The Positive and Negative Impact of Technology on Education - Research Paper Example

? College Influence and Impact of Technology Here s Here College Influence and Impact of Technology Technology is the application of scientific advance, and there has been an explosion of innovation in this specified area in recent decades (Buckingham, 2007). In the developed world, personal computers have become part of the whole-home networks that include televisions, video game systems, and even some refrigerators. Cellular phones have been eclipsed by more advanced technologies which comprise personal computerized devices and integrating online networking functions with enhanced processing capabilities. But the invention of the above mentioned technologies has affected our society and its institutions such as political foundations, economic organizations, religious sector and most importantly the educational organizations and its components. It is due to these technological developments and the mobility of tablets and personal computers that a great contribution towards our consistent connection with the virtual world has been made. It is thought that college students are the number one target of the affects of these technological developments. They are also a demographic that may have the largest investment in these technological advancements. The extreme diffusion of device usage is readily observable in the halls of many post-secondary academic institutions as students wander dangerously close to collision paths while fixated on their electronic devices. There are many less obvious, but more serious ways that the regular usage and exposure to technology may influence the perceptions and behaviors of college students. Therefore, it has been gained that the most important group of the society which is enormously being affected by the technological development, is the ‘students’. Besides this, the review presents both the sides of the argument on how technology continues to relate to and affect the culture, interpersonal relationships and social interaction amongst the students. In the recent years the advancement of technology has been considered great and far reaching believes Jin (2005). Due to this, many researchers have tried to find how this development has affected and will continue to the affect the most important group of the society i.e. the students. This topic has been under study due to the major reason that the youth or the students of a society are labeled as an important part of future establishment and enlightenment of any society of a nation. Amongst these various researches is the researched data put in light by Kvavik (2005), of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research and University of Minnesota. In this research the use of technology by students entering various levels of education (mostly the higher education sector) was addressed. The most important part of the research was the study of time which is consumed by students using various technological devices regardless of the purpose and secondly the affects, let them be positive or negative, which were caused by the usage and time consumption. The research concluded with the data that a large number of students used the gadgets for purposes like; class room activities, document typing, reading and using various educational and non educational resources. The weight of the positive side of the argument was greater, which stated that the technological development has caused a wide affect in bringing forth better results and products in the educational sector. Similarly, in another research conducted by Caruso under the guidance of Kvavik (2005), soon after the primary research was made, a study of the relationship between students and IT was addressed. In this research an astonishing finding was that 36% of students validated that they did not found a need of learning the use of various technological gadgets through courses, instead they learnt through trial and error. Another result which was advanced forth included that the use of technological devices amongst students was generally for academic and social activities. Hence, a positive impact was noticed to have been caused on students by the development in technology. Along with these positive impacts various researchers made studies which resulted in the findings that negative impacts were also caused on students due to the technological expansion. The point dealt with by Raub (1982) in a research was that the increase in the development of technology has also caused an increase in the amount of anxiety amongst students. It was found out that the main origins for anxiety amongst students were the usage of technological gadgets like computers etc. This study also elucidated that another major influence on the students by the technology is the change in their cultural and social conditioning. Students feel that they would be left behind or looked down upon if they do not consider the usage of technology necessary. Thus, the above provisions put forth the fact that the more technological developments take place the more the students are affected by them, both negatively as well as positively. The culture of many college-aged individuals in the developed world has been highly influenced by and possibly even built upon the concept of technological advancement. The way in which we communicate and represent our traditions has become a tradition itself, as the use of personal technologies and worldwide networking has become an expected behavior. However, it could also be argued that technological progression and online networking actually contribute to the preservation of classic tradition by allowing for safer storage and sharing of related information. By the same token, the presence of traditional information on the Internet makes many cultures available to be incorporated into the lives of people as they see fit. It is due to the technological developments that various cultures can now be easily represented through the use of the Internet. Various cultural norms, traditions and beliefs are present on for students to understand and learn with reference to the people of their same age and intellect. Murphie and Potts (2003) have elucidated that at every level of life culture and technology intermingle. In this manner, the use of technological advances may be responsible in part for the increased multiculturalism that is observable in many current societies. Therefore, it is necessary to study the provided studies in order to understand the impact of technology of culture and how the students are a medium of cultural promotion by technological gadgets. According to Kuittinen and Gashi (2000) of the University of Helsinki and the University of Novi Sad respectively, a research conducted, verified that the use of Information Technology by the students increases the chances of cultural competence and proficiency. It was specified that through this not only can students help understand other cultures but it can also improve the prospect of understanding their own culture in a better way. This verifies that a large encouraging impact on the culture of any society is caused by the technology status of that specific territory. Whereas, if we put forth the addressed idea of Feldman and Desrochers (2004), we can bring onward the validation that it is also believed that the economy of a society is directly affected by the use of technology and the role of the