Should Electronics Be Allowed in School?

            It is controversial on whether or not phones and other electronics should be allowed in school. With the high increase of technology intelligence, electronics in school would be a much better alternative than using outdated textbooks. Most textbooks today lack the information that students can simply search up on their phones, iPads, or tablets. Young people are growing up in societies where technology involves everyone; it is a common knowledge we are all coming about. “Instead of spending time and energy making sure students do not bring them to school, we should be investing that same energy into showing them how to use them properly” (Edubabbling 2014). People often take advantage of the free access to the wide variety of information we can attain just through our phones. Electronics should be allowed in the classroom for emergencies, faster easy research access and better information. It is just being the path to a more intelligent future.

Details:

            Today looking at the news and other surroundings, it is becoming more dangerous for everyone to be in public. There are a lot of natural disasters happening and lots of stories of strangers finding their ways into schools and this is very dangerous for students and their lives. With the past events such as Columbine and the Sandy Hooks shootings, coming to school often seems scary if there is not enough security. In schools we are not allowed to have our phones and are just to rely on the teachers. But in some cases, if something happens to the teacher there is no other way to contact families. “You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead, and communicate with others in advance” (Ready.gov 2012). Everyone has the fear of losing contact with his or her families in case of any emergency. Having phones in class for this reason will ensure the families that the students is okay or to let the outsiders know what is going on.

            Textbooks often tend to lack information that students need. They do have very useful information but there is always better and more helpful knowledge on the Internet. We use the Internet everyday for our small, quick, searching and social media. Information is always found on the Internet because of how much information we put out there. “The politics of the matter aside, the demonstrates the power of thought when it is articulated on the Internet today. It has the power to transcend the obstacles that offline communication faces” (Chrling 2011). With Web 2.0 rising, we are open to more opportunity of information.

            Using the Internet also allows faster searches. Web 2.0 is a better and faster tool everyone uses that advances more and more each day. “Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, folksonomies, video sharing sites, hosted services, Web applications, and mashups” (Wikipedia 2014). There is so much more options to finding information besides a textbook in a better way than what a textbook can give students. Growing up in a technological society, it can appear to be easier to learn to type, text, and use other concepts of using electronics to educate us. Using the Internet is much faster and can help organizations and businesses work together better, give knowledge, and also improve on social structure. The Internet does not only provide faster searches, they also provide information on social media, news, and others. “According to some Internet experts, with Web 3.0 you’ll be able to sit back and let the Internet do all the work for you” (Strickland 2008). Using Internet could be helpful with gathering much information that is provided.

Conclusion:

            Electronics being allowed in schools will be very beneficial because it will allow better access to information we need in studies. The Internet has a lot more resources than an outdated textbook can give us. The youth is raised being able to use such technology to do quick searches. There is always the situation where there can be in an emergency and a student will need to contact their parents in case a teacher is incapable of doing so. Our phones, tablets, and iPads are very useful to our lives and the technology it brings us can often be taken advantage of. If phones are allowed in school, we can be taught all of the opportunities we have to educating ourselves (Wikipedia 2014).

Reflection

New Knowledge:

In this research, it brought about a better understanding to me that it is very important to be able to have other sources of information besides the textbooks we barely use in class. It showed that there is much more to a textbook that is outdated and often lacks information. Also, it showed the importance with safety because there is so much evil going on in this world so having a phone on hand in case anything happens to happen, we can at least contact our parents or outsiders who do not know what is happening in the building.

Prior Knowledge:

I know that teachers do not want students to have their phones in class because it could be possibly used for cheating. It can also be distracting when students pay more attention to their phones than to getting their education. When we get the chance to go to our lockers, it can also be a form of distraction when we are so focused on replying to a text that we have seen. There are a lot of negatives and positive sides to using technology in school.

Overall Thoughts:

I found this topic very interesting because it is so controversial. A lot of people have views that using phones and other electronics in school can be a bad thing but being a student myself can see it as beneficial because I personally would know that I would not use it only as a source of socializing. The Internet is and will always be a better way to find more information.

Clarity:

Will there ever be a time where phones will actually be allowed with the increase in crime rates and everything else going on?

 

Works Cited

Meador, Derrick. “Should Students Be Allowed To Use Cell Phones At School?”. Edubabbling.com. 2013. Web. 1 May 2014. < http://www.edubabbling.com/should-students-be-allowed-to-use-cell-phones-at-school/>

Ready.gov. “School Emergency Plan”. Ready.gov. 2012. Web. 1 May 2014. 

