technology Archives

May 8, 2024May 6, 2024

Technology Can Negatively Affect Learning

As an educator, I’ve observed a concerning trend. People, particularly students, have become reliant on technology such as computers and smartphones for writing and communication. It’s not uncommon to see them struggle to think and compose thoughts without their electronic devices. This reliance on technology is evident even in our discussions about complex topics like God’s existence or the Bible’s inspiration. When asked about a basic fact, many respond by saying they have to check with Google, Alexa, or Siri. Educational psychologists are warning that this over-reliance on technology can negatively affect learning.

A Scientific American article by Charlotte Hu reports on studies dating back to 2014 showing technology’s negative effect on learning. Hu points out that research has shown that people can type notes with very little brain activity. Many years ago, I worked for David Segal, a leader in the use of learning tests. He once told me, “American education is moving material from a professor’s notes to a student’s test paper with as little interference as possible in between.” We have advanced that one step further by saying it moves from a professor’s laptop to a student’s with no absorption by the human brain in between.

Transcribing in longhand is slower than typing into an electronic device, requiring the writer to pay closer attention. One research study used a head covering with 256 electrodes to detect brain activity when students handwrote and typed words. When students wrote the words, there was widespread brain function, but when the same student typed the words, brain activity was minimal, showing that technology can negatively affect learning.

When I taught physics to high school kids, we would calculate what should happen in a physical situation. Then, the students designed and conducted experiments to test their predictions. I would work through a solution on the blackboard, doing the math in my head. As hand-held calculators became more advanced, students would plug numbers into a program in the calculator to get the same answer. Later, one of the students I had done this with in class was making change for me at a drive-in restaurant. I gave the student a dollar bill to pay for a 67-cent item, but the student couldn’t give me the correct change without using a calculator.

The human brain is designed to process information and record relevant data. Technology can negatively affect learning when an electronic device takes over some of that process, bypassing the brain. Children need to have their brains stimulated and relevant information stored in their heads, including memorizing Bible verses. Perhaps a factor in the loss of belief in God and the Bible today is that technology is taking over our thinking. Those who created the technology are not as capable as the One who created our brains.

Reference: “Hands-on” by Charlotte Hu in the May 2024 issue of Scientific American, page 134

May 22, 2019May 21, 2019

Science and Technology vs. Greed and Stupidity

Science and Technology vs. Greed and Stupidity If you believe everything you read about science and technology in magazines and newspapers, you might want to question how much of it is factual. The way the media presents the stories, you might get the idea that science and technology are making such rapid advancements that in a few decades, we will solve all of the problems of humanity. There is no question that incredible advances have been made in medicine and agriculture. However, what many people don’t realize is that while some critical areas are advancing, others seem to be losing ground.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us: “An American mom today is 50% more likely to die in childbirth than her own mother was.” The primary cause seems to be that health professionals have biases causing them to overlook symptoms. Food shortages are also creating an increase in disease and death due to malnutrition. The primary cause is that there has been a 20% drop in the abundance of food production in countries that depend on their domestic food supply. Humans have reduced the population of pollinators, including wild bees, endangering crop production. Over-fishing is beginning to threaten the primary source of protein for billions of people. The human destruction of mangrove forests and coastal coral reefs has placed 300 million people at increased risk of flooding.

God has given us not only the resources to feed every human on the planet today, but also the way to live with each other to allow the maximum potential for the food and medicine to reach the people who need it. The Genesis account tells us that God gave Adam everything he needed and that by the sweat of his brow, he would be able to eat. Humans have allowed power and control to rule what we do. We have made money and possessions the focus of our activity instead of focusing on God and serving others. In the process, food has become a weapon. Instead of “taking care of the garden, dressing and keeping it” (Genesis 2:15), we have exploited and abused the good things God gave us.

The world continues to reject the teachings of Jesus, replacing them with selfishness, greed, and a moral code that teaches “survival of the fittest.” The result is that we all reap the consequences of what we have sown. Bringing people to believe in God and Jesus Christ not only has meaning in terms of what lies beyond this life, but it also is at the root of the quality of life we and our descendants will have in the future. Science and technology can’t solve all of our problems as long as greed and stupidity get in the way.
— John N. Clayton © 2019

March 7, 2019March 4, 2019

Fortnite: Battle Royale and Parents

Every generation has a technology challenge that causes parental anxiety and threatens their relationship with their kids. For boys today the challenge is the video game Fortnite: Battle Royale.

When I was a kid in the 1950s, the technology challenge was television. I remember seeing my first television. When the wealthy neighbors got a color TV, my parents complained that I was gone all the time to watch their color TV. When shows came on that seemed risqué to my parents, there was a crisis. I wanted to watch rock and roll which my parents felt was a “tool of the devil,” even though they were atheists. There was also the development of games. Every store had a pinball machine, and as kids, we found ways to win free games. I missed one whole afternoon of school because I hit the jackpot during my lunch hour that gave me 50 free games.

Todays’ new technology is computers, and the challenge they present is video games. The game getting the most attention now is Fortnite: Battle Royale which is produced by a North Carolina company called Epic and partially owned by Disney. It’s an attractive mix of game design with a persuasive technology designed to shape the behavior of its users. This is mass-market gaming, and it has been the most watched game on Amazon.com’s Twitch network for the past year. Last November people spent 108.9 million hours watching other people play Fortnite. The company makes money by selling costumes called skins and dances called emotes for their avatars to perform. Embellishments sell from $2 to $20. Players buy them with virtual currency called V-Bucks which are sold in packages priced from $9.99 to $99.99.

Since its launch in July of 2017 Fortnite has made more than $2 billion from the sales of virtual goods. Fortnite: Battle Royale is a killing game that is hair raising but earns a “T” rating (meaning okay for Teens) by not showing visible spilled blood or dismembered body parts. Psychologists have identified some 200 persuasive design tricks to make a game addictive. Fortnite: Battle Royale uses a high percentage of those elements in combinations. We old folks may remember how addictive the games were in the past. Games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or Frogger did not compare with the far more addictive techniques in the toolbag of Fortnite: Battle Royale.

Scientists are researching whether involvement with video games is connected to substance abuse or compulsive behavior. Gunfights constitute a significant part of Fortnite, and the heavy use of violence concerns many scientists. Parents should be aware of the game and its potential risks. Restricting playing time, and having activities the child likes that pulls him or her away from the game are essential.

Challenges to parenting aren’t new. Parents have always had to be careful about how they react to the difficulties of raising a child. The Bible’s instructions for parents are more needed than ever before. You can’t “train up a child in the way he should go” if the actual chief trainer is a violent video game.