students or the youth of a society in promoting and representing their culture. After the study conducted it was brought forth that various economic contracts or agreements made are affected by how other regions view the culture of a nation. Both the researchers believed that mostly the data and information being processed by the students on the internet is responsible for this created image. Thus, it has been explicated from the above studies that technology affects the culture of a society which directly or indirectly shapes various other aspects of a society. Technology has also caused various impacts on the methods of social interaction of the students. The constant use of technology among most college students is a potential contributor to isolated conditions and a social behavior. It is a fact that any sorts of behavioral changes in an individual or a group of people affect their mental state as well. Thus, the consequences of the influences of technological development on the students are associated with an increased risk of mental disorders such as depression. In accordance to the study conducted by Cotten (2008) the subject of how the use of technology by the students affects their behavior and well being was addressed. Under this research made it was clarified how the excessive use of the internet caused various behavioral problems among the students. The problems underlined included poor health conditions, diseases, and illnesses. It was also observed that mental disorders among students lead by and large towards alcohol use and abuse. In contrast, another aspect which is more positive in nature is that technology has made the task of contacting another person easier to accomplish than ever before. It may then suggest that the use of technology is a positive contributor to socially interactive behavior but before putting forth any conclusions, it shall be kept in mind that technology-enabled interactions are not the same as personal interactions. Research from developmental psychology has identified the need for close human proximity has been present from a very early age. It is likely that “virtual” social interactions are insufficient in delivering all the benefits associated with interactions in close proximity to another human being. But it has been researched to be found that the development of technology has greatly affected the education sector in a positive way. This is due to the provision of online educational courses and sources. When various students interact properly the efforts on gaining education are resulted to be more fruitful as any sorts of ambiguity can easily be eliminated. The above mentioned subject has been provided by the study carried out by Picciano (2002). It is obvious that an individual cannot live a solitary life. Specifically, any student cannot survive a chance to succeed academically if (s) he does not have well practiced inter personal or communicational skills. The potential negative consequences of technology use on social interactions may extend to the interpersonal relationships of a college student. If the isolation theory is correct, then it is also likely that all of a student’s personal connections, weak and strong, will be weakened as a result of persistently using technology, but many other researchers and psychologists have talked against this belief. However, the typical post-secondary environment places students in close proximity to each other on regular bases, such as within dorms and classes. College students may not face as high a risk of socio cultural impairment due to the communal nature of college life. Besides the entire future of the situation cannot be relied on the environment provided to the students, instead the methods and formulations of the communication skills of a student largely depend on the technological enhancement of a society. As time progresses through this age of information in the life of students the development of technology and the invention of technological devices like television, cellular phones and personal computers have now become a usual part of their lives. Thus, this has definitely affected the interpersonal communication in both negative as well as positive ways. According to many Psychologists it has been brought in light that the major off-putting affect of such enhancement on interpersonal skills is that due to the easy to reach application softwares like Skype and other video and audio chatting services. This is because now students do not prefer direct communication and can easily be defrauded in any aspect or way of life. But the bright side of the argument has presented us with the fact that online meetings, conferences and many other programs can be run among people belonging to countries poles apart. Students belonging to under developed countries can easily gain access to education online, provided with teachers of high quality of educational certificates. Hence, it is concluded that there is no doubt in the fact that technology has widely affected the students and the aspects that surround them, but labeling technology as a source of either negative or positive impact will be wrong. After the above provided literature and the researches and their analysis it can be elucidated that both negative as well as positive effects are caused by technology on the lives of the students. Thus, this directs the notion towards the point where it is necessary to understand how the positive effects of the advancement of technology shall be appreciated and elaborated, and how the negative affects shall be overcome and eliminated. The procedure of elimination of such downbeat outcomes of technological advancement is possible through the collective efforts of both the student body as well as the governing authorities. Through this a stable technologically developed society can be established where students are not just a victim of the negativity of technological advancement but a source of control for the future enlightenment of an adequate society. References: Buckingham, D. (2007). Beyond technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Caruso, J.B. & Kvavik, R.B. (2005). ECAR study of students and information technology, 2005: Convenience, connection, control, and learning. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, p.1-4. Cotten, S.R. (2008). Students' technology use and the impacts on well-being. New Directions for Student Services, 2008 (124), p.55-70. Feldman, M.P. & Desrochers, P. (2004). Truth for its own sake: academic culture and technology transfer at Johns HHHHHHHsdfsfgdfgdgfdgfdfgdopkins University. Minerva, n. page. Jin, Z. (2005). Global technological change: From hard technology to soft technology. Chicago, IL: Intellect. Kuittinen, E. & Gashi, L.M. (2000). Learning cultural self-understanding in a web-based learning environment. Intercultural Learning in the Internet, p.1-6. Kvavik, R.B. (2005). Convenience, communications, and control: How students use technology. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, n page. Murphie, A. & Potts, J. (2003). Culture and technology. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Picciano, A.G. (2002). Beyond student perceptions: Issues of interaction, presence, and performance in an online course. The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 6(1), p.21-37. Raub, A.C. (1982). Correlates of computer anxiety in college students. University of Pennsylvania, 42(11), p.4775. Read More