Technology

 Is technology taking over our lives? Is technology making us dumber? Since 1974, technology has been rapidly growing and evolving. The first consumer computer was placed on the market in 1977. It was extremely bulky and just capable of sending email to people around the world. This was a great source of communicating to soldiers overseas and to family members in different states. This also contributed to the creation of social networking, such as MySpace (created in 2003) and Facebook (created in 2005). These social networking tools are more popular among teenagers, although Facebook as been increasingly popular among adults presently.


It would be highly impossible to go a day without using some type of technology because in the 21st century technology is all around us. Before technology was a part of daily life,  communicating between others was limited to letters and face-to-face interaction. Now there are multiple ways of communicating, many that don't even require face-to-face interaction. This has created a huge problem concerning young adults going into the work force. Many of these young adults are lacking social interaction skills because they are so use to interacting through text messaging or social media. However, even though there  negative things that accompany technology, there are good things as well.  For example, children with Autism are seen using technology for simple communication skills during school. Furthermore, children with visual impairments use technology in the classroom daily by using calculators that speak to them. There are hand held device that can scan a paper and read the content out loud to the student, keeping the child involved in the learning. From these examples, it is clear that technology in the school system can be a great tool to help those who need a little extra help achieve success. Now a days you see smart boards used in classrooms, which it makes a fun experience for the students and helps them learn the material. Technology will never replace teachers.



Jackson, K. "How Technology Is Changing Education for Students with Disabilities." Edudemic, 21 Jan. 2013. Web. 4 June 2013. <http://www.edudemic.com/2013/01/how-technology-is-changing-education-for-disabled-students/>.

Boyd, Danah M., and Nicole B. Ellison. "Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship." Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2007. Web. 04 June 2013. <http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html>.

"What Is Cyberbullying." Stop Bullying. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web. 04 June 2013. <http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html>.