< http://www.ready.gov/school-emergency-plans >

Chrling. “Information Sharing on the Internet is Changing Our Society”. Chrling. 2011. Web. 1 May 2014.

 <http://www.ohrling.com/2011/02/information-sharing-on-the-internet-is-

changing-our-social-behavior/>

Wikipedia. “Web 2.0”. Web 2.0. 2014. Web. 1 May 2014 .

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0>

Strickland, Johnathan. “How Web 3.0 Will Work”. HowStuffWorks. 2008. Web. 1 May

2014. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-302.htm >

Humans Merging with Machines

Introduction:

A little over ten years from now, human and technological intelligence will have made advancements of much higher levels. The average computer will be equivalent to 1,000 brains. This costly advancement will merge human and machine intelligence so much that there will not be a clear distinction between the two. As of today, scientists are already using the option of putting chips into human brains for control of diseases and other medical usage. These chips are extension of technology can also be a problem of privacy. Jobs will be at risk for humans as computers will be able to take the jobs and possible do more than what humans can. Humans are slowly but surely giving technology more intelligence that will eventually exceed the intelligence of humans, the creators of computers and technology (Kurzweil 2009). The merge between humans and machines is not necessarily a good thing because it can be beneficial or can negatively affect our lives in many ways (BBC 2008).

Details:

The idea of extending the use of technology can become an issue for people’s privacy. The Privacy Act of 1974 established the protection of records that as accessible of others that includes names, social security numbers, or other personal information. This Act prohibits information to being distributed to others who can possible put harm to one’s records or money (HHS.gov 2014). In today’s society, people commonly use social media such as different blog websites, Facebook, Twitter, to share information on our lives through pictures, videos, and personal information. The advance in intelligence of machines will bring a closer relationship between humans and computers. Devices such as chips and monitors are embedded into people’s everyday uses such as objects, clothing, and even our bodies often for medical uses (BBC 2008).

Medical uses are very common for technology. Bionic limbs and hearing implants are used to allow people to regain functionality loss due to any specific reason. Increases in technology are allowing scientist to find new cures for diseases and possible find a way to restore loss of sight. All of these advancements are related to the idea of humans merging with machines (Strickland 2014).

Human knowledge will contribute to computers and eventually allow computers to develop enough intelligence and human-like characteristics that human and machines will merge. Robots will not be used for simple tasks or chores, but they will do everyday things as humans do. This advancement will create a problem with jobs for humans with the ideas of computers taking over (Gaudin 2008).

The idea of this intelligence is not something new to the world’s knowledge, as it has been an idea that has been slowly increasing as the years go by. For about 40 years, the merge for humans and computers has been very expensive for new experiments and knowledge on how this may possibly work. The boundary between humans and technology is blurring and softening and will begin a new way of life (Gaudin 2008).

Conclusion:

            Implanting chips into human bodies, creating robots, having phones that we can talk to is a big step to humans merging with technology because humans are working together to create what some people consider to be an easier way of life. Advancements in technology are not always a good thing because it can lead to problems with privacy, jobs, and money. Computers will eventually take over in a sense where humans will not need to do anything anymore. For the future, robots are usually thought for being there for simple chores and tasks, but in actuality humans are putting so much information in this technology that they are capable of much more (BBC 2008).

Overall Thoughts: I find this topic very interesting when it comes to my personal future. I think that humans merging with computers will affect my future when it comes to jobs especially. This will not only affect just me, but my kids, and my grandchildren. This topic is very controversial when it comes to how far we will let technology go. 

"Computers to Merge with Humans." BBC News. BBC, 04 Feb. 2008. Web. 18 Mar.

2014. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7325004.stm>.

Gaudin, Sharon. "Intel: Human and Computer Intelligence Will Merge in 40 Years."

ComputerWorld. N.p., 23 July 2008. Web. 18 Mar.

2014.<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9110578/Intel_Human_and_com

puter_intelligence_will_merge_in_40_years>.

Kurzweil, Ray. "The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine." Scientific American. N.p.,

23 Mar. 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/merging-of-mind-and-machine/>.

"The Privacy Act." HHS.gov U.S Department of Health and Human Services. HHS.gov,

2014. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. <http://www.hhs.gov/foia/privacy/>.

Strickland, Johnathan. "Will Robots Change Us?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., 2014. Web. 12

Mar. 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/robots-change-us.htm>.