"Back
in 2004, I asked [Google founders] Page and Brin what they saw as the
future of Google search. 'It will be included in people's brains,' said
Page. 'When you think about something and don't really know much about
it, you will automatically get information.'
'That's
true,' said Brin. 'Ultimately I view Google as a way to augment your
brain with the knowledge of the world. Right now you go into your
computer and type a phrase, but you can imagine that it could be easier
in the future, that you can have just devices you talk into, or you can
have computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and
suggest useful information.'
'Somebody
introduces themselves to you, and your watch goes to your web page,'
said Page. 'Or if you met this person two years ago, this is what they
said to you... Eventually you'll have the implant, where if you think
about a fact, it will just tell you the answer."
-From In the Plex by Steven Levy (p.67)
Answer this not-so-simple question: How does use of the Internet, media, and/or technology change the way you think? Focus on your memory, your ability to concentrate, your sense of time and priorities, and the subjects/topics that interest you most. If you find "thinking about your thinking" difficult to assess, try the following strategies: compare yourself with older people who did most of their formal learning before smart phones and 2.0 existed; compare yourself with contemporaries who don't use those tools much today; read up on what education leaders and thinkers have to say about generational differences in thinking (and remember to cite your sources).
The use of technology changes the way we think because it has allowed us to see how others think as well. Before I began using technology to learn I would have to rely on books and what other people said. These are good resources but the use of technology has allowed all of us to expand are searching and receive more information than ever before. Now that I use technology I am ale to communicate with my colleges more and it is good to because you can post something whenever you want and you can go back and make things better at anytime.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say that the use of technology today has changed the way I think in many different aspects, and that if I only had the resources that my parents had I would probably think a whole different way. First off I would say that it has possibly shortened my attention span. When I am doing homework, and especially when I don't quite understand the problems I am working on, I find myself checking social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Even when I am with my family or friends I have the desire to check these sites. But it hasn't only affected me negatively; because of the internet I have learned things and had experiences I wouldn't have even dreamed of. This whole class, well most of it, wouldn't be possible without the Internet, and I wouldn't be able to access nearly as much information in the click of a button. Depending on how you use the Internet, it can open you up to a way of thinking that you wouldn't know of outside of your town and community, or it can almost brainwash you to continue to think the same way as everyone else. Like most tools, media and the Internet will only be as helpful to you as you allow it to be.
ReplyDeleteI think one way that technology/the internet changes the way we think is the wide variety of resources we now have. If we need or want to look something up using a search device such as Google, we have a wide variety of websites and other sources to get information from. We can compare and contrast info we get from different sites, we can put more pieces together of what information we're looking for and will lead up to a better understanding of what we are trying to learn.
ReplyDeleteI believe the internet, technology, and media all greatly influence the way we think. The internet changes the way we think because we are influenced by what other people are saying as we are able to see everyone's thoughts. This can be a positive thing because it widens our perspectives on that certain topic. Technology changes the way we think because instead of trying to remember or figure something out, we immediately go the internet for the answer. The internet is so convenient that people have become lazy due to the fact technology is able to do the work for us. Before the internet and even our evolved calculators, people had to go to the library to look through numerous books for answers and work out problems on paper.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has given me the ability to not be in one small, inefficient bubble of accessible knowledge. Now I can reference to multiple sources for varied information and opinions. I find that with the Internet, I'm not as hopeless in not understanding a certain topic or issue. It is a common generalization that someone who frequently uses social media or technology doesn't have their own "educated" opinion, simply because they aren't using traditional resources. However, I find myself to be less close-minded with access to seeing many different views. Furthermore, I can formulate my own opinion, whether it be for or against the majority.
ReplyDeleteModern technology has changed the way I think; in good and bad ways. It has definitely made my patience shorter. When I want to know something I can type it into a Google search and get a plethora of answers in less than a second. The real world isn't like that and I think it has messed with my problem solving skills a little bit. In AP classes, we are constantly told to be critical thinking problem solvers. When trying to solve a problem, it's much easier to take the easy route and look up a solution, or a road to the solution, online. Instead of taking the time to sit with a homework problem for awhile and use problem solving skills to work it out, I find myself often going to the Internet for a quicker solution. My Iphone doesn't help my memory at all. I don't have any phone numbers memorized because I don't need to since they're all saved in my phone. Birthdays, deadlines, and other important calendar items aren't stored in my memory but are stored in my phone. I don't actively remember as much because my phone does that job for me. Multitasking is another thing that has changed with my use of the internet and technology. I'm usually always multitasking. I'm on social media while I do homework and I do homework on the computer while watching TV. Focusing on one thing at a time is a little more difficult.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are many positive effects as well. I am open to a world of information (or what's in my filter bubble at least) and I can learn about whatever I want. I can instantly learn the meaning of a word I don't know while reading on a kindle. I can participate in an open source learning course. I can have a broader view of the world because I can find every opinion on everything. Being a responsible technology holder is what's important. I can use Facebook for productive purposes or I can use it to waste time (maybe I do a little of both..). The Internet is a tremendously helpful resource but it's up to the individual how harmful or hurtful they make it. Using the Internet has made me more proficient in a lot of areas. If my mom doesn't know how to do something or fix something she will wait for someone else to do it. As a younger person, I know the resources that are available online and I will always try to fix something or figure it out on my own, using the internet before I ask for help.
The internet and media changes the way I think because there will be partisan articles about certain subjects. This means that I myself can not be lazy and just view one or two articles and instead read multiple articles from both sides of these arguments. But at the same time it is a great thing that the internet does not limit the way of thinking or restricts people from exploring more on a topic, we do this to ourselves because some of us are not as open minded as others. Another great thing is that our government does not limit our use of technology and instead encourage people to state their opinions (in a polite manner of course).
