| Is frequent use of technology literally rewiring our brains? Is that good or bad? | Yes and in my personal opinion there's both bad and good. However, the negative effects of technology are worse than the positives it could bring. To explain, Bauerlaein (2008) questions whether our dependence on computers is making us less able to function in the real world.
Carr (2010), suggests that, as a result of the Internet, we are more distractible and less able to concentrate on important ideas. He argues "that the Internet may well be the single most powerful mind-altering technology that has ever come into general use." |
| Why does Carr (2010) argues that too much Internet use can negatively impact development? | 1. Carr argues that the amount and accessibility of information on the Internet encourage people to examine ideas superficially, and this shallow processing is having negative effects on cognitive development.
2. He cautions that "when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, bypassing inner processes of consolidation, we risk emptying our mind of the riches" (Carr, 2010, p. 192).
Could easy access to computers actually have an adverse effect our our students' thinking and cognitive development? |
| According to research, what are the advantages and disadvantages of students having a home computer? | 1. The ONLY educational advantage is the development of computer skills.
2. As for disadvantages, achievement in math, language arts, and writing actually declined in some instances, especially for lower income students. Instead of using computers to access information and study, students were instead using them to PLAY VIDEO GAMES and SOCIALISE (Malamud & Popeleches, 2010; Stross, 2010; Vigdor & Ladd, 2010).
3. Most adolescents perceive cell phones and other technologies not as a source of new information, but as a vehicle to INITIATE and MAINTAIN social relationships (Warschauer, 2011). |
| Why is children learning from the Internet can be considered problematic? | 1. The Internet has huge amounts of information on it and students are unable to filter through and learn from it (Afflerbach & Cho, 2010; Manning, Lawless, Goldman, & Braasch, 2011).
2. Students are overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of information, and aren't familiar with ways to DISTINGUISH between good and bad sites.
3. Students also have problems integrating information from different sites into coherent understanding.
As such, schools and parents need to do a better job of preparing students for productive use of the Internet. |
| According to research, what are some positive effects of use of video games for student development? | 1. Certain video games can actually have a positive effect on vision, attention, spatial reasoning, and decision making (Denworth, 2013).
2. Video games can improve older players' short-term memory and long-term focus, according to finding increased activity in the prefrontal cortex (Anguera et al., 2013).
However, experts are still cautious about the level of violence and inappropriate content that permeates most video games (Denworth, 2013, Gentile, 2011). |
| In respect to language development, is the practice of texting by young people helpful or detrimental? | 1. There is concern about texting and its impact on people's ability to use standard language accurately and effectively.
2. Some research suggests that the use of "techspeak", shortcuts, such as homophones, omissions, nonessential letters, and initials, to quickly text messages hinders people's ability to switch between techspeak and the normal rules of grammar (Cingel & Sundar, 2012).
3. It should be considered that this is part of the growing culture of having technology as an integral part of life. Therefore in this context, other researchers argue that texting is actually improving language development (Patterson, 2011). |
| What are some of the conclusions we can make from incorporating technology in the classroom? | One clear message exists. Merely exposing our students to technology won't produce learning, and it may even detract from it.
As with all learning tools and activities, CLEAR LEARNING OBJECTIVES and CAREFUL PLANNING are essential if students are to derive maximum benefit from technology.
We also need to work closely with parents to help them understand that technology must be used appropriately to contribute to learning and development. |
