Educational Technology Reflection 1

There is no doubt that technology is evolving at a tremendous speed and the doors and possibilities that it has opened up are virtually limitless. Even in my lifetime so far, technology has change everyday life for most of the population. In the four articles that we were assigned to review today there were several different areas covered. I found all of them to be very interesting and they also left me even more curious of what the future, not only of education, but life in general, may hold.

The first article that i reviewed was the one discussing paper versus tablet surveys. I was honestly surprised to see that there was very little difference between the two methods. Before I read it my prediction was that tablet forms of survey would be the better way to go. I just assumed this because every where you look anymore people are always on their phones, tablets, and computers. These devices have become such a major part of everyday life for many people.

The second article that I reviewed was the Teacher Technology Usage survey. This survey mostly covered what types of technology teachers prefer and also which types of technology they feel like with more funding that they would find beneficial. Pursuing a teaching degree myself I agreed with what this survey revealed. I agree that in the classroom technology can allow students to experience subjects and lesson that they would not be able to without technology. I also believe that technology allows teachers to open up so many more doors for students. Like I said before technology is evolving a tremendous rate and if students aren't able to see technology and work and use it themselves I fear that they will be behind. In today's economy jobs are getting harder and harder to obtain, therefore giving students every advantage you can while they are growing up is very vital.

The third article that read was about the best twenty five inventions of 2015. I found this very interesting. There were several inventions included in this list that I had never heard of. In my opinion some of these items could be very beneficial, while others I felt that there purpose was not very significant. However, this article is proof that technology has no limit and you never know what is going to be invented next.

The article from The Economist about domestic furniture having a mind of its own was one that i could see in certain situations being very useful. I feel that there are a lot of people that could benefit from furniture like that. I can't say for sure that I would ever buy one, but the idea is a good one!

The quote "I fear the day that technology will surpass our interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." by Albert Einstein is one that I agree and disagree with at the same time. I do believe that technology is a great thing and it has so much to offer, the possibilities that it has are endless. However, I do fear that technology has become such an intricate part of everyday life that this generation has missed out on many things. It's not very often anymore that you go out to a restaurant and not see an entire family sitting at the table all looking at their phone or even walk down the hallway and not find someone staring at their smart phone. Today's society has somewhat lost what true face to face interaction is about. I have sat on the couch in a room full of people all of which were texting each other rather than just talking among themselves. At this rate face to face conversation will soon become a thing of the past. My main concern is where does it end, when will people realize that so much is being missed because people fail to look up and see whats right in front of them.