ReplyDeleteThe use of the Internet has completely changed the way I think. I feel like the Internet has made researching new facts so simple but at the same time we no longer feel the need to remember things if I need something I just look it up on a search engine such as Google. Before I got a cell phone I had to memorize phone numbers but now I don’t need to. Although it’s nice not to have to memorize things, I have become reliant upon technology for everything. On the positive side by using technology we are able to connect with people from all over the world. If I need help on homework, I just look it up and somebody else has already had the same question. We are able to collaborate with one another and help solve problems.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has changed my life in so many ways. I mean I have become a better cook, I know what is going on in the world, and I even can gain art inspiration from it. But all joking aside, I think that we see how that there are so many possibilities in the world when we look at the internet. I can think about how easy my homework is going to be because I have good sources that will aid me in my classes. Life is so much more efficient. I don't have to go to a library to do my research reports. I can spend time focusing on things that I actually love doing like cooking or painting. With more efficient tools, we start to become more efficient with our time so we can do the things we actually take interest in. But it does have downfalls. We have become more impatient if a process is longer or takes more effort. A slow computer or phone is now one of the greatest irritations we have because we want results now.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find myself doing whenever I search something on the internet is getting the answer off of a website and then forgetting that information the next day. I do believe that the internet has weakened my memory. I find myself looking the same things up again and again because I don't seem to remember exactly what I had read previously. I think this is because I know that I can easily go back and look at the information I want because it is on the internet so I'm not as focused on letting what I read actually sink in. We may not realize it but technology has a huge impact on our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has changed our generation. Take for example myself. I'm constantly anxious, there is something going on out there that I am missing. There is so much information out there that I have yet to encounter but I NEED to know in order to be the best version of myself that I can be. I can't simply have 'downtime' I need to be on social networking, reading a book, reading the news. I am also extremely impatient, going at such a fast pace while searching the web I become terribly anxious while waiting for a page to load.
ReplyDeleteI looked up what some celebrities might have to say and found this article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/celebrities-technology_n_1322020.html#s780582&title=Ray_Bradbury
Which makes perfect sense that Ray Bradbury is against the Internet. In an interview he stated :
"To hell with you and to hell with the Internet.' It's distracting. It's meaningless; it's not real. It's in the air somewhere."
The internet has completely changed our generation, positively and negatively. Unlike our parents, we are not stuck with just our book and our brains to figure out the homework. Today, we have hundreds and thousands of different sites to get information we need in just a couple clicks. We have the opportunity to see a plethora of different opionions on one topic, and we can then develop our own. However, this is easy to take advantage of. I think we are all guilty of typing the homework question into google, getting the answer and moving on, rather than sitting down and really try to figure out the problem like our parents did. This side of the internet has affected this generation in a negative way because when we do our homework this way, we are not learning it and therefore this affects us in the future, like tests, for example.
ReplyDeleteAnd finally, the internet has changed the way we interact with each other. We are all so much more comfortable sitting behind a screen and message or text one another rather than have a face to face conversation or even just talk on the phone. Personally, this is what our generation needs to focus on improving.
Technology has given us the ability to search and access information quickly and efficiently when used right. I use Google to answer all of the questions that can't be answered by those around me, or from a book. Sometimes I merely want to know some random information. I've found sites that help me in school as well; where tutorials are even better than in class instruction. With smartphones we now have portable access to these resources. Where in the past, resources were harder to get your hands on, today it's simple. In a way I'd consider the use of technology to be contradictory because we have simplified things, but we have also opened the door to more complicated usages of this simplified form (if that makes any sense). It allows us to learn more and more, and as a result create more. Not only have technology aided knowledge-based use, but it has also created a way for people to connect from all over the world. I've used sites like Tumblr and Polyvore since the seventh grade and found that I've made connections from people around the world. Before, most people couldn't easily talk to someone who lived in the same area, but now, you can talk to someone from across the world just as easily as texting a friend. This allows us the ability to open our minds to global influences and stay informed.
ReplyDeleteThe internet, media, and technology has always changed the way I think on a daily basis. The internet has lured me into always seeing one point of view by such filter bubbles on Google, to the advertisements on Facebook. The restriction of other sources has contributed this change. I used to think by asking my parents, friends, teacher etc on how to understand homework/class work. But now the technology of being able to search on the internet causes me to not physical use my brain anymore, going to the internet is second nature into thinking nowadays. Media has also changed my thinking process by not only making me find numerous things hilarious now, but also informative like Khan Academy teaching school subjects. Making thinking less of work because the resources are a click away, this also causes me to think slower because I always want to search on the internet for answers. The ability to concentrate has diminished because I know that every answer I need is on the internet, therefore the care to answer any question is minimal. I feel fortunate and hurt by how time has brought me the internet, media, technology from making my daily life easier but also causing me to be unproductive from numerous distractions (games, social network, YouTube, etc). A pro about these changes in my thinking is that my priority for finishing work it at the top of my to-do lists because I know that the internet will help me finish it the quickest. My thinking from having to understand school by learning from tutors physically, to now learning from tutors digitally has changed the way I think about my thinking.