New media

In this blog I will write about how technology specifically new media has change the education system.
I will divide my discussion into 5 sections.

The 5 sections are:

1. The evolution of technology (history)
2. The impact of technology (new media) in students
3. Advantages
4. Disadvantages
5. The Future
   

1.The Evolution of Technology (history)

Technology, what is it? The word technology itself defines from the Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a definition of the term: "the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area" and "a capability given by the practical application of knowledge". Technology has different meaning to different people. To me technology is around us. It is everywhere and it will always be part of our life. Technology has come a long way to where it is now, from the days of the invention of lights as well as the telephone. So in this blog I will specify on 1 kind of technology, the new media.

New media has no direct definition as it is a newly term word. It mostly consists of recent mass media base on new information technology, which is anything that involves sharing, interaction and simulation, maybe categorized under new media. The new media plays a big part in our life as technology does. It actually sculpts our life to where we are now. As easy as surfing the Internet is part of new media. So how does it play a part in our life as students?

Definition of New Media from: http://english.uiowa.edu/specialties/multimedia.html

“With the advent of digital technologies, new forms of electronic writing and art are challenging already-contested terms such as "literature" and "text" and further complicating boundaries between genres. New Media Studies in English includes an assortment of multidisciplinary classes that mix media production and theory. The topics of these classes range from New Media history and electronic magazine publishing to sound art and digital video. As learning increasingly intersects with digital technologies, we are finding new ways to explore the materiality of words, the sound of writing, and the image of thought.”

2.The Impact on Technology (new media) in Students

New media does not only involve in our daily life but also involve in our life as student. As students, we use new media constantly and almost every single minute. The life of a student in the millennium is incomplete without the use of new media, from doing projects, assignments and research. In the past, technology was not predicted to be this way 20 years ago. However, time has showed everything. Professionals did not imagine life to be this easy and convenient for us. Compared to 20 years ago, we had to do days of research to do our work but now, with a click of a button, the world of research is presented to us on a silver platter.

Students are always open with challenges that require them to do research.

With the help of technology, students are able to conduct research easily and in the convenient of their home, they do not have to do research by going around in the library searching through the thousands of books found there. Even if they have to do that they just have to go to the library search engine and type the down keywords and the engine will narrow their search to maximum to a hundreds of books. From there, they can easily pick one or two out of the hundreds.

In the past, about 20 years ago, teachers are seen in the classroom as a necessity, to educate and teach the students the exact subject, however in the present situation, teachers are seen as a guide, not necessarily to be there. Students are encouraged to be independent and not rely on their teachers.

In the past, classroom are the place where students learns and experienced their subject, however in the present situation, the students are exposed to the outside world, the reality of life. They are presented with real-life situation relating to their studies and they are expected to solve the problem with logic as well as creativity. In the past, students are only allowed to be given logic solutions. Now, creativity is a crucial part of life, where if you do not have you might be left behind. Students have to be technology-savvy. They have to know at least the basic knowledge of the internet.

Personally, technology has made a magnificent change in the life of students, from writing a report to research for an assignment. This has made studying both easy as well as difficult. At one end, students are pressurized by the need to know a lot of knowledge in information technology but coming out at the end, as well-able and well-prepare to face the real world situation.

So with that, what does that have done to the attitude of students in the millennium?

3. Advantages
-Easy
The new media is accessible at any time and anywhere. All you need is a computer that is connected to the web and you are ready to do your research.

-Never-ending
With the use of ever-ready new media at our hand, we are never shortage of information and research. There is plenty of information available from online dictionaries and online books.

- Convenient
The new media has made it convenient for us as students. Information is compressed onto a small, lightweight portable computer also known as a notebook. Students have easy access to information and books online compared to the past where students has to bring big and heavy books to school.

4.Disadvantages

-Laziness
Students are getting lazy with the new media conveniently at their hands. They take things for granted.They may come out as an individual that is dependent on technology.

-Right or Wrong?
Students may just take down information from a site that may not be true. The information received maybe inaccurate.For example, ‘wikipedia’ is a site that the public can access to, so information from there maybe inaccurate.

-Copyright Issues
There are copyright issues to some information on the web that may not be use as research. It must be stated down as not your own. Students have taken this issue lightly.

5.The Future

To end this discussion I want to end it with predictions on how technology will change education system in the year 2020. The future is unknown to human beings. In the past, no one ever predicted that technology would change the education system this way. So what do you think?

Today, technology has involved to a better and impressive line of new media, which is the artificial intelligence and also the virtual reality (VR).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - The attempt to duplicate or even surpass human intelligence with computer programs.

Virtual Reality (VR) - The simulation of real environment using computer rather than in reality.

Some possible questions for the future:

-Could AI be use to be a replacement of teachers, permanently?
-Could VR change the ways a student learns, through virtual world and “experience” the journey themselves like a simulation of a field trip to the museum?

The possibility of the future of technology is unpredictable. What do you think?