Computers: do they create less hassle in everday life or foster bad habits?
Think of someone you know who doesn’t have a computer. In fact, try to think of someone you know who has never used a computer. Pretty difficult, right? While the older generations among us learned to adapt to the computer age, the younger generation have learned from computers; many people under age 25 have never known a world without computers.
Computers and other forms of technology make certain tasks that were once tedious or difficult much easier (consider the capability to instantaneously send photos to a friend in another state versus what some of us at the time believed to be state of the art Polaroid cameras). Nevertheless, some people argue that computers have done more harm than good.
In his book titled The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future (or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30), Mark Bauerein argues that Generation Y, people ages 16- 29, has been negatively affected by growing up in a world rife with BBMs, chatting and email. He argues that the habits we form when communicating through these mediums are hard to break when transitioning to writing a paper for school or the workplace. He also states that social networking sites provide a distorted perception of reality that makes the users believe they are the center of the universe. Outside of social networking sites, some people are unable to interact with peers; the computer robs them of healthy, in person social skills.
Others disagree with Mr. Bauerein and maintain that people are just as smart as ever. They assert that even though computers may affect the ways in which we process information, it has not changed innate human ability to do so. In response to this idea, many teachers embrace technology and use it in the classroom to help their students learn in new and exciting ways. Some teachers have classroom online blogs while others use Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog character to study Homer’s The Odyssey. They recognize that students respond more positively to what they may deem as “boring” topics when the concepts are supplemented by the use of computers.
It seems that Mark Bauerein’s argument may be proven wrong as many American schools push for abandoning 10-pound textbooks with computer based books and learning materials. Of course, the transition will take time: schools must ensure student access to computers and proper teacher training. However, the effort expended on the transition may save some schools as much as $419 million dollars per year, allowing them to hire more teachers and reduce classroom sizes.
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Author: Ellen Richards
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