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if there are pros and cons on how the Internet changes our thought process. We are in a time and generation where information is just a click of the search button away. Are thoughts are no longer "our thoughts" but more so of a remix of the things the Internet brings to our attention. Though the Internet brings a lot of current events to our attention, the price comes with a bountiful list of distractions. Music, videos, games, social media; all of these things are factors to the list of distractions that may keep us from doing productive work. You go from thinking about the issue of ObamaCare to thinking what crazy outfit is Miley Cyrus rockin' that day.Time seems to melt away when you're tuned into the internet. "Just checking your Facebook" leads to an hour of "Reading through my Newsfeed and recruiting more friends for Candy Crush." It becomes more difficult to focus on non-stimulating priorities when you're constantly having entertaining and euphoric interests popping up in the sidebar. The Internet is a tool that provides an endless amount of information for each individual without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home. This information is only resourceful if the individual can manage to steer away from the "wants' and prioritize the "needs". It takes a certain mental endurance to stay focused while on the Internet. Considering the Internet is now shaped around our interests, it's not uncommon for two or three of the things we like to be suggestions while we do our research. These interests also filter and tailor our results to relate most to the things we enjoy most. For this reason we most likely wont get accurate results for Shakespeare if we spend most of our free time on the Internet trying to figure out "What the fox says." Aside from distractions, the Internet/technology also seems to limit our learning experience in some ways. For example, most teenagers seem to lack the understanding of proper grammar, punctuation and vocabulary because we have become accustomed to technology doing it for us. I being one of those teenagers can vouch for my accusation of technology being both the pro and antagonists of education. I spent years growing used to auto correct editing and filtering my spelling mistakes and using text abbreviations to write. For this reason, my English skills have been diminished. Even now I'm sitting here clicking on auto correct to edit all of my spelling mistakes. All this rambling aside, the Internet is a setback and a advantage at the same time. It allows us concrete and limitless sources for research and informational purposes but has terrible side effects of laziness, short term memory, grammar mistakes and lack of full understanding. We've become a generation dependent on how fast our browsers can refresh and how accurately Siri can follow our commands. Internet/Technology are such powerful and resourceful creations that were designed to make our lives easier. Too bad nobody ever put a warning label on the negative impact it can have on our future generations if it's not utilized right.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that technology changes the way we think and makes significant impacts in our daily lives. As learners we need to understand and be aware that there is a big difference between dependent and interdependent. There was a time where the internet was fresh and new, codes and algorithms were being created everyday and without human intervention the world wide web could not exist. Nowadays the internet seems to be a clock that we've wound up and just count on it to keep ticking, we're not interested in a relationship with our information but rather we are parasites that can't survive without a daily dose of technology. This means that (as far as the internet is concerned) we are dead, as my colleague Mia Levy so wonderfully points out in a casual tweet.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/mia_levy/statuses/395377172187475968">October 30 2013. To be dead in the technological sense doesn't mean you've stopped breathing, but rather stopped improving. The internet isn't perfect, with filter bubbles, uneccessary censorship, and plagiarism running rampant, there is a definite need for an interdependent relationship and we need to be able to accomplish that as a society. All in all, there is nothing wrong with depending on technology, just make sure to always think for yourself, don't be lost in the web, and there is nothing wrong with reading a book or a newspaper once in a while.
It all depends on how the news is presented. Many times the news on the media and internet can be biased. Yes, the internet has made us a more aware universe, but it has isolated us from each other in some ways. Technology in general has taken over the worlds of many people. The talking on the phone and speaking face to face no longer seem an important part of society. The internet has allowed us to give up more quickly. When one cannot find the answer to something the person automatically thinks…Google it or cha cha it. This is a great article it’s worth taking a look at. http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/technology/articles/pages/youngminds.aspx
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had a tremendous effect on the way I think. I have never really had to memorize phone numbers or addresses because my phone can do it for me. Hopefully this is a good thing because it allows me to allocate my think to bigger and better things, letting the smaller, perhaps more trivial things be taken care of technology. But he TED talk on Filter Bubbles has warned me about letting technology do my thinking for me. All too often the brainpower I saved using my phone is only wasted through some other medium of technology. The beneficial side to technology is that when used effectively, it really does augment our learning capabilities. Resources are nearly unlimited and answers come as faster as you can type. So to quote a comic book, remember that with tools like the internet, "with great power comes great responsibility."
ReplyDeleteTechnology is the future. There is no doubt that technology will always provide us with an abundance of information that was not previously there for our ancestors. That being said, we could either take this to our advantage, or we can let these tools make us lazier when it comes to brainpower. How long will it be when our kids are far too lazy to even memorize their home phone numbers; so that if their battery dies on their cell phone, they could be stranded? Our brains are being hijacked by electrical equipment every day in some way given that you're not Amish. Memorizing street names will soon be useless, because we have satellites to take care of all of that for us through using our GPS. I predict the future generations to be pretty lazy. Technology will soon be solving all of our problems, and technology might some day be a problem unless it is utilized effectively to increase knowledge instead of prolong our learning. It would be cool to witness, but I would not be shocked if my grandchildren were competing academically with other kids who have had bio-mechanical modifications done to their brain in order to function at a higher level without effort. I know it sounds nerdy and Sci-Fi, but that is where we're headed, and I can't wait to see what we come up with next.
ReplyDeleteInternet, media, and technology change everything, from the way we live on a day to day basis right down to how we think. A lot of this has to do to the information that is coming to us. Prior to the internet the best way to get information was word of mouth, books, newspapers, and television. But even then we were still in the dark about most things. I'm not saying that technology has opened the blast doors on information, but it does allow us to see a lot more than we previously could (even if it is filtered to some degree).
ReplyDeleteBut still, something that changes the way we think isn't always positive. Besides getting a plethora of new and perhaps relevant information, how much of the web is wasted on cats, Justin Bieber, and social media. It's ironic, because in an age where we can be even more active in the world and take stands for what we believe in, we instead get stuck in the narcissism of social media. Obviously something is wrong here.
So the challenge of my generation so ingrained in the web, is to some how break out of those traps.
The internet has stimulated what I like to call a flash memory scenario, where you remember interesting tidbits for vast amounts of time, while the bulk of what you need to know is lost outside the relativity safe matrix that is your brain. For me at least, it encourages the participation of other activities, like looking up cat videos, while you should be dong work. When you are focused on multitasking you put hardly any effort into the work at hand and therefore the time you spent working looses the name of action and in this, regard their currents are cast awry. It is by far the most efficient and cheapest way to learn, but for me at least, the limiting factor of what you can accomplish is the will to work as well as your attention span. Not to mention the amount of bandwidth available for you to abuse. I find it extremely detrimental having the tools for procrastination so close when i need to be diligently working.
