Unit 6, Issue 18

"Are People Better Informed in the Information Society?"

As I first read this title my first thought was "yes...more information leads to more knowledge". But through the readings and viewing both Jackson's and Bauerlein's point of view, i wasn't so quick to answer. I stopped to think what information is really being found through the various sources of information, which continues to expand by the minute (figuratively speaking). 

Through the reading, i stand pretty neutral to my answer, and here's why. As Jackson highlighted, all the new forms of technology - particularly computers - have enhanced a new of learning, especially for students. I would imagine it is much more interesting to be hands on doing the work in a way that looks appealing, such as seeing it on a screen in front of you where the student has control of the pace and what they are learning, than sitting in lecture to try to listen and pay attention to the teacher for however long straight; they lose the control of "stop, pause, and rewind" with a teacher. Or in a more realistic situation, instead of summer's being spend sitting around doing nothing, the computer can be a very useful tool to continue practicing the subject. Through the higher grade levels, the more research needs to be done. Internet has provided a great amount of information available to student to not only search specific topics, but also read news and current events. Now i would say there is a downside to this - internet can be distracting! With so many forms of communication through the internet itself, its so easy for a student to log on to "facebook, messenger, email, youtube, or even reading articles on event that has nothing to do with the subject one is researching, etc." and find ENTERTAINMENT which strays the attention away from the actual research they should be doing. So from experience i can say it takes a lot of self control! 

Through recognizing the distraction internet and other technological advancements can really be to students, Bauerlein brings up a good point. I would even say all these advancements have cause us to be lazy in our knowledge because its not so mush about memorizing anymore, instead its about having direct access to look anything up when needed. It is true that even say 20 years ago, having to put the effort to read the newspaper and listen to the news on the radio placed a higher amount of curiosity and sense of WANTING to LEARN. But this isn't true for everyone. 

So i cant really say its made the information society has not made people better informed, but for the most part its made people rely solely on technology to do the work for them.