Journal 3-5 Max Bardowell 2-25-08

Technology and the Modern Student

Answer to last week’s question: First, they should go to a resident student advisor within their dorm, and then, if the problem remains unaddressed, work their way to the higher echelons, such as the school counselors. The administration should only be involved in the direst of situations.

This week we discussed the various effects technology has upon our lives. It was spirited, as this is an aspect of society that is very intimate and close at hand to students, thus capturing our attention more than other ethical dilemmas that are more distant, dealing in philosophical values only apparent to those that deal with international diplomacy and crises.

We answered first how we divided our time between different resources available on the internet, including social networks, games, music and videos, and simply surfing for information. My groups’ time was dominated by social networks and music downloading, however, if I had to create a list, it would look like this:

I know this may seem like a disproportionate amount of homework time, but I try to do most things on the computer, and this is also a reflection of how dependant our educational system is on the internet and computers. I really have no choice. I simply need the vast amounts of information available on the internet to do most of my work, and many of the assignments some of my more environmentally conscious teachers are given on the paperless formats of the digital world. It is not only more convenient and paper saving, but simply easier for our generation to acquire, as we have been raised in front of an LCD screen. We are used to digital formats, and thus, this new style of teaching suits us better.

Question: What is the origin of the smart board, a popular and cutting edge teaching tool?