ReplyDeleteIt is undeniable that the internet and modern technology have changed and shaped society as we know it. What’s debatable is whether these changes have been beneficial or detrimental. Personally I believe the internet makes things simply infinitely easier. Instead of spending countless hours at the library researching as previous generations have done, the modern student can search the information he needs and have ample content within a matter of minutes. I see this easy access to knowledge as a positive because it means society is moving towards being more well informed. Although the internet provides us with knowledge it is also the sight of addictive distractions. Social media is a growing problem in our world today. Besides major issues such as cyber bullying and predators the internet also involves a lethal dose of unproductive possibilities. Sites such as Instagram and twitter seduce teens and adults alike into neglecting their duties and instead spending hours and hours clicking away and reading status updates. Many citizens have become dependent on such sites and their days seem incomplete without a status update or picture post. Social media seems to taking over but I see it as our own fault. The internet does not control how much time we spend on it; we do. Our misuse of our privileges has proven to be very detrimental to our society. Once we learn how to responsibly limit our internet use our society will be able to reap the benefits of our tech advances without suffering the non productive consequences.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, if humans had an installment in their brains that gave them everything they ever wanted to know or look up that would be super creepy! What's the point of interacting with others if you already know everything?
ReplyDeleteTechnology, Internet and media have had a great influence on the way that I think and even the way I go about doing things in my day to day life. I have the world at my fingertips in a cute, sparkly-pink case. My time spent searching for the information I need is almost non-comparable to the time it took previous generations to find information. Also, with so much available to me at the touch of a button or the swipe of a touch screen, my concentration is almost never focused on one specific thing. I can text my friend, catch up on world news and listen to music all at the same time. It's gotten to the point where I can even feel unfocused if I don't have a little white noise in the background while I'm working. Either my ability to multi-task has increased ten-fold or I've become extremely ADD. I've been able to learn so much about my personal interests and curiosities through the internet. Things I never even knew existed or books I never would have heard of I have been able to hear about through online communities like Tumblr and even Twitter.
Technology has had a bog impact on all of us and really does put the whole world at our fingertips.
When you have the internet as an instant resource, you immediately have abundant resources from all over the globe. Dr. Preston could tell us something that he believes to be accurate and true and we could look up his statement and find numerous answers and facts that differ from what he told us. Before smart phones and even the internet were in wide use; students just had to believe and accept what they were told in school. Every student now has the power to initiate their own learning and come to their own conclusions. Quite frequently students will have questions that know one knows the answer to. With access to the internet in the palm of our hands, Dr. Preston can coin his famous phrase, "look it up." This opportunity makes our education more complete and leaves us open to make our own interpretations to what we find. As a result, every student becomes an individual through their learning and becomes self sufficient. As students we no longer have to rely on any one person for answers; we can think and act more independently and control our own success.
ReplyDeleteThe vast (and seemingly infinite) amount of knowledge on the internet has made me much more intelligent and much more impatient. I can learn just about anything on a plethora of subjects and topics; from aardvarks to zyzzyvas, from pi to e and everything in between. Some may argue that they've learned more on the web than in school! My memory is so clogged with useless facts (if you farted consistently for 6 years and nine months, enough gas is created to produce the energy of an atomic bomb). I guess they'd be interesting ice breakers, but I digress. The internet is addicting because knowledge is addicting. Sometimes I'll be on Wookiepedia (Star Wars Wiki) just to check the specs of the Death Star and find myself reading about the Yuuzhan Vong war two hours later. You get so lost in your discoveries and you want to learn more. You can't simply stop. I often lose my sense of time when I'm on the web because you never run out of things to do. Like, EVER. And if you do, you aren't interesting hard enough.The internet makes me bring up vague connections between something I already know and something I just learned. I love immersing myself in history, math, science, politics, news, and random facts on the internet. It has made me much more eager to learn more and have the capability of doing so. If I see a painting I like, I can easily take a picture and use tineye to find similar images. The internet, however, also shortened my patience. I am so accustomed to having all the answers at the tips of my fingers. The internet has made me unsatisfied with the knowledge I have and make me crave more. It has made life a lot more fast paced and busy. If you do not know that Kim Kardashian got proposed to (for the umpteenth time) (no disrespect to Kanye) within thirty minutes, you are out of the loop. Stay off the internet for a week and see how out of the loop you become. There is no time to be idle anymore, we're always checking either our social networking sites or the news (even on the toilet).
ReplyDeleteThe internet and other technology has drastically changed the minds of further generations! For example I find myself using the calculator for the simplest of problems such as 87-68. Knowing I can do the problem by hand but I am more inclined to garb a machine to do it for me. My family members would tell me how they weren't allowed to use calculators for math, but this generation is already adapting to the changes so in my math class, we aren't allowed to use calculators it was the biggest shock to me and my classmates. I think we become dependent on these updates. Due to these thinking has taken a back seat to technology "How to.." I can type that in much easier than sitting there and learning by doing.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it can not always be negative this technology can be used to exchange ideas about something in a more effective way such as this post with the comments.
