Technology

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY * SOCIETY * EDUCATION * WORKPLACE * CELL PHONES/ INTERNET * ENTERTAINMENT * ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY In the 1970’s technological advances began developing around the world. Few technologies were introduced to society like the computer which was used for space exploration, and cars and Video games. Other advances in technology brought about the invention of microwave ovens, cassettes and tapes. It was believed that the world only needed few computers for it to function but instead they now fill up entire rooms, and even fit in the palm of your hands. As technology developed during the years, it affected society by changing our norms and values and even in work and school. It has provided improvements in machines for numerous industries which provide food and essentials for society. It has helped with farming by helping the farmers harvest their crops within a day, otherwise one week by hands. It has also improved general awareness of society. Radios, televisions and internet are very important achievements in today’s society and encourage people to stay informed about various news around the world. Therefore technology has improved the lives of people around the world, and fields of development. The most negative effect of this is that everyone’s social life now revolves around technology through computers. Social networks like facebook, twitter and instagram are of great concern because the generation’s social life, relationships with others and their concern with the environment is not even entering their thoughts. EDUCATION Technology in school is in demand in today’s society. By using computers in schools teachers are able to impact knowledge onto students much easier. Technology has impacted on education in that information is easier to access, there is a greater interest in learning, storage for information, presentation of information is better and more interactive and knowledge is imparted easily. The use of technology has made teaching an interesting and enjoyable learning experience. Computers are now a part of the school’s curricula and are used as an interactive medium for both audio and visual means. By having these visual effects a presentation would grasp the interest of students making if a fun way to learn. The use of such a medium has also increased the amount of instructiveness, attendance and attentiveness of the students. Textbooks have now become a thing of the past since students don’t like to read. The use of the web to access information is a very effective tool as well. A student only has to type in what they are looking for and the information would appear. There are millions of informative websites and documentaries located on the web about almost any of the subjects and giving students a chance to enhance themselves knowledgably. The technology age is long gone , it is extremely important that you know how to navigate a computer, therefore it is compulsory in all schools that it is used as both a medium of teaching and private exploration. Computers can store a huge amount of information which makes up for the amount of hours spent writing on chalk boards, white boards and notebooks. They have the ability to store textbooks, which convert into online libraries. This is great because students and teachers from all around the world can tap into this information at the same time. However there are negative effects of technology on education. There is a poor student, teacher relationship that develops and when students have to submit online assignments their language and etiquette seems to degrade over time. Simple things like salutation and due date are being ignored. Students tend to upload their assignments at the last minute, or sometimes even forget and upload them after the hours have past and do so without any apology or explanation. The use of Google is praised by all students and this makes them very impatient, disorganised and laid back. Students usually tend to have a lot of their information copy and pasted to finish assignments quickly. Teachers are beginning to complain that students fail to realise that technology can induce growth and are concerned that they don’t want to meet with them to discuss work or any information that they don’t understand. This is a negative aspect of how technology has changed the outlook of education in today’s society. In many classrooms technology is overused. Most students learn by physically reading , writing and interacting with the information needed to study. If most of the teaching is done by means of computer, these students then are at a disadvantage. Technology used be incorporated into the school curricula not be the main source of learning. Another problem is that most students use computers to play video games. Due to this students associate any use of the computer to be related to games thus it would be very distracted on the task given to them. Since calculators, watches, mini cameras, cell phones were invented they have become the number one source of cheating in exams over time. Students who are not confident in themselves write formulas and notes on their calculators and cell phones and use them during exams which usually are not high risks of getting caught. Plagiarism is also becoming prevalent in almost every project or assignment students are given because they find information and want to find the easy way out, so they copy and paste it onto their work as it is on the website. This thus invokes poor reading and writing skills since free eBooks are available online and or when information seems too many students would become distracted and may search for games or even log onto their face book and twitter accounts. And since teachers nowadays require students to submit soft copies of their assignments their writing skills are destined to be poor. ENVIRONMENT Technology has had tremendous benefits to the environment through renewable energy. The use of turbines in wind energy, electrical circuits in solar energy and turbines in hydropower have become the way into the future. Using turbines to harness the wind’s energy is of none toxic, none air, and water pollution and no threat to public safety way of supplying electricity to the public. Usually when dealing with wind turbines they are spaced out over wide expanse of land. However the turbines only use a small amount of land, therefore leaving space for farming area. But there is also the disadvantage of having to clear forests to use this type of renewable energy. This is harmful to the planet in that reducing the amount of trees can add to the already high state of global warming. The use of circuits to convert sunlight into energy also generated no air, water or land pollution and is not harmful to the public. The solar panels are hazardous to the manufactures because materials like arsenic are used in solar cells and if inhaled can have fatal effects on humans. The biggest disadvantage that technology has on the environment is that of pollution. Air pollution is caused from the emissions from biomass- fuelled power plants and coal-fired power plants. Land pollution from the dumping of used machines and excess material from manufacturing plants and water pollution through a similar issue.