According to the Technology/Education Curriculum Guide, published by the New Hampshire Department of Education in 2008, technology "is an activity that involves the generation of knowledge and processes to develop systems that solve problems and extend human capabilities." Therefore, all citizens, especially young persons, "need to become technologically literate in order to be productive users of technology" and will thus become "better able to understand the world in which they live and to be more prepared for the future"

NHEA, Internet). Certainly, these statements might induce some students to forget about obtaining a higher education and focus instead on increasing their computer literacy and knowledge on their own rather than paying tuition at a local college or university for the same information.

Also, this guide offers a number of reasons why technology is so important for today's students. For example, technology education will encourage "those habits of mind necessary to a life-long learner, such as the ability to question, investigate, experiment and evaluate" an entire host of topics and subjects and will in addition help students to develop "an understanding of the relationship between technology, individuals and society" (NHEA, Internet). Basically, these viewpoints are true and accurate, but when it comes to obtaining a traditional education, students might consider them as proof positive that they do not need a higher education, thus lowering their interest in true educational pursuits.

It is interesting to note at this point that a number of American educators are convinced that the U.S. Department of Education and its affiliates are currently involved in a massive conspiracy to purposely cause young people and students to lose interest in obtaining a traditional education at the university level. Part of this conspiratorial "blueprint" includes de-emphasizing academic knowledge and replacing "individual achievement with collectivist group-think ideology" (DeWeese, "The Fix," Internet). Whether or not this scenario is true is open to conjecture, but it is rather obvious that a good number of American students have lost interest in education, for they see it as "traditionally motivated and aimed at limiting their individualism" (Emberley, 265).

Annotated Bibliography

DeWeese, Tom. "The...

2001. Internet. Retrieved March 10, 2009 at http://fathersforlife.org / education/the_fix_that_destroys_education.htm.
In this article, Tom DeWeese of the American Policy Center for Education in the United States examines how technology as a "fix" is destroying our nation's schools and their students. DeWeese also explores a number of questions related to this topic and offers some solutions.

Emberley, Patricia C. Values, Education and Technology: The Ideology of Dispossession. Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 2003.

An excellent and extremely well-written book by a professional in the field of education and the effects of technology upon it, both positive and negative. Emberley's book contains a full chapter dedicated to the question "Is technology destroying a student's appreciation of a traditional education?"

Lendman, Stephen. "Destroying Public Education in America." Global Research.ca.

2008. Internet. Retrieved March 10, 2009 at http://www.globalresearch.ca / index.php?context=va&aid=8579.

In this article, Stephen Lendman of the Global Research Foundation of Canada examines in-depth how technology is destroying not only public schools but also the students who attend them, both in Canada and the U.S. Overall, Lendman's argument is solid and well-researched and sheds much light upon the subject at hand.

Lewis, Brian. The Tower Under Siege: Technology, Power and Education.

UK: McGill Queens University Press, 2001.

Much like Emberley's book, author Brian Lewis explores in-depth the connections between education and technology as they relate to students and their attitudes toward a traditional education. Lewis also offers some wide-ranging opinions on technology and how it negatively impacts a student's overall interest in obtaining an education.

Technology/Education Curriculum Guide." State of New Hampshire Department of Education. NHEA: New Hampshire Education Association. 2001. Internet. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from www.ed.state.nh.us/education/doe/organization/adultlearning/

Career%20Development/documents/NHTEACurriculumGuide/PDF.

This article, put together and published by the New Hampshire Technology Education Association, explores a wide variety of topics related to technology and the role of education within it. Also, the article points out how technology is forcing great changes in American society and how it is altering student's conceptions and outlooks toward achieving a higher education in traditional settings.