Modern technology has done two things for the human race. For half of us, it has made us lazy minds. We remember what we need to, and everything else is thought of of being online as easy access information, so that we do not need to know everything. For these people, the days of Trivial Pursuit are over, as it is extremely easy to just google something, or to go to wikipedia for it. It is truly unfortunate that society has made the internet work as their mind while they put little effort into anything, and promptly forget what they look up. The other half of our species uses the internet as a great tool that allows us to do many things that we either could not do, or did not have the time to do before 1995. I, personally, have learned countless things that I could not have done without the internet. I have learned much that I would not have been able to, watched much that I would have not been able to and read much that I have not been able to. In the past six hours, I have researched slavic mythology and learned about Koscheli, learned about the silent film star Lilian Gish and about a Kamban folk story. I have been able to read many things that I was not able to find readily, or that I did not want to go search for, such as The Metamorphosis and a couple other novelettes (although I prefer physical books, so I tend to read those more). It has also helped me watch many things that would have been impossible to watch otherwise. I have been watching foreign television, like comedy from England and Der Segund Mit Der Maus from Germany, that would never have been shown here unless they were huge like Monty Python or Doctor Who and made it to BBC America. Also, today I watched the film Roundhay Garden Seen, which is the first video ever taken, originally 2.3 seconds, now only 1.66 seconds, and recorded at a rate of twelve frames per second. The only surviving copy of this is in a museum, and I would have never been able to see it without the internet. In the past six months, I have researched culture, science, math and many other aspects of the human experience from germanic culture and language to the witch of agnasi, and I would have never been able to learn about all of this in my current situation with my current time constraints without the internet.
ReplyDeleteThe use of technology has changed the way I think, by allowing me to see how others think as well. Without technology, I would have to rely on books and what my teachers told me. Though they were good resources, our society now has a demand for technology and technology has allowed all of us to expand our searching and gather more information than ever before. I feel better connected with everyone now that I am able to use all the different social medias. l am easily able to search things and find them with only a few clicks instead of spending long hours finding the right book. I use technology for everything, especially since I became apart of the IPhone club. I am able to work with people outside of my city, and understand how they see things. It's a small world after all.
ReplyDeleteModern technology has made our lives easier and more convenient. I mean if I can't solve a calculus problem, I can just type the problem in and guarentee a solution will come up. Is it helpful or useful? Yes, but the problem with modern technology is that we are so dependent on the Internet that without it we can't do anything. For example, homework assignments, checking grades, researching, and even applying to colleges. We often run in to technicological problems with the Internet. Yet, modern technology has also helped us by communicating and teaching our peer (open source learning). I remember when we didn't have our iPhones or Facebook. Life has become so advanced and so have humans by almost "cheating" our ways. Convenience always have consequences.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can remember, my whole life has been based around media/technology/ the internet due to my father being a tech junkie and having his job requiring him to be always hooked up. So when I thought about how this whole movement changed the way I thought, it really didn’t affect me much besides me realizing, I’ve never really known a world outside of technology, media, and the internet (besides when I traveled over the summer to Uganda). Which in all honest, has kept me from getting the genuine reality of being in the moment. From here I can say that this new age of technology and such has definitely made me more aware of time. I realize that time can be like an ounce to a lb, a snapshot of the whole story, a verse in a song. The use of the internet has really made me aware of picking and choosing my priorities because of all the distractions online. It’s not that it doesn’t help that Preston’s blog is on the internet but it makes it more difficult with the accessibility of just clicking the next tab to go on Tumblr or Facebook (Which I REALLY NEED TO STAY OFF OF BECAUSE OF SCHOLARSHIPS AND COLLEGE APPS). Anyways, my thinking has also been changed to become more aware and thoughtful in conversation because I realize that sometimes the personal interaction with a person slowly diminishes through just IM’ing and texting and with people almost always on their phones when talking to someone face to face (which irks me A LOT). The last thought I could think of on how thinking has changed within me is that I sometimes feel like I’m not thinking at all. I do the most thinking when I’m by myself but when I’m at school and kind of just “going through the motions” I feel like I’m not thinking and I’m aware of that. Which is something that I believe the internet has slowly dwindled away. But the internet and media and such is not an entirely bad movement, I believe that it has more positives than bads to this whole deal.
ReplyDeleteTechnology and more specifically the Internet has influenced my life and the way I think immensely. I go on the internet at least 10 times a day! Checking emails, blogs, news, fashion, social media, something random, homework, blogs again, emails again, applications, news again, weather, etc. The Internet and technology can be positive because of the different ideas and perspectives you are open to (with avoiding filter bubbles online) through research and connections made via online communities. A negative of technology is laziness, technology makes humans put in less effort than just a few generations ago. If my grandpa had to write a report on Abraham Lincoln he would have to go to the library, check out 3-4 books, and ask a teacher for more information, if I were to write a report on President Lincoln I would just search a few biographies online and a couple of other Lincoln related sites. Using the internet requires less effort for today but it also opens so much more possibility of what one can find because of how vast the internet is and how much it has grown. Having so much knowledge at the end of your fingertips or in a thin box can be dangerous, I don't know how but, "knowledge is power."
ReplyDeleteTechnology and Internet has changed the way this generation thinks, learns, and acts. We all hide behind the Internet for tough assignments, avoiding confrontation, and many other things in life. In my opinion technology has greatly improved the knowledge we want to seek. If we are unsure about something we simply pull out our smart phones and look up anything we want. On the other hand this may be toying with our ability to memorize or remember things, this is because we rely on technology and or smart phones for remembering things. I think it is a toss up whether or not relying on technology is a good or bad thing. There is pros and cons to both. I think it is interesting to look back at old times and think about how they didn't have the ability to search things on the Internet, this seems so strange since if I am confused even slightly I usually google search and figure out my question. I think it must have been very different back then. Using the Internet opens up many more opportunities that we are just now gaining.
ReplyDeleteInternet, media, and technology does influence the way we think since we use it in everyday life. These tools have provided a source of new information that allows us to learn, grow, and prosper. Each of us has our own point of view and being able to see those within various resources allows me to have a better understand of what I am studying or researching. Now, technology and social media is constantly being attacked for being a bad influence on the younger generation since some believe that technology is blocking their choice of opinion, but I think this is completely ludicrous. We are still able to create our own opinions even if we have the exposure to various points of views. This may not be the traditional way of learning, but the internet and other technology resources are causing individuals to become less close-minded and more educated with what is going on with society around them.
