Critical Thinking Paper

James Weinbender

W200 Using Computers in Education

9-11-10

Module 2: Critical Thinking

            There are many ways in which technology enhances our lives.  Having a stove makes cooking easier, and having a car make travel less arduous, however, some forms of technology can be a detriment if used inappropriately.  By analyzing articles such as, “The Pros and Cons of Texting and IM” by Kelley Loftis and “Eight Ways To Use School Wikis” by Anonymous, one can more clearing examine both sides of the spectrum.

            In the article “The Pros and Cons of Texting and IM”, Loftis says, “In this age of technology, people will do anything to stay connected. In the last several years, the number of text related accidents have increased.”  The author goes on to explain that accidents in teens are caused more from distractions like text messaging than drunk driving like previously thought.  If texting while driving is causing more accidents and deaths in teens than drunk driving then why is the ladder being more enforced throughout the United States?

            This article reminds me of an incident that happened to a close friend of mine within the past year.  While driving home from football practice last year my friend was texting someone and got in a serious car accident.  Paul came out with only a few bruises but other driver is now paralyzed and the passenger that was in the other car was killed.  This is just one incident of course where texting while driving is something that law enforcers need to crack down on.

            In the article, “Eight Ways To Use School Wikis”, the author writes about how school wikis benefit students as well as the teachers.  The benefits range anywhere between making meetings more efficient, to saving trees and time.  The section that caught my eye was Saving Trees and Time, the author says, “Wikis are a clutter terminator.”  This quote describes that using wikis will save space on an educator’s desk/bookshelves.  It also describes how all the information that teachers put on paper can easily be posted right to a wiki.  This can save a school money and time that would have been wasted by putting the same document in every teacher’s mailbox every day.  If wikis are such a time and money saver though, then why haven’t more schools across the country picked up the habit?

            While my high school was not the most technologically enhanced out there, they did provide quite a few amenities to help further our educational experience.  My memory of my senior English class stands out in my mind the most.  I went from doing everything out of a book my junior year to only working on a computer my senior year.  My English teacher found that passing out papers every day was a waste, so we only worked on websites that provided us with the necessary information.  We too also used a program called Wikispaces, where we posted all our homework.

            Each article served a purpose of showing the pros or cons of using today’s current technology.  The texting/instant messaging article showed us how dangerous one of today’s most used devices can be, while the school wikis article showed how moving from textbooks and pamphlets to computers, can benefit teachers and students alike.  I found both of the articles to be very beneficial and they broadened my outlook on both of the topics.