Technology

"Technology is radically changing the notion of the intelligence necessary to function on the modern world" .  I agree with this quote in that if you do not keep up with or embrace technology you will not be able to function in the modern world because new technology is what is being used and whether you choose to like it or not, or if you choose to  learn it or not, it could adversely affect your career opportunities  and maybe even your life.  I think that the fear of change is what makes people so resistant to it.  My marketing professor constantly emphasizes that when we aren't changing and growing we are either decaying or staying the same, and of course the best option is to grow.  He also stresses that the best kind of change, that people are most open to is gradual change.  With radical change many people are overwhelmed and less likely to come around  and embrace the new technology because it is to much for them to digest.   Unfortunately with technology there is no way to completely ease into it.

An article I read on GPS was a good example of this.  The article was entitled "Will GPS make us dumb?" The article explores the question will the price we pay for the convenience of GPS cause us to lose our sense of direction?  A quote in the article says "when we develop a crutch for technology, we lose the ability to do that which we did previously". I disagree with this quote in that I have never had a sense of directions and through using GPS and map quest three to four times per week for my job, my sense of direction has improved tremendously. I now remember ways I have  gone previously and can avoid getting lost.  The same is true for me and spell check.  Using spell check has not caused me to forget how to spell, I just feel that it double checks me so that I have the best final product possible.  

In the original article " Is Google making us stupid?" the article states how one man feels  that the Internet has altered his mental habits, " I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print".  I do not feel the same way, I feel that I still have the ability to read long works and see value in the full text.  However, I find it very convenient to look at many different sources online to seek out different opinions on different topics to make sure that I am hearing the full story and not just reading something that is one-sided.  So overall I agree with the article and I think that Google has indeed made it easier to think and communicate and hasn't caused us to lose basic skills like reading a map or spelling.  It has only freed up our time to discover new ideas and ways of doing things.  We just need to use our newly found "free time" efficiently to learn more and enhance ourselves and our society.