ReplyDeleteTechnology, such as the internet and Google, has definitely made an impact in my life and the way I think. Every day, I am connected to technology,whether it is through my iPhone or my computer. I am always connected. Even with responsibilities I have with volunteering are all connected through the internet. A lot of the things that I know how to do now all came from searching through Google on how to do them. The world, as we know it, is now switching over to the technology world. So we have to be influenced by technology in order for us to get ahead in life. My parents always keep asking me why am I always on the computer, but my answer is that life nowadays is connected to the technological world than it was back in the 50's, 60's, etc when my parents were growing up. The world has ventured on a different route than it was back then. Although, I have gotten way too dependent on my technology because I noticed that I tend to tune someone out when something doesn't go in the way that interest me. With technology, sometimes, I am able to get something that is in the way that interests me to help me move forward with just one click. In other words, technology has its positive side where it helps us in so many ways whether it be learning something new or giving us resources to prove our point, but technology has its negative side where our way of thinking and our way of knowing other things have become so dependent on technology that we tend to filter out the things that we don't want to know, hear, or understand in real, face-to-face, life.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has completely revolutionized the way we think. The thinking process has been made simpler in the sense that we can just go on Google and search for whatever we want and find 1,000+ links to 1,000+ different pages with 1,000+ different ideas and opinions. Our predecessors actually had to look up things in books, which I imagine was more time consuming. Now the part that is harder on us is trying to navigate the plethora of information that is given to us. We need to figure out what information is important and relevant to our work and which is not. For our predecessors, they had one encyclopedia and they took whatever information was on there and used that without having to navigate all the information we are given. Sometimes I feel like the Internet could be damaging to the thinking process. The Internet is a tool,yes but it can also be a distraction. When we go on the Internet with the mentality of writing a research paper, we could end up getting completely distracted because of the infinite possibilities the Internet has. For example, we're supposed to be researching an extinct animal but end up watching videos of dinosaurs on YouTube because when we typed in "extinc blah blah" that came up on YouTube and it looked interesting. All I'm saying really, is that the Internet is so good because it exploits out infinite curiosity.
ReplyDeleteTo me, there are two ways to see this:
ReplyDelete1. Technology can disarm us from thought. Instead of somebody going through the process of figuring something out, they search it on the internet and suddenly thinking becomes an inconvenience. We learn indirectly and it shines a different lights on knowledge as a whole. To quote Good Will Hunting: "If I asked you about art you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo; you know a lot about him... but you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling."
That applies to our generation, where people think they know something because they have the information about it. Someone may know how tall the Eiffel Tower is when it was built and how long it took, but they don't know what it feels like too see Paris from 1,063 feet.
2. Technology is ultimately improving how people learn and communicate and find information about things, etc. Blah blah blah.
If anything, the internet has changed how I use and value information. Before I extensively used the internet for research, I had used encyclopedias, books, magazine articles, etc. I had to find information, organize it, and create my own coherent conclusions. This alone could take multiple hours.
ReplyDeleteOn the internet, all of this information and more is already organized and presented to you as a finished product. No one posts raw data or facts, they always have at least some analysis or editing to make the data understandable, readable, or enjoyable. Some of these sources are composed from other internet sources that have done this previously. Thus, much of the information that we read often reaches us after two, three, four, etc., tiers of processing.
An example I can think of comparing this to is a model I was shown in health class about STD's. In that model, when you have sex with someone, you are "having sex with everyone they have had sex with", this idea being that the diseases carry on through them to you. Just as those diseases carry on through people, ideas carry on though the internet, and when they reach us, they carry undeniable traces of their original purpose. You can also liken this affect to a series of "filters". Each person acts as a filter, and when they put out information on the internet, they choose what to write and how they will present themselves and their information. They only let through their "filter" what they see is good. However, the information they use might have already been filtered by other people.
All of the information we see, unless collected directly, is the rebirth of information told by proxy. Each of these proxies is an opportunity for someone to express their opinion and persuade people to their point of view, yet simultaneously be influenced by others. This can be done consciously or unconsciously. Because of this aspect of the internet, I have learned make sure to question the validity of a resource before accepting it and to value the perspective of others while seeking out multiple perspectives or conflicting opinions in the pursuit of total comprehension.
The use of internet and technology has greatly influenced the way that I think; both positively and negatively. Whether I'm struggling to understand a subject or I find myself wondering about a certain topic, my answers are only a search away. The use of technology has affected both my sense of time and priorities significantly. Why spend so much time trying to find an answer in a textbook, when you could simply find your answer in less than a minute on Google? As technology continues to advance, individuals are only becoming more and more dependent on it. I feel that technology has affected my memory in such a negative manner, due to the fact that everything that I need to remember is on my phone. Why even bother remembering contacts, upcoming events, deadlines or birthdays, when you could simply find all of that information on your phone. Yes, technology has made our lives easier, but technology has also made us lazy as well. As time goes on, we are only becoming much more reliant on the internet for almost everything and anything.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Technology has opened up a door of opportunities for us. Technology has allowed us to expand our knowledge, view things through different perspectives, and has ultimately introduced us to resources that may be extremely beneficial. Let's all be honest here, every time you're on the internet you learn something new, whether it's a formula to help you complete your math homework or whether it's which celebrity is having a baby. Although the internet could be considered a negative factor, it is very helpful as long as it's being used for the right reasons.
