Google: Too Much Information???

By: Katie Greenwell

In today’s society we fully rely on technology to get us from “point a” to “point b.” There is one helpful site that does almost everything for people all around the world, better known as Google. According to Nicholas Carr in the book, The Digital Divide, he asks the question, “What Is the Internet Doing to Our Brains?” Another blogger by the name of Bruce Friedman, regularly comments about the use of computers in medicine, also has described how the Internet has altered his mental habits.” Friedman says, “I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the Web or in print.” The importance for the Internet is to obtain information that one might need to get from “point a” to “point b,” but for Google, the cite feeds and gives you everything and more that you need.

The graph below shows you the different search engines for researching a specific topic. Shows that 87.9% of Internet users choose Google. This is a very popular search engine for people all around the world.



The image below show even what apps you can get on Google, so many options, just for one search engine.




Google today has become more technologically advanced due to the scholars who are putting their work on Google so that it may be accessible to students who not only want to obtain sources from a factual database.

Today, people do say we are from the “dumbest generation,” but I beg to differ just because we have excessive use to the Internet does not mean we have to use the Internet as a source. We can look to other resources for sources for any topic, for instance a factual database like a university. Students, faculty, and staff here at TCU are known for obtaining their sources from the TCU database coming from the library. I believe that the library is a good source for information not only for research sources but also for outside sources non-relative to school. In conclusion I do not believe that we are the “dumbest generation,” but instead like to call our generation technologically challenged.


Sources
The book- Digital Divide
Voluntary Simplicity

TECHNOLOGY: VIOLENT TELEVISION, VIDEO GAMES & INCREASED AGGRESSION

By: Patricia Bush

Did you know that youths between ages 8-18 spend more that 40 hours per week using some type of media?

Did you know that 8-13 year old boys spend on average 7.5 hours a week playing video games?

Did you know that 90% of teens reported that their parents did not supervise the amount of time they spend playing video games and the ratings of the games they were playing?

We have entered a new era in which technology is becoming more and more integrated into our every day lives. We cohabit in a highly digital world in which everywhere you go you are surrounded by technology. Just stop and think of how much technology you are bombarded with in one day. We are constantly plugged into our cell phones, laptops, television, Kendals, video games, etc. We are developing a symbiotic relationship with our lifeless and emotionless technologies that are dictating how we live. Are we doing ourselves a disservice by conforming to this highly digitized world? We are by no doubt changing the ways in which we think and live due to our cornucopia of technologies.

From the creation of the printing press in the mid nineteenth century, there has been a continual progression in technology, specifically technology that influences mass media and technomedia. With the invention of the printing press, literacy rates skyrocketed. Reading became a leisure activity available to all social classes. Following the printing press, radio broadcasting (1920) and television (1939) entered the scene. There was an increase in the spread of knowledge and news. Not following far behind, the first video game joined the big dogs of the technological society. These new inventions drastically changed the development and socialization of society. Specifically, television and video games have been extremely influential in solidifying the norms, behaviors, and beliefs of the American culture.

Have you ever stopped to think about how television and video games really impact our behavior?


Or does exposure to violent television and video games really cause an increase in aggressive behavior? With the 40 plus hours teens use viewing television and playing video games weekly, there is no doubt that they have some ability to alter our behavior, but just how much? Through empirical studies such as experimental research, cross-sectional correlation research, and longitudinal research, psychologists have uncovered that there is in fact a direct link between violent television and videogames and aggressive behavior. The consistency of the findings based off of the three research methods provides one of the strongest research platforms in all of psychology. As the Psychological Science article, Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Psychological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior, states, “It is now known that even brief exposure to violent TV or movie scenes causes significant increases in aggression, that repeated exposure of children to media violence increases their aggressiveness as young adults, and that media violence is a significant risk factor in youth violence (Bushman and Husemann, 2001; Huesmann et. al., 2001). Evidently, there is a direct relationship between the two. According to Private-practice psychologist Elizabeth Carll, PhD, violent video games have a greater ability to cause aggressive behavior. As Carll states, “If you are actively involved in learning, you remember things better. So in a game you do things over and over again, whereas in the movies or on television you watch it once. And in the game there is reinforcement for it. So if it is killing people that you’re doing, you get a reward for that” (Do Video Games Really Spark Bad Behavior?).

