Critical thinking is a skill that we try to develop at our school. This week’s article looks at the negative effects that technology has had on critical thinking. You may find some surprising findings as you read. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.
The article states that reading for pleasure has declined in young people. How much do you read for pleasure? How would you answer the questions from the article, “How much should schools use new media, versus older techniques such as reading and classroom discussion?”? In addition to the use of PowerPoint presentations, what should teachers do to increase using visual media to test students? What should schools do to encourage students to read for pleasure? What should parents do? Do you know people who play violent media games? Do they show any of the effects mentioned in the article? What surprised you most about the article?
Critical Thinking Article
27 comments:
I read every single day for pleasure. I love reading so i read everyday, just because i like to. I think schools should balance their use of technology with regular things such as classroom discussions and reading. To encourage reading i think schools should give students time in class to read and get into a book. I think parents should buy more books for at home, and just maybe tell their kids to read like at least once a week. Yes i know people who play violent media games and yes some of them show violence in real life. What surprised me the most was that between the age 25-65 the visual IQ basically stayed the same.
Maya :)
I believe that the modern technology directly negatively affects people's critical thinking. Simply, as the technology develops, all the necessary information, including answers to the most difficult questions, is very close to every person or student. This, of course causes the decline in critical thinking as there are very few remaining intellectual challenges, so people tend to read less for pleasure. Even studying becomes easier as it is possible to find on the internet, for example, a critical analysis of any book, novel, or any other literary form. This causes student to try to use shortcuts instead of reading the whole book or a novel! I think that people need to fight the temptation to get all their answers on the internet, but instead they should try to reach their conclusions through mutual dialogue, reading and critical thinking. Definitely, the multi-tasking prevents in depth understanding and a comprehensive study.
I do not read for pleasure as much as I should. When I was younger, I was not as exposed to technology as I am today. My parents would read to me and I would read on my own for pleasure. Now I spend time on the internet and playing video games. Despit this, I still read for pleasure about once a week, which is more than a lot of teenagers. I believe that a strong education comes from a variety of sources. Therefore, schools should balance old techniques with the use of new media. Teachers could test students using visual media by showing them a video and evaluating how well they retained the information. Schools could promote pleasure reading by setting aside time during class for reading, or they could organize reading competitions with prizes. I have taken part in a couple reading contests. From personal experience, I can say that while these contests do encourage reading, they do not help students to enjoy reading books. This job is up to parents. Parents can plant and nurture a love of reading in their children by reading them stories from a young age. I have met a few people who played violent computer games, and they were not pleasant people to be around. They definitely demonstrated a "desensitization to real-life violence". In general, I was not surprised by the article, although the statistic that visual IQ stayed the same from ages 25-65 from the 1992 study was a bit shocking.
This article is agreeable. I read every day for pleasure and spend much of my time reading books, that i actually enjoy. At the same time I probably spend twice that amount of time using technology. When doing research papers I have never touched a encyclopedia or book, it has always been the internet. Schools need to limit the amount of time that students NEED the internet for work and give them more free time; as an advertisement to reading for pleasure. New media is used to give teachers an easier time with there classes, not showing children the essential way to go through books. Parents should send children to bed half an hour earlier so that the child knows that this half an hour should be reading time; many times I go to bed early and read. I believe that the use of critical thinking is increased when children decide to read for fun more. The most thing I was surprised about in this article was how the IQ does not vary between 25-65 years of age.
To be honest I read for pleasure when I really have the time to do so. The time doesn’t come so often so that cuts down how much I read, but I do LOVE to read. I think that schools should balance their technology equally or mix it with the more traditional techniques such as reading and classroom discussions because in that way you would get the “best of both worlds” or the “balanced media diet” as it was said in the article. Visual media is a good way of testing the students.The teachers should combine visual media with critical thinking. Doing that, it could increase the students visual media skills because now they could talk about it within the class and think about it. In schools, I think that they should give the students more reading time, so they could get into the book that they are reading. They even might get more eager to read more. Basically the more time the better. Parents should push their children to read more, buy more books, or maybe read with them. I do know many people that play the violent video games. I don’t really know if the effects come out of them because of it. I don’t study them, but of course it gives them more of a violent mindset. Having video games improve the skills of soldiers in the military surprised me the most because the most craziest things such as playing video games which is played for the enjoyment is secretly improving their multi-task skills.
