What other benefits does technology have?

Art of Finding

Further support for Thompson’s thesis entails his discussion of “Tip-of-the-Tongue Syndrome” where we try to pinpoint certain items in a conversation but just can’t quite get the word out and then we end up stalling or having to end a conversation. With the Internet, there is no need for such awkward and undesirable moments of frustration. If you simply know what relates to your topic of confusion then you can look it up online on websites like Google. For example, I encountered an experience of my own just like this the other day. When my father and I were having a conversation about the new film that came out, Interstellar, we knew that the main characters were Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, but we could not pinpoint who the character in the movie was who was Anne Hathaway’s father. We knew he was the butler in the Batman movies with Christian Bale but could not remember his name. I quickly solved the ‘Tip-of-the-Tongue’ problem by looking up the Batman movies on Wikipedia and from there was able to find the cast members and pinpoint the actor who is Michael Caine. Without such help from the Internet we would probably not have figured it out. The source is quick to access and simple. Therefore, proving Thompson’s point that tip-of-the-tongue syndrome has been solved by Internet access.

Digital School

Schools all over the country are implementing technology into their classrooms. Thompson examines one school where elementary students are doing online programs that allow them to go at their own pace. Some of the students are doing problems on the computer that are high school level work. These computer programs allow for teachers to constantly monitor how fast each student learns at and according to that information be able to give more attention to certain individuals in the class who are having more trouble with material. This relates to Rotella’s article “No Child Left Untableted.” In this article, each student was given a tablet. When the tablets were used correctively and productively in a classroom, teachers were able to spend more time with the students who were struggling. Instead of just lecturing students in class and having the individuals who were having difficulties tune out because they did not understand the material, students now have to engage in class and then teachers can easily gather data on the classroom. Teachers are able to reach out to students faster than just looking at actual test scores because the in-class activities are recorded and calculated. This clearly demonstrates that the implementation of technology in the classroom can make teachers better at their job, and have students get the help they need when necessary.