I am by no means a technophobe and I accept that some advancements in technology are for the greater good.
However, I wonder whether we would be better off without so much technology in our lives.
We are literally surrounded by it and even the most unwilling participant in this technology-filled time is in constant danger of getting sucked into the frenzied world of 24/7 email, Skype and social media.
True, there is always freedom of choice to abstain, but it’s difficult to get by without succumbing to the buzz of technology if you live and work in today’s modern world.
I saw the YouTube post of the young child: a toddler, who could work a touch screen iPad but could not fathom a magazine and tried to get the pages to scroll. What?
Perhaps it really is that I am just a dinosaur (one of the younger species around) who, at 43, can remember a world before all this technology and before all this stimulation, which, I fear, leaves so many young brains overwhelmed and frazzled. It seems a reprogramming of a species is going on before my very eyes and I don’t like it. We are all in danger of overload.
Schools here in the UK are now investing in iPads for all students, costing up to several hundred thousands of pounds per school. I say they would be better spending this money on raising the standards of teaching so that our children can actually read and write when they leave school and not just play games on an iPad that probably won’t last very long: it will either be lost or damaged quite quickly. A good teacher, and there are some, will be far more robust. Put the emphasis back on the teachers to do what they are paid for: teach. Gimmicks are all well and good, but I suspect a good old-fashioned lesson from an enthusiastic teacher will motivate far more. I know it always worked for me: and still does in the workplace. I would far rather be captivated by a passionate individual and their knowledge than by a PowerPoint presentation, most likely put together by someone else.
I find our reliance on technology scary, but perhaps I am alone in this. People are losing their ability to communicate. When was the last time you received a letter through the post? Have you ever received a letter through the post? That’s another topic for conversation: if you are not too busy in this virtual world to put pen to paper, or can write anything other than text speak.