Technology: Tool or Crutch?

The technology section really stood out to me this time. Technology is, indeed, pervasive in modern American culture. With a simple click of a mouse on can become connected to more information than people a couple hundred years ago could have accessed in a life time. But as much as I use and enjoy using technology, is it really all that great of a deal?

What I mean is that technology, from microwaves to the internet, makes things easier. That is basically what the idea is behind all technology. We want to make living easier. Cars, planes, industrial machines, tv, computers, and even videogames have all been invented to save time and then fill the time we save. I want to put forth the idea that this is not necessarily a healthy stance to take.

Making things easier is all well and good as an idea, but we now have a generation of children growing up that can't cook anything but easy-mac. They can't write cursive, but they can type. Outside of scouting, how many kids go camping? How many can light a fire without a lighter or lighter fluid? How many of our students can beat anyone at sports videogames, but can't play sports. These aren't things that can be outdated. People are losing ability to do the things that make us... human.

We like to say that, as teachers, we can use technology as a tool. But I think it is very dangerous to do so. Depending on how it is used, technology becomes a crutch that cripples our students over time. The internet can be a great resource, but let's be honest, there isn't a question that can be answered that doesn't have an answer on the internet, and there are answers to questions that don't have answers as well. I see students these days log onto a computer as they become a conduit of information. This sounds great until we think of what we want our students to be.

A conduit takes something from somewhere and puts it someplace else. A conduit of information takes info and passes it onto a piece of paper without absorbing any of it. We want our students to learn the info, not just how to get the info. We want students to be a source of information, not a mindless automaton.

Luckily I want to teach band, which mean students will need to build their own knowledge and skills. But as much as we want to jump and the techno band wagon and get 'up-to-date' on all the new tech, keep in mind that the more kids learn to rely on tech, the less they will be willing to rely on themselves.