Is technology as great as we think?

Like anything in the world, technology has definitely has its pros and cons. After reading these articles, I have to agree with some of it and disagree with other parts of it.

Technology, when it comes to education has made tremendous leaps and has made the classroom a more interactive place of study. The SMART board allows for great interaction within the classroom and between student and teacher. It allows for a new more "cool" way of learning, rather than the traditional pencil, paper, and book that most of us grew up with. Further, it allows great educational games and programs to be accessible and visible to all children in the classroom. Additionally, technology has made life easier, in some ways for many teachers and has allowed students with different learning disabilities and learning styles to partake in what is being taught.

However, I do have some things I would like to point out about technology that I do not agree with. While the articles speak of technology being a social arena for kids to collaborate, chat, and find others that share a same interest, I also find that these same areas of socialization can create areas for bullying and infatuation with this digital life that does not really exist. For many of my students, they get stuck in this digital world that is not of this world and throughout the day, that is what is on their mind. They can't get out of it and all day, some of my students seclude themselves from other in the classroom and speak with these digital, imaginary friends.

What happened to the days of WANTING to go outside to ride a bike and run around? What happened to finding friends through face to face conversation rather than through AIM, MSN, or gchat? Don't get me wrong, I love technology and it has made my life much easier, but there are certain things that I have noticed in my students that worry me about this next "digital" generation of kids. Maybe I'm old-fashioned and need a pause button of my own so that I can catch up with the latest technological trends, or maybe I just look back at my childhood and see how simple and quaint things were and miss it.