technology.

While I was at work today, a family came in and the little girl immediately caught my attention. Now this girl was no older then 8 years old, and yet, she had a cell phone. Not just any cell phone, but a sleek, top of the line, touch screen smart hone. Don't get me wrong, I love my cell phone but I do not think this little girl needed such a device.

We live in a world that relies wholly on technology. It is all around us; there is no escaping it. Over the past 20 years or so, we have witnessed a technological revolution. It has changed basic communication, thinking, education, the work place, and countless other functions of life. As with every issue, there are pros and cons to technology in addition to the ethics debate that is continually surrounding it.

I could go on for awhile discussing my views on the topic, but for now, I have chosen to express my opinion on the impact it has had on education. Perhaps, I will revisit this topic in the future and talk about another aspect of it.

Growing up, my parents would be continuously reminding me of how different thing were compared to when they were children. I'm sure we have all heard the "When I was your age..." stories from our own parents. I would hear stories about them going to the library to do research but today's average student has an abundant amount of information at their fingertips. Of course, this makes finding sources for a paper a lot faster, but is it really better? The Internet has benefited students as they can spend less time looking for material and more time reading and analyzing it. However, this convenience makes plagiarism easier to do: only a couple clicks with the mouse is needed. I would be interested to learn how much plagiarism has increased over the last decade or so.

Overall, I think technology is beneficial, but like any powerful tool, it can be potentially detrimental if used improperly and for the wrong reasons.