-Rachel
This article is very true according to me because I like using technology better than books. I don’t not read for pleasure a lot because I don’t have the time to I have to focus on studies and homework from school, but I read for pleasure sometimes before I sleep and maybe when I come back form school. Schools should use media much more because you can see the information clearly and easier. To increase visual media to test studies I think teachers should mix it with books and media together so we know how to read and write. I think schools should let the kids time how long they have read for and log it down and the teacher will ask him/ her questions about the book. Parents should force there kids to read or else they will loose privileges. I know lots of people who play very violent games, to be honest I play violent games to I think they are really fun, But I don’t see any of the effects mentioned in the article to me and the people that I know. The part that surprised me the most is the violent video games make people act in a different way.
I don't really read for pleasure, I've enjoyed some series but I think it's the lack of good books, not lack of pleasure in reading. I think that books should still be used, but everyone is bored of reading the same old Shakespeare books, I mean I'm disgusted of Shakespeare, the last thing I want to be doing is spending time on it. Schools should use new books that appeal to the classroom and the readers. I think maybe if a book has a movie based on it they should show it and compare the two, it would be more interesting. to encourage students to read for pleasure I think that they should have a free choice of what to read. I don't think that parents should get involved, because the more pressure you put on the student the more they will rebel against it. Even if it was just recommending books, the age difference would make books likeable for some and not for others. All of my friends play violent video games, including me, it's much more interesting than reading, in my opinion. None of my friends nor myself actually get violent over video games, nor are we aggressive about it, if anything videogames have improved our friendship. I wasn't really surprised by anything in this article, it's just common knowledge that games are mostly violent, that's why we play them.
This article is the only one so far that I can agree with that criticizes technology. It is true that in this age all we do is type in a question on the internet and voila there we have the answer its too easy nowadays but we also develop a skill called searching which is also good and what we might not know in the future we can search up later when we need to know so I think this is a draw between technology and people.
I'm going to, as usual, going to have to disagree with this article. I do know people that do not read, but I read for pleasure all the time, even though I'm a gamer. I'm not really surprised by the multitasking study. Most video games require you to multi task, so increasing your multi tasking in real life doesn't surprise me.
And now, to the dreaded 'Violent Game, Violent Gamer' theory. You have no idea how many times I've fought about this. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES DO NOT EFFECT YOU NEGATIVELY. Unless video games are your life and you know nothing else, they won't make you violent in real life. If I'm 16 and I want to play, say, Assassin's Creed, I will not be like, "Hey, I want to be just like Altair when I grow up, I'm going to go kill people!" then at 17 I'm going to say, "You know, I feel I can play this game now, because I'm a responsible human being,"
Here's a website that took a bunch of studies and made a conclusion that I agree with comnpletely:
TechAddiction's Thoughts:
As was previously mentioned, the research is mixed. Based on the information above, it seems potentially misleading to argue that violent video games cause harm without some serious qualifications.
What can we say about the effects of violent video games? A few points:
* As is true in many areas of study, several primary researchers seem to be producing many of the studies suggesting a link between violent video games and aggression. Always keep this in mind when reviewing the research.
* Violent video games do seem to produce increased physiological arousal (skin conductance, heart rate, brain activity).
* There is virtually no evidence that violent video games increase actual real-world aggressive behaviors in adults.
* There is some evidence that violent video games increases aggression in young children in free-play situations immediately after exposure. This effect does not appear to be long-lasting.
* There may be a bias towards publishing research showing that violent video games increase aggression.
* When they do have an effect, violent video games seem to impact boys more than girls.
* Trait aggression is a far better predictor of actual violence than exposure to violent video games.
* Most people do not believe that they are negatively affected by violent video games.
* Compared to the natural environment, it is far easier to find support for the theory that video games induce aggression in a lab setting.
* Aggressive people are more likely to be attracted to aggressive games.
* Exposure to violent television content may be potentially more harmful than exposure to violent video games.
