The Importance of Technology

Throughout class on Monday, we spoke a lot about the importance of technology and the major impact that technology has on our society. It is only in recent times that we have become so reliant on technology. For some people technology has a prisoning type of reaction, people are so reliant on technology. Most people that I know can't live without checking their email, their Facebook or their Myspace. Technology, primarily the internet, has taken on an important aspect in society. The internet provides a ways of communication for many people. Many people primarily socialize with their friends over the internet. 

Because our society has recently become so deeply rooted with technology, it is important as educators to ask how this affects education. It is so much easier now for students to look up answers to their homework problems on the web. Is the internet in a way taking away critical thinking for our students, and having them retain information that they have found on the internet? I know some professors are nervous about websites such as Wikipedia, because anyone can post to it. How do we know the information that we find on the web, is truly correct? People who have spent years doing research all over the world, can now simply discover research online. The internet has an unlimited amount of information that students can research. We have to make sure however that our students have not lost the ability to think and research for themselves. 

We have to think about ways that the internet may be used as a portal for substantial changes in our world. When a major event occurs in the world, the entire world can learn about it within seconds when it becomes posted to the internet. The internet can be used to really connect people all around the world. A good friend of mine has a friend that she made on the internet from across the world. My friend speaks to her online friend on a consistent basis. She has learned the ways of life on the other side of the world, yet she has never actually met her online friend. We need to think of the possibilities that the internet has created for our world. How can we use the internet to better serve our world? 

It is important to realize that the internet is also dangerous. Many people are abducted by "friends" that they have met on the internet. There is the feeling of safety when sitting behind a computer, but it's important to know that there is someone else behind another computer that may be targeting you. Conversations that people have with each other through instant messenger, do not compare to conversations that are had face to face. There are certain elements missing from an online conversation, including the inflection and the use of facial gestures. It is sometimes impossible for people to realize if the person that they are speaking to is being sarcastic, or actually being serious. There is also a certain bond created between people who have face to face conversations with each other. 

As music educators we need to be prepared for the way the world is changing through the power of technology. There are so many more ways of reaching students using the internet. Sites such as youtube, make videos of performances much more accessible to the average viewer. We have to realize that the world has become so much more accessible to us, through technology. It has become a major influence in society, and it is our job as educators to influence the way it becomes used. Technology has created new windows for students, and it is our job as educators to teach them the ways to open them.