After hearing my good pal say, “Technology is best when it brings people together,” how could I possible disagree? Okay he might not be my good pal, but maybe the name Matt Mullenweg rings a bell to you. No? Well, he developed the program you and I are both on right now!
Technology is such an under appreciated gift we have in society. Some crazy people seem to think that technology hurts the knowledge of students when communicating with the people around them. Not to worry though, there are still some very intelligent people who would standup for themselves and argue that technology is a positive improvement for formal and informal means of communication for students. Something to think about for those of you who disagree…
Why would advances of technology continue, if they have no positive outcome?
People who don’t yet understand this need to realize that yes there are some downsides to students using technology; however, the positive effects tremendously outweigh the negative effects. Therefore, it is evident that technology positively aids students of today, whether it is when communicating with teachers (formally), friends and family members (informal), or yourself.
Communication with Teachers…
When we think of the word communicate, you most likely just think of verbal communication. We constantly see this in the classroom as students verbally communicate to their teachers. However, students also communicate with their teachers through means of writing.
As a student myself, it is very upsetting to hear that many teachers believe that texting obstructs all student’s ability to write. But when I hear teachers consider this, I sit here like this:
I realize that, yes, I am very guilty of occasionally using “text speech” when casually texting a friend. But more times than not, I still use proper forms of writing, in fear of sounding utterly ignorant to my friends and family. Therefore, when I read Micaela Cullington’s essay, “Does Texing Affect Writing?“, I truly agreed with her when I stumbled upon her statement that students
“recognize the difference between texting their friends and writing formally and know what is appropriate in each situation.”
And I am 100% positive that many other students would be in total agreement with me, and many findings, other than Cullington’s, would prove texting to not hinder a student’s writing ability or inability.
As I see it, these teachers must have been in some sort of misleading situation with a given student, so they stereotyped texting to sabotage all students proficiency. Additionally, teachers should consider the differences between text language and the use of cultural slang words. Well actually now that I think about it, text language and slang words are not very different at all! For example, being in Northern California, I notice many native Northern Californians use the phrase ‘hella’ instead of a phrase along the lines of ‘a lot.’ So it just makes sense that these students are accustomed to verbally saying ‘hella’ so often that they don’t think twice before inserting it in an essay because they don’t realize the phrase is even considered to be slang. Therefore, rather than jumping down students throats that technology impairs a students ability to write, teachers must consider others factors. By doing this, I strongly believe they will have the means to fix the issue by working with the struggling students by teaching them the correct ways of formal writing.
Communication with Others…
Before phone calls, emails, FaceTime, iMessage, Skype Facebook, SnapChat, and many more applications, people had no means to instantly have a conversation with someone without being in their presence. With that being said, technology alleviates the struggle of keeping in touch with others. I am probably one of the strongest people to attest to this because I live around two thousand miles away from my boyfriend. I even found someone who has almost identical thoughts and personal experiences to me when I read the article in The New York Times, “I Had a Nice Time With You Last Night. On The App.“ The author of this essay, Jenna Worthan, expresses her feelings that applications on phones truly strengthen relationships because she also has a long distance relationship with her current boyfriend. I was completely in agreement with Worthan when she publicized,
“anyone who spends much time online and on a smartphone knows that its no substitute for the real thing—its just an appetizer that can delete and satisfy until the main course arrives. But the satisfaction is real.”
By sharing that quote with you, I hope you are fully aware that some people may claim that technology acts as a ‘middle man’ and leads to a decline of intimacy and self-reflection because people of today hide behind digital screens. Even though I feel that my relationship with my boyfriend has been strengthened, I understand that technology will never replace face-to-face encounters. For me, my phone specifically virtually accomplishes as much as possible to fill the void of not being able to see each other. Therefore, digital technologies do not lead to a plummeting intimacy. If anything, I anticipate relationships will have a greater chance of surviving in the modern day due to our advances in technology.
Communication with Self…
Many people don’t realize that technology can be beneficial to oneself. Like right now I am using my computer to write this, and you are reading this on yours. Another example is that when you’re texting someone… Do ever realize that in a sense you are practicing writing! Pretty amazing right?! It’s crazy to think that some people can’t grasp this concept. This is because these people just see technology as a distraction to themselves. However, I think the behavior they are referring to is procrastination. Students put off doing assignments and studying until the last minute, and then sometime the night before they freak out because they ask themselves:
The answer to that question is, yes.
When procrastinating, instead of just counting sheep as the time goes by before they actually have to start doing their work, students go on their phones, watch TV, surf the internet, etc. Personally, I am extremely guilty of going on my phone and computer to text or check social media when I procrastinate, and I am sure others are as well! With that being said, procrastination could be a possible factor for ones inability to proficiently communicate well because the tendency is inevitable by most humans. Nevertheless, the laziness of a student cannot be blamed on the fact that students have access to technology.
With that being said, the only guilty cause is YOU.
That’s right, I said it.
Even though the availability of technology acts as an ever-present form of a distraction, I was brought up to prioritize schoolwork. (I know a majority of my generation is too!) Furthermore, despite the fact it might take one student longer than another because they have the urge to check their phone, email, or even the scores of a sporting event, they will still be able to complete whatever they put their minds to if they have the proper motivation and study habits.
So as you can see, determination is the key to success! By having both technology and determination at our service, we as students really have nothing to lose.
Not taking advantage of our access to technology would not only be foolish, but also detrimental because technology truly serves as an aid to students as a positive instrument of communication in the society of today. Therefore, I can positively say I am…
Until next time,
—MK