Computer or the Egg

As we look at technology and its effects on society throughout the ages we see a general trend. Generally, a need is met by some form of technology, whether by study or by accident. This new technology improves the productivity of a group and therefore becomes mainstay, however rudimentary its origins are. It appears to me that the larger the society the more technology they are able to use and produce, stemming from the fact that a larger society will allow for more “free time” (in terms of agriculture, etc.) to work on such devices.

As we draw nearer to the present, the speed at which technology arrives has increased. In a sense, we see technology beget technology. In the past, technologies were a matter of survival or toys for a wealthy minority; it has now become mainstream. As we have entered into what Alvin Toffler (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) called the Information Age the pace of technology has actually overcome the needs of society. We have switched from a time where a need created a technology to a point where technology creates a need. A large part of this comes from the capitalistic society we have created. Advertising is key, with companies convincing us that we cannot live without certain pieces of technology. This hunger for the latest and greatest simply feeds the creative minds pushing it. Inventors rarely stumble across a new technology, rather they are racing to discover and create it, funded by the corporations work for.

Look at all of the technologies in our lives that really are not necessities, yet people would laugh at you without. Microwaves for example are just considered a mandatory piece of the house. The same goes for dishwashers and refrigerators. Televisions have entire rooms designed around them. Planning for power, phone, cable, and Ethernet ports is an essential part of building a new home. This past year I was amazed, while registering for a new baby, how much stuff we “have to have” to raise a child. But this “have to” is driven by want and not necessarily by need. Could a child be raised without a Diaper Genie and Baby Bjorn? Yes, but it is so much more convenient if it is available.

As educators we must realize this trend. Technologies we grew up with in the classroom are no longer “wow factors” in lesson plans. Students are weaving technologies more and more into the fabric of their lives. Things our parents could not have dreamed of are becoming every day necessities in the mind of the children we teach. We cannot keep technology out of our classroom in the same way that our grandparents could not keep rock and roll off of the radio. As technology now drags us forward and we are told daily that we “need” the latest and greatest, we must remember that students are that much more immersed in this culture. We need to integrate these technologies into our classrooms not just to keep them relevant, but because they are becoming part of everyday life. Education as we know it is like a shark, if it does not keep swimming, it may die.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). The third wave [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.