An Inconvenient Truth: Technology is Good

Yes, this blog entry is probably way overdone, but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. Everyone goes on about how great technology is-we can connect with others, get things done more efficiently, etc, etc. And yes, I use technology a lot, trust me. Don't get me wrong-I do appreciate it and value its many uses, however, after a recent class discussion, I began to see many more drawbacks beyond the obvious, for those who aren't on equal footing. As much as I love surfing the web and getting carried away when I am bored, sometimes I question how beneficial technology really is for everyone.

Recently in Oracle, we were discussing editorial topics and came across poverty levels and then shifted more towards technology. We started talking about how 90% (or was it 95%?) of students in our school have access to computers at home. This blew my mind-how do students without computers they do their homework?

Every class of mine besides social studies and math are heavily computer based in terms of getting homework done. How do these kids succeed in school if they can't get their work done? I'd like to think that these students have special accommodations so that they can, but let's face it, people won't necessarily be vocal to teachers about not owning a computer, when most people around them have completely different financial situations.

Even if they do own one computer, what about their siblings who need to do just as much work on the same computer? We check the web for homework in many classes or in others find out what's due just the day before, so it's hard to plan ahead and decide who gets computer time. And many of us take for granted internet-just because you have a computer doesn't mean you have internet. And this doesn't solve many problems-you can't do online homework (so rather, after typing up your essay, you sit there and play solitaire).

And even with labs in school you can use, it can be hard to get rides home if your family struggles financially. When we talked about this in class, all the dots just kept connecting. There were so many layers to this problem. It makes me think now, are these students going to fall behind because of what they don't have access to?

What we accomplish with technology is great (and I'm sure it makes teacher's lives easier). We can have ease of access to numerous resources and links. However, if you're easily distracted when it comes to the internet like I am, you'll waste a couple hours without even realizing it and procrastinate and then get all stressed out. If we just did more work without computers (sorry trees, but everyone prints anyway) we might accomplish more. It'll give us ample opportunity to do more with our time and hopefully it can be ensured that everyone has the same resources at the least. So, while you read this from your computer, next time while you try to think of something to do while you're bored, instead of surfing the web pointlessly, read a book. Paint a picture. Chill outside. Ponder away.