Virtual Students

In his essay, Virtual Students, Digital Classroom, Neil Postman argues that in today’s world, technology has reached such a high level of devotion from humans that it has become a sort of religion, or even a cult following that threatens our social way of life. He supports his claim by countering the technologically inclined views of Dr. Ravitch, and Mr. McIntosh. In order to prove his point, Postman adds to his claim by suggesting that future generation’s social development in school and outside of school will be hampered by our addiction to infuse technology into everything, saying that if Little Eva is stuck on the computer learning all day she’s not going to bother playing outside with Little Mary, stating that Little Eva might even be annoyed by the thought of interacting with her peers.
For the most part, human technology has been a blessing in man’s life. It, like most all other human innovations has help man on his journey here on earth. Everything from the simplest stone tool to the modern day computer chip has helped us in one way or another. True there have been instances where technology has failed us and there are many scenarios in which technology could even destroy us, but for the most part, it has helped us progress with time. It has made things easier, faster and increasingly efficient for the people using it.
Although I think technology has helped us advance our learning capabilities and has helped out a lot with things you don’t pick up in the classroom. I do agree with Postman in that it would take a whole new breed of children, willing to study algebra on the computer late at night as opposed to learning it at school, to make it truly work. This in my opinion is a fantasy, beucase for every child who is academically inclined and loves to learn, there are several others who are not necessarily at that same level. In addition to that, what is stopping that particular child from picking up a book if he or she is so motivated? Would the simple fact that you are using technology to study algebra motivate you enough to study it late at night? Why not just use that technology while at school? Just because it’s easier to do, doesn’t mean everyone is going to enjoy doing it. It’s still Algebra and it is still work.
The use of technology has been incorporated into our everyday lives. Everyone has a cell phone, most everyone has a computer, and the next big thing is just around the corner. It makes our lives easier, and now helps us communicate with others across the world instantly. However I disagree with Postman in that I don’t think humans would allow their social habits to disintegrate to the point that you would not want to interact with your peers. Humans are social creatures by nature and they wouldn’t allow it to happen. I don’t think that little Eva would choose to live a solitary life run by technology if she knew she could be playing outside with her friends. I feel that humans should realize that technology is here to help us, but we should not let it overtake us. As much as it makes our lives easier, we must not rely upon it for everything but instead use it only when needed. Schools, as dysfunctional as they may seem at times, still provide the perfect environment for learning and human interaction needed to succeed in life.