The content of television and video games is socializing our youth and young adults to possess aggressive behaviors. In the Psychological Science article, the Columbine High School shootings was referenced to highlight the impact of video games on youths and young adults. It was noted that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two individuals responsible for the murder of thirteen people, the wounding of twenty three, and their own deaths at the Columbine shootings, spent much of their time playing violent video games such as Doom.

It is evident through the research that there is a link between violence on television and video games and aggressive behavior, but why does exposure to violence through these sources cause subsequent violent/aggressive behaviors? According to Craig A. Anderson and Brad J. Bushman from the Psychological Science article, “the enactment of aggression is largely based on the learning, activation, and application of aggression related knowledge structures stored in memory (e.g. scripts, schemas).” They explain how exposure acts as a learning process and impacts short term and long-term processes. “From infancy, humans learn how to perceive, interpret, judge, and respond to events in the physical and social environment” (Anderson and Bushman). So from infancy, our brains are malleable and highly influenced by our every day interactions and experiences. If the majority of our time is spent watching violent television or actively engaging in hostile themed video games, our behavior will begin to reflect that content. Anderson and Bushman created GAM, General Aggression Model, to visually explain the link between exposure and aggression. The following two figures demonstrate this correlation.

As Anderson and Bushman wonderfully summarize, “Research on exposure to television and movie violence suggests that playing violent video games will increase aggressive behavior. A meta- analytic review of the video-game research literature reveals that violent video games increase aggressive behavior in children and young adults. Experimental and nonexperimental studies with males and females in laboratory and field settings support this conclusion. Analyses also reveal that exposure to violent video games increases physiological arousal and aggression-related thoughts and feelings. Playing violent video games also decreases prosocial behavior.”

So what does this mean for us? What is our call to action with this revelation of knowledge? The violence standards portrayed in today’s media are here to stay; we have opened Pandora’s box, and there is no closing it. Educating the general public on the direct relationship between violent TV and video games to aggressive behavior would be the first step. Utilizing our new technologies that are entering the digital age for productive and effective uses would also drastically impact the socialization of our society. We are products of society and history, but we are also history makers. We have the capability to direct our future for the better. It has been argued that this new technological generation is the dumbest generation due to our dependence on technology. I would beg to differ. We have the ability and are using our new technologies for the advancements of society. Although there are negative ramifications for technologies such as the impact of violent television and video games on behavior, we do not have to let this define us. What generations in the past did not change for our generation, we can change for ourselves and for the generations to come. By no means are we dumb. We are the ones creating the new technologies. We are the ones recognizing the impacts of technology on society and seeking to change the direction of the future for the better. We are the future. We are the change that we wish to see in this world.

Works Cited

Anderson, Craig A., and Brad J. Bushman. "EFFECTS OF VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES ON AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, AGGRESSIVE COGNITION, AGGRESSIVE AFFECT, PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL, AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature." Editorial. Web.

Bauerlein, Mark. The Digital Divide: Arguments for and against Facebook, Google, Texting, and the Age of Social Networking. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2011. Print.

DeNoon, Daniel J. "Do Video Games Really Spark Bad Behavior? | Fox News." Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .

"Video Games: Timeline — Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. .

Future of Learning?

By Merideth Byrne

Today, kids spend more time than ever using technology. According to an article on Bloomberg Business Week by Steven Reinberg, kids today are using media on an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes a day. They have become more plugged in to all the different media, and less plugged in to what they should be learning in the classroom. This increased usage of technology has harmed students’ ability to learn in traditional ways, making it even harder for teachers to teach their students. To combat this growing problem, schools are starting to fight their problem with technology, with technology. At the Amelia Earhart Middle School in Riverside Unified School District in California, they launched the “worlds first iPad-driven algebra curriculum,” (Aimonetti, 2012).

