Influence of Technology on Critical Thinking - Research Paper Example

Is Technology Producing a Decline in Critical Thinking Skills? by Technological progress has become a distinctive feature of our timestarting from space exploration and ending with smart phones in the hands of kindergarten children. Numerous gadgets with instant possibility to connect to the Internet made our possibilities immeasurable. Working from home, communication to several people at once, creating content with the help of gadgets – all these things became mundane for a man of XXI century. However, since human brain has not changed too much since recent technological evolution it has to adapt really fast to all innovations. As a result our thinking capacities are diminishing, and the possibility to reason critically is declining. In order to understand the influence of technology on critical thinking skills it is necessary to define the term “critical thinking” because it is rather complex and all-embracing. Most people understand the term of critical thinking as the ability to make sound judgments on the basis of the thoughts categorization and assessment (Elkins, 2014). According to the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking the process of critical thinking involves the possibility of effective conceptualizing, assessing, categorizing, selecting information received I the course of experiments, observation, reflection, communication as the purpose for further action. The concept of critical thinking can be divided into two major parts: 1) a set of data and attitude to the world producing and preparing critical thinking, and 2) the possibility taking into account learned duty, of utilizing those abilities to guide daily behavior. It is in this way to be stood out from: 1) the simple obtaining and maintenance of data alone, on the grounds that it includes a specific route in which data is regarded as necessary and that which need to be revealed and processed; 2) the simple ownership of a set of abilities, on the grounds that it includes the nonstop utilization of them; and 3) the simple utilization of those skills ("as an activity") without acknowledgement of their results (Defining Critical Thinking, 2013). According to Paul and Elder, a person who can be considered a well -developed critical thinker performs the following tasks: brings up important issues , defining them plainly and definitely; accumulates and evaluates applicable data, utilizing relevant thoughts to decipher it adequately, formulates at overall contemplated conclusions and arrangements, testing them against important criteria and principles; thinks liberally inside optional frameworks of thought, perceiving and surveying, whenever needed, their suppositions, suggestions, and results possible for usage; corresponds successfully with others for making optimal solutions in complex situations. Critical thinking is self-guided, self-trained, checked toward oneself, and self-corrected reasoning. It includes concordance with established principles of brilliance and their sensible utilization. It involves fruitful correspondence and critical thinking capacities and a guarantee to conquer egocentrism and sociocentrism (Paul & Elder, 2008). According to Glaser, critical thinking as the major capacity of human consciousness includes three things: ( 1) the possibility to experience clearly and thoughtfully the issues and subjects , (2) understanding of the systems for coherent logical reasoning and thinking, and (3) applying those principles to processing the information that comes with experience. Critical thinking presupposes relentless motivation to analyze any assumption or information taken with the given evidence that serves as an argument to it. The development of technology had certain impact on the way people have used to think, reason, and make conclusions. However, it is rather difficult to define how exactly critical thinking was affected by new speed of information flows, multiple gadgets, and smart technologies have changed our basic cognitive processes. Today there is debate whether computer technologies leave space for real “thinking” (Raiskums, 2008). People did not stop thinking, on the contrary, we are exposed to a great number of superficial yet charming reasoning that it has almost substituted academic reasoning, opinion making, and simple assertion. Many experts claim that it is overwhelming amount of information that blurs our thinking skills. Moreover, it is surprising that the growing amount of data does not increase the quality of knowledge and does not enhance decision-making processes, and thus, the total influence of these innovations on our ability to think critically is not crucial (Greengard, 2013). In the article “Are we losing our ability to think critically” Greengard states that critical thinking is one of the major topics of attention in the era of advanced technologies. While the interest and the indicators of reading also math scores decay on institutionalized tests ad many blame technology in such alterations. Actually, it is a high time to investigate innovation and comprehend the nuances of how it influences deduction and examination. It is quite clear that without critical thinking people are prone to repeat trivial things, so as humanity has faced a new challenge of technology it is crucial to estimate it right without assessing it as only positive or negative. There is a solid social opinion that computers in general and video games in particular are not beneficial for children`s development. On the contrary, they are not only one of the best types of amusement, they are also optimal and effective learning instruments. There is some evidence that for instance games with joysticks help building more intelligent kids with better thinking aptitudes. Thus, technology can become an ally in teaching new generation if utilize it in the right way with a right approach. There are several reasons why it is possible to connect spread of technology with declining tendencies in critical thinking. First, the quantity people reading literature decreases rapidly because it gets substituted with the Internet. The media through which people were prone to receive worthy information has changed, ad today Television, radio, ad books play secondary roles compared to the Internet. However, the tricky side of the World Wide Web is that though it offers a great deal of information it origin and quality is under question. There is no chance to check the reliability of information as most of the sites do not even print the authors` names. Thus, it is possible to claim that Internet provokes the decline in learning first of all which later results in decline of thinking. According to Stewart publishing word has its own faults and mistakes, however, before becoming a book, publishing word passes through several stages and several different people check the accuracy of information (2008). According to the article by Barry Cull “Reading revolution: online digital text and implications for reading in academe” the reading has not disappeared, it has changed its essence. O