This remarkable article is one of the most articles that I have to agree with until now; it is a good quality article which is giving a warning to the whole world about the over-usage of technology that is producing a decline in critical thinking. You could rarely find students which read for pleasure nowadays, their imagination would definitely become less without the reading you have to keep up to. I myself read for pleasure once in a blue moon. Why would I when I have all the technology I want in my world, to do my work? This is a question most students would ask themselves. Multi-Task work is very good, but not for everything, it is helpful if you were a pilot, just as Greenfield said. But you most certainly need some critical thinking time, which does not involve multi-tasking you need to clear your mind and focus on one subject, and only that subject. I myself and plenty of students around the world learn much better by seeing stuff visually, or learning it in a PowerPoint view, or an image view, or a audio, or video. But this barely requires critical thinking, so if you go on for the rest of your life, learning in that particular way, then you won’t have time for critical thinking, and it would be gone, and you can’t really use it as good when you truly need it. Parents should pay more attention to their kids, and the level of technology they use and probably lower the things they buy, which are electronic and buy more books. Schools should have the students read 30 min. each day or else have some serious consequences, they also have to have a book review to prove that they actually read. I know lots f people which play violent games, such as three of my friends outside of school which are above 15 years old. They do no show the effects mentioned in the article i think they're one of few people which don't. This article surprised because i never knew that these games have such effects.
I have to say that for me, reading for pleasure depends on the book. If it is fun, I read more than usual and if it is not that fun, I quit reading in the middle of reading. I think that regular studying technique is better because you can learn how to do things your self and not get help from computer. Using computers might be helpful and convenient, but later on, you will only rely on technology to do things for you and get lazy. And i strongly suggest that the school and homes buy more books. Because reading books can make you very intelligent and from my experience, lots of test answers are from books. Schools should not just give reading books for homework, but they should make students read by them selves. Like give awards if you read the book and answer questions the teacher asks. If the students do these habits for a long time, they will get adapted to reading books and in the future, they would begin to like books. Violent computer games can seriously effect your life in school and home. The student could be caught up thinking about games and not do homework in home, and in school, the student could actually get violent and hurt other students. What surprised me the most was that from age 25-65, the visual IQ stayed the same.
I barely read for pleasure in life, unless I really like the book. I strongly suggest school to use new media instead older techniques like using old school books or having discussion. Teachers should not tell students about only negative things about using computers and visual medias. In order for schools to encourage students to read books for pleasure, they should suggest their students to read books about subjects that they like. After getting friendly with books, then students will try to challenge themselves and look for books about more subjects. Parents can encourage students to read books too. Instead of giving them pressures, parents can simply purchase books of many subjects and label them at place where their children can see easily. I do know many of my friends who play violent games, and some of them kind if got violent, and talk roughly. What surprised me the most was that peoples' IQ stayed the same from ages 25-65 from the 1992 study. Other facts didn't surprised me as much as this
I think that reading and classroom discussions are an important factor in learning, but online learning and use of computers is also a good way to learn. Video presentations are a good way to test students and increase the use of visual media. It is more fun than to turn in written projects, and you learn how to make a video by using a computer. The schools should let their pupils choose what they want to read, because you can’t read for pleasure if someone gives you a book or story that you have to read. Parents should also let their children choose what to read and buy them books and magazines or whatever they want to read. I like reading and I read for pleasure when I have time but I don’t read every day. I know people who play violent video games but I don’t think that it affects how they act in real life. What surprised me the most was that the people who played video games a lot scored better as laparoscopic surgeons than those people who didn’t. Idunn
To make reading more interesting, I think teachers, and parents shouldn't force their children to read, I think they should just wait for their children to come for it because then it wouldn't be any interesting, and there won't be a point to it unless their reading for pleasure. I also think there are some people in the world who read for fun, and interest and some in the world that read just because they are forced, or its a reading assignment. I don't think teachers or parents should force them to read, but I also think they should add more reading into their daily classes, and they should take it as a major idea of learning, because when you read you learn, when you learn your knowledge goes up, and everything improves such as your writting skills, your grammar, and your reading gets faster day by day. And I think technology and reading should be equally assigned.
I always have a book to read, and I read it when I have nothing else to do. I used to read more often when I was smaller, but as you grow, you become a busier person and you have less time to read for pleasure. I think classrooms should use new media and old techniques equally as much to keep a balance between the kinds of skills we learn. To increase using visual media to test students, teachers should use videos. To encourage kids to read for pleasure, teachers should have books available in classrooms and require them to read in class if they have spare time. Parents should read out loud to their small children, and buy books for their older children and encourage them to read instead of sitting on the computer or playing videogames. My brother plays violent videogames but does not show any of the effects mentioned in the article. What surprised me most about the article was that more than 85 percent of videogames contain violence.