When given the California Standards Test to test their knowledge after using the iPads “78 percent of students in the pilot program scored ‘proficient’ or ‘advanced,” (Aimonetti, 2012). According to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a premier interactive education company, “by engineering a comprehensive platform that combines the best learning material with technology that embraces students’ strengths and address their weaknesses, we’ve gone far beyond...a one-way math lesson into an engaging, interactive supportive learning experience,” (Aimonettie, 2012). By giving the studentsa tool that gives them the best of their technology world, combined with the lessons of the teachers’ world, schools could give students a better chance to succeed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt noticed that students who were in the pilot program were “more motivated, attentive, and engaging than traditionally educated peers,” (Aimonetti, 2012). From this article, it seems that eventually the only way to really get students motivated to learn would be to incorporate some sort of technology.

In the article “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” by Marc Prensky, we are presented with information about the disparities between students and teachers today. According to Prensky, “students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” Growing up immersed in a technological world has changed students’ ways of learning. Digital Natives (those who grew up with this new technology) are finding the traditional ways of learning out dated and boring. One reason why this could be is that their brains are programmed , causing them to think differently than the Digital Immigrants (those who didn’t grow up with new technology). According to the article “Do They Really Think Differently?” by Mark Prensky, video games in particular have affected the brain causing it to rewire; causing the Digital Natives attention span to decrease “for the old ways of learning.” They do, however, have a good attention span for games and other things that interest them. Why not teach them in a way that would interest them then? As long as it gets them to learn the material (and apparently excel at it according to the California Riverside ipad algebra pilot test from above), whats the harm? Many people would say that using technology in the classroom would only fuel the fire for kids to become more connected to technology and less connected to the real world.

Mark Bauerlein, the author of the “Dumbest Generation,” would say that my generation is in fact the dumbest generation. What is the main cause of the dumbness of my generation? Technology, of course. Technology has given access to more information than ever before, but instead of using it to learn, we are using it for social networks. I do see where Bauerlein is coming from, when he says that my generation is the “Dumbest Generation,” but in my opinion he is wrong. My generation is not the dumbest generation. We just think differently than the generations before us. Just like his generation thinks differently than the generation before him, and so on. With every generation, adjustments have to be made to fit them. My generation’s learning style is just different. If we are taught in a learning style that interests us, we could excel even more than if we were taught with traditional styles. I learn best when I am genuinely interested in what I am learning about, and how I am learning about it. For the majority of the people in my generation, using some sort of technology to teach them would be the best way to grab their interest. Just because my generation is more into social networks and other technology does not mean that all hope is lost for us. This just means it’s time to change things up a bit. It’s time to combine traditional teaching styles with the technology of today.

Digital Divide: Urban Myth, or Rural Truth?

Maryam Arastu

In addition, media exposure has been seen to be negatively correlated with performance in school and positively correlated with risk taking and aggressive behavior.

Though the concept of the “Digital Divide” is extremely prevalent around the globe and even in the US, the vast majority of American youth, regardless of socioeconomic status have access to substantial amount of technology and media. As the results of Roberts et al 2008 indicate, “Saturation or near saturation levels have been reached for all but the newest electronic media, and those are likely to follow much the same pattern”. As expected, television remains to be the most ubiquitous form of media usage, but its position could easily be usurped by the closely following video game.

Recent research abrogates the fact that age is a key determinant in technology and other media exposure. As the following data would suggest, “overall media exposure follow similar, age- related patterns”. The researchers speculate that the bimodal can be explained by changes in kid’s available times, which are driven by academic demands.

The Digital Divide, edited by Mark Bauerlein, brings up another looming setback of the exponential advancement of technology- the proliferation of the disparity between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots”. Many believe that technology will be the solution to poverty, ensuring educational tools to the less fortunate. But with technology expanding at nearly lightning fast speeds, budget cuts and minimal resources hinder the poor’s ability to get back on par with the rich.

