Truthfully, I mention this to gage that many children now days are taught with some kind of tech. Wether it is a tablet, a VR, a smart board, or even an online software or database of some sort. This as stated before has its benefits and can seemingly make working easier, but this blessings comes with its downfalls as well.

The Downsides

    While technology has always been designed and created to make lifestyle for people easier, it has unintentionally made us docile to a myriad of otherwise everyday activities. This goes for simple task as washing ones car and clothes without a machine and too even simpler ones such as everyday learning. For example as one can see in the picture above this is how a typical classroom will look now with students seemingly less engaged and active, but rather face down into laptops and tablets. Granted all if not most are taking notes for their class and studies, but it is seemingly less engaging and changes the learning atmosphere and shows how dependent we are on this type of technology. We are even more dependent now thanks to the impacts of COVID-19 and the change to a distanced style of learning. For example in 2019. The National Center for Educational Statistics conducted a study on 4th and 8th grade students. The 4th grade study below claimed that 81% of 4th graders claimed to have access to technology or a tablet at home to be used for school. However 19% claimed they had no access what so ever. However the 8th grade study of the same grouping of children that same year claimed that 88% had access while another 12% did not. (Link attached to bot photos upon click)

4th Grade

8th Grade

    To me this illustrates two things. The first being how dependent we are on technology. As if we were not already in a digital dominate age we are now in an even further one since we were forced into isolated states of learning this past year. Thankfully, some schools have recognized this and have tried to alter, and supply as much technology as they could. This also shows to me that technology will continue to accelerate and grow as it grew by an exponential nine percent from 4th to 8th grade alone. Truthfully technology has made and will continue to make a lasting impact on modern society as well as the future of society as we know it.

A Web of Access and Opportunities

The last thing I will touch upon is the very idea of accessibility when it comes the so called World Wide Web. As technology becomes involved more and more in peoples everyday life people thanks to said involvement will now have much more general access and opportunity for better and for worse.  As discussed in articles linked through the National Cyber Security Alliance an article on the Washington Post discussed how cyber safety is of the utmost important. The article claims this because due to the overall accessibility and ease it takes to use the internet now days one must employ aftermath safe guards but better yet forms of premature defenses. The article elaborates on how technology is ever growing there fore we must consistently be changing our tactics for safeguarding among other things. For Example: the article discusses how one of the main reasons that technology is given such a bad advertisement is that people are often not warned of the dangers. Many people will often discuss how wonderful and easy it is to complete task at the click of a button or two, but many will not take the time or simply have not had the time to be educated on the dangers of it in depth and detail. A great example of what should happen would be this course we are in right now as the course not only builds upon what we already know, but it also elaborates on the ideas that in the digital world nothing is truly personal and or secret under a world wide web as their is always another party who can and does have the means to access all personal activities in a manner of seconds. In conclusion technology is filled with its ups and downs, but in truth as long as one takes fourth not only the ideals of this class but also contains the ability to function without the crutch of technology looming over us like a shadow.