Over the last decade there has been an outbreak of technological advancements that almost everyone can agree has changed the world we live in today. Hoover boards, iPads, new iPhones, smart TVs, robots, etc. are only among some of the new creations in the world of technology, and now have become regular household items. Children are being introduced to the world of computers, phones, and other sources of technology before they can even read; certain technology is even becoming a requirement for school now. Children growing up in this generation hardly know what life is like without a screen in front of them, and playing outside is becoming decreasingly common. Is this age of technology more beneficial or harmful towards human development and wellbeing; or is the “old school way” of doing everything on paper and only interacting in person more desirable?  Would the world be a better place without all this extra entertainment? This has recently been a very controversial topic over the last few years and has mainly posed a problem along the older generations rather than the younger ones. Through the research I have completed I have come to the conclusion that technology integration is more helpful than it is hurtful towards society as a whole and just because it is a newer development doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad thing. With the technology advancements we have made as a society we are more efficient and smarter than ever, why reduce or get rid of something that helps us grow as a nation?

First, consider how much you personally use technology on a daily basis, because it is most likely  more than you believe. Whether you use it to contact your children, relatives, friends, check your emails, shop, or do your work, the average American spends almost half their day staring at a screen. “About 10 and a half hours a day”, reports CNN. This number was exceedingly higher than might be expected; although when thinking about the convenience of your phone or computer, it is hard not to spend time not looking at a screen. It is all about efficiency, and computers work faster than humans do, and humans try to find ways to make their lives easier or more convenient. Technology provides that service and allows for more efficient ways to get in contact with others, keep all your work in one place, and make your life easier overall. By allowing you to shop, order food, text, and watch movies all in one place, the average American doesn’t need to go out or do much face to face interaction unless they choose to do so. Most computers and smartphones are a standard of living in the US at this point and it is difficult for most people to function in their daily routine without this equipment. 

This is why certain people have a problem with the technology “craze”. They believe it is important for people to communicate face to face with people because that is how you build better relationships. One professor from Ashton College writes, “One issue with digital forms of communication is that they tend to be impersonal. Moreover, trying to make your digital communications seem more friendly or personalized runs the risk of being misinterpreted, or viewed as unprofessional.

Miscommunication is one of the major causes of inefficiency and work-place conflicts. Many of these issues can be attributed to digital communications and the various ways they can be interpreted.” I do agree with the fact that people speak more adequately and get their points across more clearly in person rather than over text. However, I would argue that computers and phones are equipped with services such as FaceTime and other webcam applications where you are able to communicate with another party face to face. Another writer says that family relationships are less solid and families are not as close as they used to be because there is no need to see each other as consistently with cell phones and computers. If personalization and communication issues are the biggest problems people have with high use of technology, there are definitely ways around these issues to create a more positive connotation with society.. Technology helps us stay connected to one another in ways that aren’t always realized.

As for education, integrating technology into schools has been proven to be beneficial to the advancements in a child’s learning. The Internet is a source of endless information- the fact that they are able to access videos and articles so easily can really jump start their learning at a young age. Even if your average three year old isn’t watching educational videos or reading scholarly articles, just introducing children to technology that young can save them from having to take typing or computer classes that they would have had to take in the future. Most children, according to the National Center for Education Statistics start using a computer at the age of three.  “71 percent of the U.S. population age 3 and over used the Internet.” This is almost three quarters of our country, a number that has significantly been increasing over the last ten years and continues to grow. Over the last few years it has actually become a requirement to implement at least one computer in each classroom because it was shown to help the education system. Computers also offer children the options to do dissection of animals online rather than in person, play interactive games to enhance their learning, and to share documents with teachers to get feedback from home. Not to mention, the reduced use of papers in school is environmentally savvy as well with the online textbooks and homework submissions teachers now are using. So while society is being more efficient with technology, we are also saving the planet and reducing waste. Another reason technology should be exposed to children in school is the interactive aspect. Computers, iPads, etc. make learning more hands on and engaging for students. Technology also caters to a variety of different types of learners such as visual or audio learners by providing videos, pictures, or sounds that will help the information stick. Furthermore, technology also makes it easier for children to share their thoughts, notes, and other work with their fellow classmates or teachers. For example, if a student was out sick and missed class they could email their teacher about what was taught that day, or email a classmate for the notes they missed. Technology makes it more difficult for students to fall behind in their classes. Another convenient aspect of technology in the classroom is the instant results you get back. Teachers no longer will have to spend time hand-grading each and every test, but can have a computer instantly grade everything and automatically enter test scores into each student’s grade book. Overall, the implementation of technology in the classroom will make both students as well as teachers excel more efficiently. 

