Is Technology Taking Over?

Doesn’t it seem like there’s a new gadget out every month? There was the ipod, bluetooth, handheld laptops and, recently, the iphone. In today’s society, it is almost impossible to live without technology. Most of us can’t even imagine life without our cell phones. You almost start to think whether technology is taking over the world.

Unfortunately, technology is also hard to keep up with—especially for the older generation. My grandparents refuse to use a DVD player and getting a cell phone was a huge step. It took about a good six months for them to finally realize you don’t have to talk into the cell phone like a walkie-talkie for the person on the other end to hear you.

The majority of students today have laptops and most of us can’t remember when the internet didn’t exist. Many students can probably relate to the video “A Vision of Students Today” because it expresses how today’s students can be reached and how to connect with them.

It is agreeable that professors should get updated with technology. Understanding today’s technology would probably benefit professors in helping them get through to students and to understand them.

I often find myself a little more motivated to do an assignment that requires YouTube or anything dealing with the internet because I am familiar with it, making it easier to work with. It’s not confusing like a lot of textbooks are and makes me motivated to do the assignment because I can actually understand it.

Many have found that attending class is difficult when you’re also working 20 to 30 hours a week, which only pushes that online class back further. Learning how to prioritize time is the best thing to learn while being in college. Don’t try to do everything at once or you’ll just end up stressed and feeling older than your age.

If professors don’t keep up with advancing technology, their students may not learn anything in the future. You can see in classrooms today that many people have laptops with them. Some who claim to be “taking notes” are actually chatting, browsing myspace.com or playing games. A lot of professors are losing their students’ attention and focus. Sadly, students find ways to entertain themselves to pass the time in class.

However, letting go of a system that has worked for decades isn’t the answer to the problem. It is a system that has been responsive for many generations and continues to be. Now, it just has to be modernized to make class more interesting.

I’ve realized that classes held online are often the ones I don’t do well in. Online classes usually get taken advantage of by me because I procrastinate in them. The notes and assignments are online so it gets pushed back to the last thing on my to-do list.

Classes on campus work better because there is a professor there who is trying to interact with you. Students find lecture boring but I’ve found that I learn more and my mind actually picks up stuff that he is saying even if my ears aren’t really listening. The subconscious mind is an amazing thing. Being on campus is also a good college experience.

The students in the video do make good points. Technology is a big deal and professors need to understand that it’s a part of today’s students. However, I think that the focus is more on the problem than the solution.

Perhaps the solution is to integrate current technology with lecture. Most students buy books for hundreds of dollars and never see the inside of them. If reading assignments could be found online, students would probably respond more. A lot of students who buy books never see the inside of them, anyway.