Questions for my Research Paper

 Top of the morning to ya!

The specific question that I plan on answering in my research paper is a combination of my thoughts on the use of technology in the world today. Is the mind of today’s culture being transformed into a new way of thinking that resembles the working of computers? This question leads me to my working thesis. The mass amounts of media that are made easily available to society, as well as the technology innovations that have gained our dependence, have formed a new way of thinking in mind of the current generation that can relate to the workings of a computer. Some of the things that I currently know were gained through my research process. Through my interview with Dr. Wilkie I learned that technology is always going to be advancing as time progresses. The uses of technology are currently creating greater opportunities for students to advance their knowledge in the classroom and in the career force. These improvements in technology also make students more marketable to employers by using things such as digital career portfolios. One thing that I have gained from personal experience is that technology has proven time and time again to be more efficient. I think that today’s generation grasps onto technology so strongly because they are living hectic lives. In my opinion, the technology makes things fit more easily into place and allows people to become multi-talented in areas they previously may not have had chances to. Most jobs that are available to students going through high school or college today require them to be able to multitask. I believe that the use of technology in our world today has made our brains capable of taking in mass amounts of information and processing them at high speeds, similar to the workings of a computer. Some things that I am planning on finding out about this topic are statistics in learning via technology versus learning without technology. I would also like to find out if the effects of learning with technology are due to a different way of thinking brought on through the process. It would be interesting to find out if there is evidence of the brain sending messages differently than before, and if that would be linked to the use of technology. There are many arguments that could go against this new technological movement. Some people may say that technology is one of the main cases in childhood obesity. A lot of arguments that I have found in my research process involve the use of technology being the cause of a lack in communication skills among adolescents. Some people think that today’s generation is so inclined in using their cell phones, Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, blogs and other social networking tools that they have lost their face to face skills in communicating their thoughts and feelings. I plan on exploring the pros and cons of these social networking tools in my research paper and explaining how they are essential a positive thing in society. I found many of my sources on EBSCOhost, which gave me a great place to start with my research topic. Over Spring break I flew on a plane down to Atlanta and found part of a book in a magazine that caught my eye. I read this chapter of the book, World Wide Mind, and became very interested in it. I ended up using this part of the book as a source also. My interview with Dr. Wilkie helped me obtain two sources for my paper as well. Things seem to be coming together quite well!

Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick's day tomorrow!