Recent developments in technology have ushered in an era of digital immersion for young people. With every area of life becoming technologically connected, youth are experiencing increased amounts of exposure to immersive technologies. These technologies use entertainment as their medium, typically requiring users to connect with the product or service via specific apps, software, or games.
Many argue that these technological tools can be helpful for developing skills such as literacy, math, computer science, and so forth. Others believe that such applications may even reduce overall knowledge due to individuals having limited experiences with them.
This article will discuss how these new tech-tools affect educational opportunities, what students should know about them, and some potential negative effects they may pose.
Spending time with family
When I was in college, my friends would always joke that when we were done partying, they would usually just stay up until morning to watch Netflix or do homework. They would constantly be finding new ways to use their phones before going to sleep at night.
Now that they are parents themselves, they realize how much energy it takes to wake up early every day and prepare for work, go pick up kids from school, make lunch, deal with children who don’t want to eat what you made, and then get ready for your job. It can feel like there is never any time left!
As parents, our responsibilities grow quickly. We need to learn how to manage our time effectively to keep ourselves focused on important tasks and obligations.
Parents of young children especially struggle with this due to the nature of childhood. You not only have to spend time taking care of them, but you also have to find time to yourself.
This is why it is so important to establish routines and habits that help you focus on self-care. You can start by practicing yoga twice a week or groominging your hair after leaving the house.
Whatever changes you make should be ones that make you feel good about yourself. Try experimenting with different things to see what works for you.
Another way to avoid technology burnout as a parent is to teach your child how to use technology responsibly.
Spending time with friends
Now, before we get into more complicated modes of technology use like Netflix or YouTube, there is one fundamental way in which technology clearly impacts knowledge-by spending time with others.
Studies have shown that being social creates dopamine, a feel good hormone, in your body. Dopamine is what makes you happy!
Having less than 5 hours of direct contact per week with other people is considered socially isolated. So, investing in relationships by meeting at least this requirement once a day can help increase happiness.
Now here’s where it gets tricky. Technically speaking, anyone who spends five minutes looking down at their phone screen is not interacting directly with someone else.
So, how do we draw the line between using tech for interaction and having no interactions? There are two ways to approach this. The first is to try limiting how much time you spend actively using digital devices for communication, such as texting, emailing, and talking on the phone.
The second is to make efforts to “deactivate” your device during times when you would normally be interacting with people. This could be doing something active like going to a movie or bowling or practicing yoga, anything that requires you to be away from your device. Or it could be passive things like putting your phone under your pillow or in another room so you need to get up to access it.
Both of these can contribute to creating more opportunities for real, face-to-face conversations.
Spending time to reflect
In our constantly moving society, spending time away from screens is becoming a rare occurrence. Technological advancements have made it easy for us to be connected virtually all of the time.
This raises an important question: how much technology are we allowing into our lives?
We have become so accustomed to having access to technology at every turn that we fail to remember what kind of effect this has on us as individuals.
It may seem like a good thing – you have your phone, you can read books, you can watch movies and television shows, but ignoring the calls, messages, and notifications can prove to be harmful.
They may even hurt you in ways you never expected!
In my article “The Effects Of Too Much Screen Time On Kids,” I discussed some of the negative effects that excessive screen use can have. But here, I will discuss some additional ones — how digital media can affect knowledge.
Technology has now become a major part of our culture, which means it impacts almost everyone in one way or another.
Research suggests that too many hours spent online can reduce people’s interest in learning and studying. This includes reducing motivation to learn new things and limiting opportunities to do so.
Reduced motivation to study could also lead to reduced engagement in classes and courses, which would further limit opportunities to learn.
Taking breaks
A few years ago, people were talking about how technology was destroying our focus and quality of life. Now we have to add another item to that list: it may be killing off the need for total knowledge. With every passing day, individuals are leaving more and more things unsullied by technological advances.
There is a reason why you will never see someone who does not use social media or live stream their lives online. It has become almost impossible to function socially as an adult without them.
