If you have at least paid half of your
attention to the world lately, you have probably noticed the massive
increase in technology around us. In fact its almost impossible to
ignore: people are integrating technology into every aspect of our
lives. Everywhere you look, a new machine is filling a position that
a human once filled or a new gadget is pushing the limits in order to
appeal to a new tech-savvy generation. Different media like music and
books are now available in a digital form and are at the click of a
mouse – or tap of a touch screen. Even as I type these words, a new
technology is being distributed that would record my voice and render
it as text!
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| Dilbert.com, 3-23-13 @2013 Scott Adams Inc. |
As a college student, immersed in this
digital playground and as a thoughtful human being like many of you
out there in cyberspace, I took a step back to ask a few questions.
For starters, is this “technology” thing working? Specifically I
wanted to address the matter of schools and technology. Here in
Panama City, we are beginning to fund the use of smart boards for the
teachers to replace dry erase. Schools at a k-12 level are
introducing a new BYOD policy (Bring Your Own Device) where students
are encouraged – rather than scolded or punished – for bringing
and utilizing their own electronic device. This shows that both the
educational legislation and the student bodies show support in
bringing new technologies into the classroom. That, however, is just
k-12 students. I was more concerned about how technology would affect
college campuses and graduation rates.
After doing some research, no true
poll has been done to try and draw a connection between technological
advancement and college graduation rate, but we can pull some other
statistics and come up with a theory. For starters, four-year college
graduation rates are going up nationwide and so is the amount of
technology we have at our disposal. With most colleges having
websites as well as books and actual curriculum online, more people
have access to a college education today through their computers than
in past years. This is supported by an increase of college
attendance, but not on campus; rather, more people are signing on and
learning via online classwork.
Research conducted by “SLOAN-C”
online education provider:
What are your thoughts on how the
technology age is bringing a change to the title of “student”?
Does all of this technology help or hinder learning? Feel free to
respond.
Kyle Polk
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