jueves, 18 de febrero de 2010

The role of technology in education

Technology has found its way into every aspect of our culture today. It's in medicine, it's in social work, in sciencie, and actually it plays a important role in education. As technology advances, it is used to benefit students of all ages in the learning process. Technology used in the classroom helps students adsorb the material. With technology they would be interested in different topics. For example, since some people are visual learners, projection screens linked to computers can allow students to see their notes instead of simply listening to a teacher deliver a lecture. Technology has also become part of many curriculums, even outside of computer and technology classes. Students use computers to create presentations and use the Internet to research topics for papers and essays. Students also learn to use the technology available to them in computer and tech classes. This ensures that after graduation they will be able to use the technology in a work setting, which may put them ahead of someone who didn't have access to a particular technology or software in their own school setting. As technology advances, students have better access to educational opportunities like these.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers to reach every child in the classroom. Class sizes keep getting larger, but teachers remain still one of the lowest paid salary jobs in America. Yet the need is still there to teach and prepare the children for the future; the need to prepare them for the "real" world. And the real world today is a world full of technology. So if we don't provide technology in our education system then when will students have a chance to get familiar with it? How will they train themselves for the "real" world?

So what exactly is the role of technology in education? Technology is making it possible for teachers to reach more students, allowing students the time they need to succeed, and providing our future workforce with competent, knowledgeable employees.

Technophilia and technophobia

Is it posible to live without any kind of technology?? I guess it is a difficult question because in some ways technology has done our life easier. If we are not aware about its use,it would cause us many problems. For example there are two particular things -Technophilia and technophobia- are the two extremes of the relationship between technology and society.
The latter regards technology as destructive because it leads to a process of dehumanization and believes social reliance on technology is harmful.It refers generally to a strong enthusiasm for technology, especially new technologies such as personal computers, the Internet, mobile phones and home cinema.
The former is a positive relationship, adopting technology enthusiastically, seeing it as a means to improve personal life and combat social problems. Technophobia is the fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices, especially computers. The term is used in the sense of an irrational fear, but others contend fears are justified. It has been observed to affect various societies and communities throughout the world. This has caused some groups to take stances against some modern technological developments in order to preserve their ideologies. In some of these cases, the new technologies conflict with established beliefs, such as personal values in simplicity and modest lifestyles.
It is not necessary for everyone to adopt technology to the extreme of being a technophile. In most libraries and schools, though, it is impossible to ignore new developments, which change the way we communicate and complete necessary tasks. The stories of people who have experienced the metamorphosis from technophobe to technophile can offer lessons for us all.