Be wary of the Shallows… and Mind the Gap

In The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, author Nicholas Carr brings to the light the fact that media is a double-edged sword. There is no doubt that the Internet, once military database turned World Wide Web, has a plethora of uses. The downside is something the masses fails to see: how it may be effectively “re-wiring” the core circuitry of our brain. This concept of neuroplasticity is the basis of many of Carr’s arguments.

After hearing of this Digital Divide, I began to mull over the long-term effects and came across some interesting findings. Oliver Curry, from the London School of Economics, goes as far to speculate that generations from now, there will be only two distinct groups of populations- the wealthy, beautiful and intelligent “Eloi”, and their not so complementary counterparts, the “Morlock”, who do slave work to keep the Eloi happy (BBC UK). Though one can’t directly attribute this hypothesis to the digital divide, they would be foolish if they failed to recognize the part that technology could potentially play in widening the disparity.

Technology- “Antioxidant" or Neurotoxin?

The benefits of technology speak for themselves. There isn’t a rock on this earth that technology has let unturned. It has managed to burrow itself into everything we have, say, or do. For this reason, there really is no reason for me to go on and on about its marvels. It manages to do that for itself quite well.

In contrast, I want to spend some time introducing you to its “Dark Side”. Carr states, “Going online habituates [adolescents] to juvenile mental workouts”. How many times have you been to a new website that just didn’t find it easy or straightforward enough, and took your time elsewhere. We like simple; that’s just how we are. Carr and Bauerlein make the point that our repetitive simple tasks are ridding our brain of our more analytical and critical thinking skills. It’s like spring cleaning going on in our brains. If we don’t use it, just toss it. Because of this reason, Generation Y, or the people who are under the age of 30 are dumping the idea of more linear thinking and adopting a more fragmented style. Anything long and drawn out seems frivolous and boring, thus making it difficult to focus in class, or read that 15 page long article for homework.

Side note: Though the word neurotoxin is used figuratively, lets not forget the literal meaning. It can be loosely defined as something that can cause harm to the brain, or nervous system. Sure all this technology, is all great and fine. It permits to video chat over multiple devices, or talk on the phone without even having our phone close to us. Its uses are as diverse as the tropical rainforest… but what is it really doing to us?

We are constantly surrounded by Bluetooth, infrared, and other signals. Are all these somewhat unexplainable chips, wires, and hybrid metallic compounds affecting our health? Due to the intrepid advancement of technologies, there are virtually no longitudinal or long-term studies. As much as I hate to say it, we are all guinea pigs. It suddenly makes you put down the iPhone or MacBook and pick up the old-fashioned pen and paper, huh? With the amount on time we are exposed to technology is increasing, so is the likelihood so is the likelihood of other problems.

The media has caught on to this phenomena by putting in commercials every 10 minutes or so. A lot of news channel show 2 minute clips of video rather than having the newscaster stand there and read out the news. Newspapers are slowly going extinct; everything is online. A more personal example, I find it so tedious to actually read articles when your given a convenient one paragraph abstract outlining everything.

Do you even think you’re getting “dumber”, or is your ego doing a good job of masking it?

In times like this, people don’t even know that they are progressively being re-wired. In reality, the vast majority of us fail to realize how much of a distraction technology can be with the hundreds of emails and texts we get on daily basis. In my opinion, we as a society are already dependent on technology and there is not much we can do to change that. The best way to alleviate this problem of a more distracted fragmented, and sometimes bored, Generation Y is not to strip them of their gadgets, but to help them strike a good balance. It’s time to put down that Kindle Fire and pick up a real book! Not only will the publishing industry thank you, but those pesky little neurons in your brain will too!

If someone were to ask me, “Is your generation becoming dumber?”, I would respond with a “Yes”. But what worries me a great deal more are the generations that follow. Little kids in my family can’t even walk yet, but can navigate an Ipad 2 like a seasoned adult. What implications do these have for our future? Will playgrounds or Legos even exist? Or will they all be built into the latest and greatest of technology. At least for their health’s sake, I hope Gene therapy catches on soon, I don’t even want to get started talking about childhood obesity. After all, our children are our future, and to be frank, the future is looking a little bleak.