By creating these virtual communities, companies have created a way to connect with other people and keep up-to-date on what they are doing.
It is virtually mandatory to be active on at least one platform if you want to survive in the workplace and enjoy your daily life.
But just because something is commonplace doesn’t make it good. Overly reliant on technology can actually hurt your overall understanding of the world.
When you stop looking into different areas of expertise, you lose touch with the fundamentals. You lose out on some of the small details but also important concepts that exist only among those who have mastered them.
And we all know that there are always going to be new developments coming down the pike, so staying ahead of the curve is crucial to success.
Don’t let digital overusage hinder your potential! Avoid making judgments about whether or not this is a good thing until you do it for a while.
Understanding the technology
Technically, this means knowing how to use an app or software program on your phone, tablet, computer, or some combination of these. It also includes being familiar with the features of a given device. For example, if you take a look around at the many gadgets in the world today, you will probably see something like “Google Assistant” or “Amazon Alexa” printed on them.
These are not only brands, but parts of the overall product that make it usable! If you have ever used Google Assistant before, then you know that is part of what makes the whole system work.
The more you use technology, the easier it will be to identify which apps and systems contain similar functions and features. This way, you can save time by looking up how to do something already done a lot, or by using a similar tool for the same function.
Overall, as we mentioned earlier, understanding how different pieces fit together is a strong skill. Starting early is important so that when you are older, you still feel confident in your technological knowledge.
Understanding your audience
In this era of technology, there is an increasingly large population that does not know how to use it properly. It seems like every person you talk to has their own personal device they carry around with them at all times. There are even cases where someone will ask for help using something software-based and they do not have it!
As users grow older, they seem to be relying more heavily on technology to fulfill their needs. As people become more dependent upon technology, it becomes harder to create experiences that do not rely on it.
This is particularly true in the area of knowledge. If someone does not have access to technology, then they may be missing out on resources and opportunities. This could affect their career or life beyond just being limited to what material they can find online.
There are many ways technology can limit our understanding. These include limitations due to cost, availability, and usability. All of these factors contribute to why some people may be excluded from certain types of learning.
While having access to technology can make finding information much easier, it also raises questions about who gets left behind.
Determining the best time and place
Recent developments in technology have given rise to new ways of gathering, sharing, and manipulating knowledge. This article will discuss how digital technologies are changing when and where people gather for education purposes – including through online courses, YouTube videos, blogs, and other sources.
It will also talk about how this influence is affecting which types of educational experiences people choose to pursue and how they organize their learning. Some examples include students using mobile devices while studying at home, students finding free or cheap online lessons more accessible than those paid services, and adults seeking out formal education via websites like Coursera and Udemy.
This article will not discuss whether these changes are good or bad but rather what all of this means for the average person who wants to learn.
I believe that many different factors contribute to why individuals decide to go after certain educations and careers. Finding out why someone has one career path over another can be very difficult, if not impossible. It may be due to personal preferences, financial constraints, or lack of understanding as to what opportunities exist.
With so much diversity in the field of education, I feel it is important to understand the effects that newer technological tools have on the way we learn.
Getting familiar with the technology
Recent developments in technology have left many people feeling overwhelmed. Between smartphones, laptops, smart watches, televisions, and desktop computers, gadgets seem to grow exponentially every year!
Some feel that they will never be able to stay up-to-date by continually upgrading their tech gear. This is not a good situation to be in because it can easily become frustrating or even paralyzing, especially if you are trying to focus on something else.
By being conscious of how much time you spend using your computer, smartphone, tablet, or TV, you can begin to recognize the limits of what’s technologically feasible.
You may also want to consider staying within your budget while investing in new equipment. There are several ways to manage your device collection without breaking the bank.
For example, instead of buying an expensive phone model, you can get more done with less money by choosing between Android, iOS, or Windows phones. All three types of mobile operating systems (mobile apps run on them) have enough features for most users.