I read for plessure everyday for at least an hour. i think that they should use older media more that the newer media because then you can learn more and yur brain can develop more. The schools should use have more disscutions. i think if they were elementary or middle scholers they should give them extra credit if they read and for perents, i think that they shouldn't let them open the TV or the computer without reading for at least 15 min. All my cousins (boys)play violent video games and they are 10 years to 16 years and when i see them playing or talking to each other they seem violent. WHat surprized me the most was that vedio games help many workers multi-task. I thought that was cool.
I personaly do not read much for pleasure. Technology can never have the capacities and be as complex as the human mind. Of course it is easier to google the answer and to copy paste it, but when reading a book, you keep most of what was writte, but with a computer you search for the word yo want and done. To encourage people to read, i would either give them no other choise to read or to find a fun topic that the internet does not give much information about (which is pretty hard).And with the violent vidio games, some people show that they play them, by being agressive and always want to start a fight. Other just try to calm down with them and to forget the world for a while, but they can still seperate game from real life. What suprises me most about the article is that they say that vidio games can increasethe ability to "multitask".
I read for pleasure a lot. Anytime I pick a good book I can stay hour after hour just reading so I can figure out the ending. I think that there should be a balance because like Greenfield say there are advantages and disadvantages. There should be some lectures with some media elements such as videos. By using the computer to talk tests and having more projects that have the use of technology in them. Schools should encourage reading for pleasure by designating an hour where students can just read. Parents should make sure that their children are getting a healthy dose of time to read for pleasure and not just on the T.V and video games. I know that my brother play violent games. I think sometimes he gets to excited and acts as if he is in the game causing some rough play but I think that my brother has a good imagination because he has a balance between reading and video game. I don’t think anything really surprised me it all seemed well known facts but written in depth.
I like how this article was mainly focused on the negative effects of technology, rather than new discoveries or its many positive effects on civilization. I'm not surprised that these people say that reading for pleasure has declined, when there are so many other forms of entertainment nowadays like television and internet that people prefer to use. I personally like to read for pleasure however I don't have alot of time because i go out with friends, or do homework, or extracurricular activities such as sports, etc., which take up alot of my time. I always keep a book with me though just in case I find the time. I think that schools should use new media and older techniques such as reading and classroom in moderation together, because different people learn better in different ways, so that way you can ensure that everybody will learn well. In addition to powerpoint presentations, teachers could demonstrate ideas in ways that students can visualize to remember when needed. To encourage students to read for pleasure, schools should give students time to read at school, and assign them reading time at home. Parents should try to get their kids to spend less time on technology, and more on reading instead. I don't know anyone who plays violent video games, but then again I don't really ask people, so I also don't know if they show any of the effects mentioned in the article. The most surprising thing about this article was that even though technology worsens our eyesight, it enhances our visual skills. :)
-Leila.
i personally do not like reading for pleasure and i probably read about once a week but that is mostly cause my parents force me to. I sometimes read for pleasure when i find a really good book or if im bored and no computer or tv or when the electricity is gone. but i almost never read for pleasure on read for nothing. But the point is that i don't enjoy reading and i don't like to read for pleasure.
i read everyday for gaining knowledge. reading is basically telling you the updates of the real world. i think school should do half technology and the other half is reading discussion. to support the fact of reading the should have spare time for every English0 class or any class that is consider for reading. if i had a kid i would tell them to read 30 min a day at least. now day kids play video game or are on facebook.the thing that surprised me was the ages of 25-25 stay the same that what got me shocked.
I read almost every day for pleasure. I think classrooms should use more media, but not to the point where everything is done on a computers, because other things on the computer can be distracting and it's just not healthy. In addition to powerpoints, teachers could show videos about the topic, but also not everyone is a visual learner, some are auditory and some are kinstetic, so there should be other media elements to support them. Students should be given time in class to read for a couple of minutes because this could encourage reading. Parents should encourage students to read a set amount of time everyday. I do know people who play violent games, and they don't show any obvious violent behavior. I was surprised that the use of video games can increase one's multi tasking skills.
I get what they were trying to say but I don't think that playing violent video games is bad. It's actually really fun and that's why we play them. But I do agree with them about how students didn't learn as much when they had internet during a lecture because it's really distracting and you don't pay attention to the teacher so you don't get the class. I think that teachers should give more time for students to read in class, because you don't really get into a book after just 20 minutes of reading.
By Dunya
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