Social networking expands the limits of thought. It changes the way we look at the world. We can learn about places we've never been, meet people we may have never met, and learn things that change us. The only disconcerting part is that we have become so dependent on these new waves of technology that we would be lost without them. I start my day with an alarm on my phone, and end it with a quick stroll through my Instagram. It makes me wonder how people managed before the creation of these devices and networks. Whenever I talk to my parents about things like this they are sure to mention none of this even existed when they were my age. It's scary to think that all of this technology could expand or collapse within a few years. My generation is so used to the stead-fast growth of the technological boom, that I don't know what we would do if manufacturing companies just some how ran out of ideas one day. Ghandi himself once said ‘While my body on itself is nothing but a meticulous machinery How can I dismiss it? My spinning wheel or even this toothpick, for that matter, is a machine. I hate not the machines, but this growing passion for machines. I hate the passion for the machines which work upon diminishing man power. Some talk about machine which could spare man power when thousands of people are thrown jobless on the streets. Yes, I want the human toil and time to be spared not just for a sect of people but for the humanity. I want the wealth to be accumulated not just in few hands but for all the people in the world. Today machines favor putting handful of people on top thousands.’ Technology is taking the place of human relationships. Our codependency is driving us to ruin relationships and attach ourselves, instead to computer screens and iPods. I definitely appreciate that it is the way of the future, but we also need to realize the effect it is having on our lives.
ReplyDeleteI got this quote off http://ajithanmotherearth.blogspot.com/2012/07/gandhi-on-technology.html?m=1 (I AM SO SORRY THIS WAS ON BLOG A WHILE AGO, AND I JUST WOKE UP WITH THE REALIZATION I FORGOT TO POST IT AS A COMMENT)
I feel that the use of technology has given us a wider range of perspective. By simply going on Google and typing a word you can find various of sources that gives different perspective. Or if a person needs help on a certain homework problem, they can simply type it in the Google search bar and find the answer. If a resource on the internet is vague and if one might still need clarification, there are several other resources that can help clarify the information that one needs. Other benefits of social media and the Internet is that it can help a person meet other people to expand their knowledge of the world. For example, by using a site known as Tumblr, I have been able to meet other people from around the world that I might not have the chance to if it wasn't for Tumblr and learn about the different lifestyles throughout the numerous countries. Through social media sites such as Tumblr, one can easily message a friend across the world which can open a person's global perspective. However, a disadvantage of the Internet is that, like many other technologies or human-made objects, it has flaw. There are many people in the modern world that rely heavily on technology; whether it is signing up for the SAT, looking up grades, or working on college applications people continue to rely on technology. But what happens when the internet or sites crash? A crash or a glitch can prevent people from getting work or other activities done. Although technology is a great asset towards humans, technology, like many other things in the world, has a flaw.
ReplyDeleteInternet has certainly introduced many new things to me. I have been able to access more knowledge on certain topics.However, I feel as though it has a negative effect on me also. I feel as though I am getting more impatient with time and pace as newer technology is coming out. When I started using Google Chrome, it was indubitably faster than using Internet Explorer, but at one point in time I started to get impatient with Google Chrome also. This is also in regard to my phone. I get frustrated when it takes over 10 seconds to load a page full of information, but when I was in elementary with a basic flip phone I was fascinated that one small device could make calls and allow me to talk to others. I think that I have also lost some ability to concentrate because of the temptation of going onto social networking systems that I don't really think are important, but I still use them. There are lots of online games and media that can distract me from whatever my original plan was. However, it has helped me with memorization. I've memorized where certain keys are on a QWERTY keyboard and I know some shortcuts to use for whatever (like cut/paste).
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ReplyDeleteTechnology definitely changes the way we think. I believe that this is part of the reason why memorizing a soliloquy was so rejected as even a concept. For most of our lives, we have been accustomed to having information at our fingertips, so why memorize any text when we can easily have it displayed on our smart phones screen in front of us? This is the problem with our technological advances. Yes, technology is supposed to the help us with everyday life, medicine, and safety, but what happens when we abuse the power? We become lazy.
ReplyDeleteIn the eighth grade my class had to earn the Preamble and we were not happy about this. Why? Because we did not see the point of memorizing anything when it could be easily accessible. In my opinion, the entire situation is wrong. Why shouldn't American citizens know their own Contitution? This is what technology has caused. In a sense this is laziness. We didn't have the will to learn our Constitution.
When you are on a website and decide that you want to open up another one but also do not want to lose what information you have, we usually open a second tab and it leads to another and another. While you are searching online you may get a text message on your phone and while you are answering that message, you notice that the show that you have playing in the background is done with commercials and the show will begin again. With so many things going on at the moment, how can you not multitask? In my opinion, this is the basis of our society today. We all multitask in order to get our work done more efficiently. And our technology assists us. On the Samsung Galaxy you can display two screens at the same time; on the top you can have a YouTube video playing and on the second half you can be reading a blog. This may also be the reason why we find it hard to sit down and read a book or memorize a soliloquy.
On another note; ask yourself this, how many phone numbers to do you know? I can count them on one hand. My mom's, my dad's, my own, and my house number. If you were to ask someone about 25 years ago, they would be able to recite over 20 if their closest friends and families and sometimes, neighbors. Now here's another question, how many of your Myspace, Facebook, or Instagram friends/followers do you actually talk to on a weekly basis? How many of those people have you actually met person? Also, when was the last time you talked on the phone with someone who was not you mom, dad, or grandmother? We have pulled away from face-to-face interactions for a screen. But at the same time, we can video chat with people that are on a different continent. We have become so distant yet so connected with our technilogical advancements.
In the information age knowledge ideas and thoughts are at our beckoning call. Anytime we need a summary of a book, or a translation for a phrase, or just a joke for your friends, the internet is there. we can assess thousands of years of trail and error with one click of a button. A great tool and resource the internet is and it has many charming qualities. But one thing that the computer age is doing for us, is making our generation more and more impatient Just as Brin said having the internet in your mind to help your brain when every we reach a conundrum would be marvelous. Although why not just take to few minutes to slow down and look it up. This is just one of many examples of how in this age we never want to slow down. Faster, better more power, we all want to spend less time, this is how the internet is, in the end, changing the way we think.