Big technology companies such as Apple are even beginning to implement learning into their products. Steve Jobs announced that Apple has developed a program with iTunes that allows different college professors to upload lectures that can be accessed for free. It allows anyone to log on and watch these lectures by professors from accredited schools such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. completely free of charge. When Jobs and the Apple company created iTunes, they didn’t produce it by means of education, however, these large technology companies are making it that way. As technology develops more and more, it is becoming more about integrating learning with entertainment rather than just entertainment value which is what people are used to and are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that a lot of technology around them is helping society become more educated.

So what could the problem with this be you ask? In my research I found that the main problem critics had with the implementation of technology in the classroom was the fact that children were now exposed to increased cases of cyber bullying, and were preferred to stay indoors rather than playing outside and communicating with other kids their age; thus increasing the rates of depression in children as well as obesity. I do agree with this being a horrible and increased issue because of technology especially through social media sites, though I think there are better alternatives than to cut down Internet use for children all together. There are ways to program individual computers that will block children from using certain websites, which might be a more productive solution to this issue. Also, introducing children to social media sites at a later age may cut down the risk of cyber bullying as people tend to be more mature as they get older. To solve the issue of child obesity, we do not have to completely eliminate all technology, but rather regulate the children’s hours spent online. If more parents set aside time for their children to exercise or join a sports team, there would be no need to cut technology out of their lives completely. 

The next benefit technology brings is to the medical world. The integration of high technology enables doctors to diagnose and treat new diseases that were thought to have been incurable and does it in a more efficient way. The most simple of these new creations is the electronic health record. According to CNN “ In 2009, only 16 percent of U.S. hospitals were using an EHR. By 2013, about 80 percent of hospitals eligible for CMS' meaningful use incentives program had incorporated an EHR into their organizations. "For such a long time we had such disparate systems, meaning you had one system that did pharmacy, one did orders, one that did documentation," says Jeff Sturman, partner at Franklin, Tenn.-based Cumberland Consulting Group. "Integrating these systems into a single platform, or at least a more structured platform, has allowed more integrated and efficient care for patients.” 

A more complex medical find in technology are in the field of prosthetics. New robot prosthetics are now being built to one day function as if they were any real limb. “Engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab have developed a next-generation prosthetic: a robotic arm that has 26 joints, can curl up to 45 pounds and is controlled with a person’s mind just like a regular arm.”  Robot technology could drastically benefit those who are paraplegics and don’t have the luxury of having function of all limbs. Not to mention students at a University are the ones who are working on this invention, which again reiterates why technology is an important tool to provide in the classroom so that we can advance in certain fields much quicker. 

Another medical advancement that has come out recently is an insulin pump for diabetics that detects when you are low on insulin and automatically injects it into your blood stream. This invention eliminates the need for diabetics to have to do pesky finger pricks every couple of hours to test their blood sugar. Also, in the medical world there is chemotherapy and radiation, which helps kills cancer. This would not be possible without the use of technology

A lot of times the main issue for people who are opposed to technological advancement is not actually the technology that was created, but how we as a society use this technology. If we change the way we look at technology in the world and introduce it to children as a learning device rather than an entertainment device, there is a chance that society can develop a more positive perception of technology and accept that it will forever be growing and a huge part of our world. Technology could and possibly has saved your life once or twice. We need technology in this world to advance and make the world a better place overall.

“Technology is permeating every single thing we do... And to the extent that we can better expose our young people to all the different ways that technology can be used, not just for video games or toys, we're planning for the future.”

