Technological Innovation -- at What Cost? Even

Technological Innovation -- at what Cost? Even though technological innovations hold much promise for productivity, there is a price to pay in our educational and social activities. With all the information and entertainment we become distracted and shallow. We don't learn as much as we can and we don't connect to others on a meaningful level. Our parents had a deeper knowledge of the topic they wrote about.

Not too long ago, our parents had to go to the library and spend hours researching a topic, jotting notes on file cards, and getting photocopies of articles that they would use in their research paper. Then they would spread the cards and notes and copies of articles on a desk or table and put together their paper. This was a long and tedious process.

Finally, they would type their papers on a typewriter unless they were lucky enough to have access to a desktop computer with a word processing program. In contrast, today's student may have read just enough to get his research paper out. The student with a smart phone could get several sources for his research topics and download the information to his laptop while he was having lunch with his friends.

Later, he could bring up the downloaded material and sort it out, cut and paste, and write his research paper on his laptop. Then he can wirelessly print it. Some instructors allow students to e-mail their papers instead of printing them.

Our ability to do research and write papers has been streamlined, but at what cost? In the hypothetical example of the student having lunch with his friends, was he really with his friends? Chances are they were all looking at their cell phones, checking e-mails, playing a game, or viewing the latest video on Youtube. Did they have any quality time together and have real face-to-face communication? They probably didn't. There are people that belong to book clubs.

The members read the same book and meet to discuss various parts of the book. It's a social as well as an intellectual activity. They may relate some personal anecdote to a certain passage in the book they just read. Everyone has a chance to participate. On the other hand, our digitally literate students find that reading a book is way too long as opposed to seeing a video. Then they'll merrily text back and forth to each other and not necessarily about the video.

This small gadget, the "smart" phone holds so much promise for productivity. However, what are students using these gadgets for? Students are using their smart phones for entertainment more often than their studies. Some text whenever they have the chance including.