For my research project, I chose the overarching idea that technology is beneficial to the education of a college student for a number of reasons. First off, I have always found technology fascinating because it is an industry that is ran by innovative and creative thinkers. I decided to relate technology to the education of college students because I have seen its growth in classrooms over the years. I also chose an age bracket that corresponds to my own, college aged students, because I could relate to my intended audience. The second reason why I chose this topic is that I believe that technology, when used appropriately, does improve our everyday lives. For example, my cell phone allows me to put all my important dates for tests and papers in my calendar so that I can manage my study time efficiently. The final reason why I chose this topic is that it relates to two of my core values, innovation and education. Innovation is a key value to have because it allows you to both understand and fulfill the world's needs. Likewise, education is also important to me because it determines my future. Overall, my research topic is what are the positive effects that technology has on a college student's education. 

The first source that can help me answer my research question is Ian Leslie's "Google Makes Us All Dumber: the Neuroscience of Search Engines," which was published in Salon in October of 2014. Leslie's article, which argues the issues with using search engines, states that the human race has become lazy due to the easy access to information, which has caused people to lose their curiosity and motivation to explore new ideas and theories. The author explains through a study conducted by Michelle Chouinard, a psychology professor at the University of California, how humans were born ignorant and therefore, it is only human instinct to search for answers. Leslie also emphasizes the need for a symbiotic relationship between technology and humans by quoting from a technology visionary, Kevin Kelly. The author obviously values technology, but he does not support the use of search engines to find all of life's questions. Rather, Leslie values exploration of new concepts and curiosity; he cares more about finding his own answer to a question than lazily typing the question into a search bar. This article relates to my research topic because it shows how the education system could fail due to a lack of innovative ideas from the use of technology. In all, Ian Leslie's article shows how humans have become less creative over the years due to the readily accessible Internet and hints that this could be problematic for college students in the long run. 

The second source that can help answer my research question is Andy Guess's "Students' 'Evolving' Use of Technology," which was published on September 17th, 2007 on insidehighered.com. The author's article shows how the rise of technology use in a college student's everyday life could be beneficial in their education. Guess uses a study conducted on college students by the Educause Center for Applied Research to help familiarize himself with the subject. The study showed that the use of technology in a college student's everyday life is growing substantially and college students, in general, believe that technology allows them to comprehend new ideas and concepts faster. Guess stresses that technology is helpful to have, as long as it is used properly; he sees the value in using technology for educational purposes, but he also understands that it will be overused at times. Overall, Guess's article shows the rise of technology in the everyday life of a college student and how this could prove to be beneficial for the students because it causes them to think in different perspectives. 

The final source that will be needed to answer my research question is  "The Use of Technology- In Education and Teaching Process" written by Kahreka Ramey on March 14th, 2013 on useoftechnology.com. Ramey's article outlines the benefits of using technology, including: acting like an inspiration for students to reach for higher goals, making it easier to learn new ideas, and increasing a student's productivity and creativity. Besides giving examples of the benefits of technology in classrooms, Ramey also gives examples of technological gadgets that successfully improve a student's learning. Like all of the other authors previously stated, Ramey does value technology mainly because it improves the efficiency of teaching and it's easier for students to comprehend compared to a traditional lecture setting. She is, however, biased in that she always supports the use of technology, regardless of where it is used, but improves her credibility by using popular products as examples of technology that successfully helps a student's education. In conclusion, Ramey's "The Use of Technology-In Education and Teaching Process" explains the benefits that technology can have in the classroom both for a student's productivity and their creativity. 

Kahreka Ramey, Andy Guess, and Ian Leslie's respective articles will all be vital in the answering of my research question because they give opposing opinions on the topic and give thorough details supporting their opinions. I agree with a majority of their opinions, including how technology improves productivity and creativity, but I do not agree with Leslie's belief that humans have become lazier in regards to finding the answer to their question. These different opinions do affect my own opinion because they help me realize some of the disadvantages of using technology in classes. I still believe that technology should be used in college classrooms, but I have now learned about some of the consequences of doing so.  After thoroughly studying these three author's articles, I would only make one change to my research topic; I would be on the side that supports the use of technology for college students rather than have no opinion on the subject. In all, these three articles will be vital in the answering of my research topic because they give opposing points of view and they allow me to give both side's reasoning for their opinion on the use of technology in college classrooms. 