the one hand, the author claims that people read consistently in numerous parts of lives, and this fact is frequently underestimated. It is not difficult to overlook how important reading is for the development and correspondence of human individuals. It is fundamental to the operation of advanced society. On the other hand, in light of the fact that reading is so essential, an apparently little alternation is prone to have significant repercussions. A long way from a little improvement, online content available for reading is making that changes we are going to sense in future. The critical and far reaching change achieved by online reading has occurred rapidly. The nature of reading has changed as well as the content. Today readers spend more time searching for the key words and relevant info than for deep reading. However, it allowed to consume more extensive volumes of information in a short period of time. College instructors are very much aware of the Internets pervasive dream of immediate learning. In a world impacted by an influential online society, the author claims that we must stay focused on influencing young readers to take the time needed for in–depth reading. Real learning and thinking which keeps on being focused around in–depth reading, will dependably require significant investments of time (Cull, 2011). Second, Internet, one of the most striking technological innovations of the recent time provides an impressive impact for the whole society development affects negatively individuals separately. Its permanent availability and the possibility to find any information and sole any problem has turned users on mere spectators and deprived them of the ability to analyze, categorize information and make logical conclusions and judgments (Ciarcia, 2009). Nicholas Carr, an investigator who dedicated much time to the examination of the Internet influence, also underlines the fact that the trend of relying on the assumptions and ready-made answers from the web influences negatively our creative as well as critical thinking. “We are evolving from cultivators of personal knowledge into hunters and gathers in the electronic forest…dazzled by the Net’s treasures, we are blind to the damage we may be doing to our intellectual lives and even our culture” (Carr, 2010). People get used more and more to absorb information and perceive it as already processed without making any personal efforts to make conclusions. The main negative effect of this tendency is obvious in education system when students substitute all personal opinions by the opinions of the critics in the Internet. According to Neil, people have become less initiative and curious because Internet sets the trend of shallow thinking without going deep into details (2010). Another disturbing tendency connected with the technologies spread is memory deterioration. Once the information was valuable, it was transmitted orally that is why people concentrated more on remembering things. Today Internet allows finding anything for a couple of minutes, and there is no need to remember it as a user can simply save necessary information. Memory is the basic process of thinking as it allows managing necessary information. With widespread and permanent Internet usage, researches demonstrate serious reduction of attention spans which leads to other thinking problems. When we work on the Internet, we are continually forced to take in endless quantity of data which we even did not request. Numerous links on one page join with others, sidebar commercials appear from nowhere distracting our attention, website pages have tempting pictures, altogether this plays a negative role for concentration. With the consistent distraction forces and overwhelming amount of information, general capacity to concentrate and hold attention declines and today compared to 10 years ago an average life span does not prevail 5 minutes, however, it was 12 minutes earlier (Bradley, 2009). People`s brains are not able to produce the solid and stable neural associations that provide profundity and peculiarity to our reasoning. We are slowly becoming people who are able to keep in mind only one signal, rapidly joining disconnected parts of information into and of short term memory (Carr). Carr fittingly represents how the unpredictability and far-reaching nature of the web is extensively lessening our capacity to think which is accordingly creating scattered considering. Persistent introduction is correspondingly contrarily influencing the way we are preparing and translating the data we are acquiring through the web (Carr, 2010). Moreover, human brain is flexible. It has the capacity change to structure new synaptic and neural associations rebuilding itself to perceive the necessary information. Research shows that frequent web users have brains that are continuously being rebuilt with these unique neural associations (Olsen, 2005). It eventually encourages chaotic way of thinking and prevents thorough and substantial information analysis. For critical thinking development it is crucial to apply the general logical principles to categorize, analyze, and assess information with the aim of making judgments. It requires development of analytical skills from the person, and the ability to process information effectively. Internet has deprived people of necessity to choose ad analyze information as it provides with ready-made formulas and solutions. Therefore, one of the principal conditions of analytical thinking undergoes changes due to change of informational flow (Shirky, 2010). So technological advances, such as Internet and computers in general have changed a life of a simple person. The information has become easily accessible and overwhelming in quantity. Inability to assess and categorize such amount of information has made thinking rather superficial and deprived it its critical aspect. Technology has a serious impact on critical thinking of the person because it affects major cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and decision making. In this regard it is possible to suggest that critical thinking is affected negatively rather than positively because big amount of irrelevant data, permanent distraction worsen memory and attention which prevents a person from processing big amount of information in the process of critical thinking. So it is rather comfortable to regard computers, video games, and the Internet in either positive or negative way, however, it would be more logical to realize that they can have both sides: great and awful, and what matters it’s the difference I usage, kid, and approach to technological advances. Computer depending on its utilization may stimulate critical thinking or may decrease it. Finding relevant information on the Internet is beneficial for critical thinking skills while following numerous link is distracting. Thus, even the web is paradoxically valuable for our general public when considering its impact on general level of intelligence. Paradoxically, Internet is proven to enhance the level of intelligence of society as a unity. In Steve Johnsons famous book “Everything Bad Is Good For You”, the author suggests that the web and our mainstream culture today making us more adept and intelligent due our method for achieving, processing, and preparing data. The quick paced and unexpected nature of our lifestyle pushes our brain to interpret the data faster and more effectively as a means of adaptation (Johnson, 2005). According to Johnson, intelligence and the ability to think critically has been evolving within generations for the last three decades. The standard measure of cognitive capacity has climbed altogether for more than 10 points which is documented (Johnson, 2005). Surprisingly, many experts underline the influence of video games on the speed of thinking and the ability to make fast decisions- the qualities that constitute the essence of effective critical thinking. Gee (2003), Shaffer, Squire, Halverson and Gee (2005), underlined an interesting fact that there is a great difference between the sorts of experience available in social environment and that accessible in online world. Video games consumers can test and play new unexpected roles as a part of the online environment. Shaffer et al. (2005) suggested that video games unite very important aspects of experience: the aspect of knowing, the aspect of doing, the aspect of being, and the aspect of minding: the arranged understandings, successful social practices, effective characters, and common values that make somebody an adept. Thus even video games can benefit the development critical thinking but it is important to understand that sole consumption of video games will not be a adequate choice in long term perspective. Technology is shaping our world today as it intrudes the most personal parts of our life affecting the way how we spend our time outside. Today computers, Internet, and video games have become the major topic for discussion and the principal form of entertainment. Generally technological advances mentioned above play negative role for human cognitive development and benefit critical thinking skills development. The process of critical thinking involves the possibility of effective conceptualizing, assessing, categorizing, selecting information received I the course of experiments, observation, reflection, communication as the purpose for further action. These skills require constant development and very good memory and attention. The article of Yeng-Fang speaks about the difficulty of establishing one final opinion about the effect of technology on the process of learning and studying. In the course of his research the author managed to find out that the effect of technology on education is both simple and complex. On one hand, when evaluating the pros and cons of technology Yeng-Fang discovered that people have absolutely different “measurement tools” and these tools influence how technology is applied to education. First the author perceived that opportunities that technology gives could transform into complicated situations if people are not mindful of the twofold edge nature of innovation in learning and educating. This incomprehensible marvel of technological advances in learning and instructing is connected to the interdependence of students` readiness to change and constant development of technology. However, this can become a benefit for education if to use it right. The author concludes that it is impossible to regard technology as the answer because the question was not asked. And it is necessary to realize what technology brings in education before utilizing it. But the most important thing Yeng-Fang mentions is that technology is neutral and it is the choice of people that makes it positive or negative. However, technological advances of our time create a negative habit; make the process of thinking less actual because there is plenty of information available. Inability to elaborate a habit to think, to process, and make reasonable judgments instead of looking for solutions in the Internet has made technology threatening. Moreover, such important cognitive processes as memory and attention also experience negative effect of constant being online and trying to interpret great deal of irrelevant information. But it is hardly possible to find the thing that would be such categorically positive or negative. The same with technology. Many experts claim that right utilization of technological advances, such as Internet and video games, can have a very stimulating effect on critical thinking. For example, Internet plays a positive role in improving the level of intelligence for the society in general. Or video games that place their consumers in unrealistic situations and evoke real emotions in him/her improving decision –making processes. References Bradley, E. (2009). Technology Is Making Us Lazy, Computers and Technology. Helium Publications. Carr, N. (2010). Does the Internet make you dumber? The Wall Street Journal. Business News & Financial News. Ciarcia, S. (2010). Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber?, Magazine by Engineers, for Engineers. Circuit Cella. Cull, B. (2011). Reading revolution: online digital text and implications for reading in academe, First Monday. Retrieved from: http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3340/2985 “Defining Critical Thinking”. The Critical Thinking Community. 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766  Elkins, J. (2014).The Critical Thinking Movement: Alternating Currents in One Teachers Thinking". Retrieved from: http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/critproj/overview.html Gee, J. P. (2004). Learning by design: Games as learning machines. Interactive Educational Multimedia, 8, 15-23. Retrieved from http://plaza.ufl.edu/tedbow/game_learning/Games_as_learning_machines.pdf Greengard, S. (2013). Are we losing our ability to think critically? Communications of the ACM, 52, (7). Glaser, E. (1941).  An Experiment in the Development of Critical Thinking, Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Johnson, S. (2005). Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Todays Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter. New York: Riverhead. Olsen, S. (2005). Are We Getting Smarter or Dumber?, Brain Fitness & Brain Training. Posit Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2008). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, Foundation for Critical Thinking Press. Raiskums, B.W. (2008). An Analysis of the Concept Criticality in Adult Education. Capella University Stewart, C. (2008). The decline of learning in America. Chicago: Nova Science Publishing. Shaffer, D. W., Squire, K. R., Halverson, R., & Gee, J. P. (2005). Video games and the future of learning. University of Wisconsin-Madison and Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory Shirky, C. (2010). Does the Internet Make You Smarter?, The Wall Street Journal. Business News & Financial News, Yeng-Fang, W.M. (2010). Does technology hider or enhance learning and teaching, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Retrieved from: http://www.sjsu.edu/people/waimei.fang/articles/hinder-enhance.pdf Read More