ReplyDeleteTechnology really changes us for the better or worse, it either makes us even more curious or really dependent on the information. Our thinking can be influenced by anything we read or see in the internet. There's plenty of good and bad stuff out there in the worlds library. You can learn about our Human history, or our conspiracies on "youtube", you can watch videos that can change the way you think whether if its about religion or politics, about nature, or futurism. Even music that you listen to online can change your viewings on the world you live in. It all affects you, as for my focusing on the internet. If I get curious about anything I can always just look it up but that's only my concentration, it would need my attention which has to be something serious to me or else I won't take it serious. Concentration is you forcing yourself attention, while attention is to basically be instinctive about your surroundings and having no barriers on what you're focusing. I learned this through the internet and watching a video of Judduh Krishnamurti, yesterday actually. But Jidduh Krishnamurti didn't have any technology back in india, he learned in England and opened his mind to everything. While I ( 30 years after his teachings on tv) am studying him. Weird right?
ReplyDeleteTechnology, with the Internet now more easily accessible through smart phones, has changed my generation. Before, people would have to recall facts from memory if they didn't want to find the page in a book or the paragraph in an essay where they read about the concept in the first place. Now you can simply whip out your smart phone, laptop, or portable tablet and search that concept. However, with a seemingly limitless supply of descriptions, directions, photos, music, videos, social networking sites, and online shopping, for me, the internet absorbs time at a rate that seems unfathomable. It is the bearer of distractions which, depending on your state of mind, can either make the Internet desirable or despicable.
ReplyDeleteI also just wanted to add my first thoughts after reading this selection. How would people measure intelligence or value intelligence if there was an implant that allowed anyone to be a walking encyclopedia? How would people be prevented from using these implants during tests or contests where the participant's success should depend on what they know up to the point of taking the exam or going on a game show? I think it's an intimidating thought to think of everyone with the knowledge of the Internet not just on the tips of their fingers but already inside their minds.
Technology has allowed our generation to open up new horizons and explore the possibilities and information of the world easier than ever before. Yet, we are often trapped into our own bubble and don't see past much of what we already know. Some of our curiosity is lost when it comes to "conveniences" that we don't even know of, such as filter bubbles. In addition some teenagers are lost in the world of social media and don't see the internet as an interactive tool for learning. Technology has changed our thinking in the way that if we don't know something then we'll just google it to get the answer, and in my opinion it has taken away some of our value of learning. Although it can be used for learning (such as this blog and this class), it has taken our generation out of the hard process of learning. Just one generation ago, our parents had limited, to no, access to technology. To learn about Hamlet, they had to read and study and re-examine the play over and over to understand it. To learn how to solve a math problem, they had to read their text book instead of googling it and having the computer do it for you. I believe that it has taken a little bit of value away from learning because once we get the direct answer we are often more inclined to forget it. Going through the process, and the "wild goose chase" to find the answer is what allows us to remember it the rest of our life, and we lack that.
ReplyDeleteTo me personally, technology is a big asset to my learning environment, and social life. As sad as it may be, I depend on the internet for a lot of my daily activities. It has developed my mind in good ways, and ways that make my mind extremely lazy. Too much internet access is probably going to end up having a negative effect on the next generation and so on and so forth. When I give into my laziness, I can't help it but find myself sitting in my room searching for calculus answers on my iPhone. Not good.
ReplyDeleteI also find myself scrolling through Instagram and Tumblr when I am bored, or when I should be doing homework. Technology has its way of taking control over my mind and the activities that I could be doing, rather than sitting on my butt in the dark on my bedroom floor posting random pictures from my life that no one cares about anyways.
The use of social media changes the way we think by causing us to consider what others think like which Instagram filter will make me look better to ultimately get more likes and what can I tweet that's witty enough to get more retweets and favorites than my last tweet. I believe that the internet and social media improves our memory because we relate what we see to the person that posted it so every time we see that person we think of that post or vice versa. Social media does affect the ability to concentrate and managing your time and priorities simply because there are many ways to entertain yourself using it that you aren't going to find in your math homework. Social media and the internet just creates a bigger web for everything
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'm going to link to the XKCD strip Extended Mind because it's relevant but mostly because I just like linking to XKCD
ReplyDelete...anyway, I know that for myself personally, the Internet has given me almost a sort of disdain for unevidenced "conventional wisdom" and faith in facts and statistics instead, all of which are readily available to me within a few clicks. At the moment I'm under some rather severe dietary restrictions for my health, and I'm never satisfied with reasoning like, "Well this is a vegetable, it must be ok for me to eat." Before eating anything I always look up the nutrition facts, glycemic load, how it's made if it's a processed food (ex. I can't eat anything fermented, so turns out I can't eat chocolate. Did you know chocolate is fermented? I didn't. Thanks Wikipedia), etc. Such immediate access to facts makes me question statements with the imperative "Prove it."
However, I know that the Internet has probably also shortened my attention span, because I'm ALWAYS tab surfing. Even when I'm doing homework, at any given moment I probably have Listube, Pandora, my email, XKCD or Dinosaur Comics or something, and a Google search of whatever I just thought of 10 seconds ago open in other tabs. The Internet has made it so whenever you think of something (ex. "Hey, I wonder if I have any new emails since I checked it an hour ago?") you can and probably will search/check/access it, regardless of the task at hand. Given the ubiquity of computers, as desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart glasses, and according to a commercial I saw last month, smart watches (!), the status quo really isn't that much different than the hypothetical Google search in your brain mentioned in the passage.
(Also, I just have to say this. When the article mentioned "computers that pay attention to what's going on around them and suggest useful information" I was like, "OH GOD. NAVI." Otakus in the house will get it.)