Exploring the role of technology in education.
School is already overwhelming, but technology makes it even more challenging. Whether it’s looking over an online Chemistry textbook before an upcoming test or typing tirelessly on the keyboard to write an Iliad paragraph, all the experiences of using electronic devices when studying have always annoyed me even before coming to Middlesex. I fail to comprehend that students or teachers can truly benefit from replacing traditional, classic handwriting with technology. My dissatisfaction towards learning online leads to a deeper and universal resentment towards technologies in general. Indeed, I have become frustrated with all forms of technological usage, whether it’s for entertainment, socialization or even payments.
I cannot recall the infinite instances of technological difficulties that prevent me from accessing needed materials. In fact, Although it is impossible to recall all the instances where technology has let me down, I can think of more than a dozen that occurred this past weekend off the top of my head. On the bus ride back from a cross country meet at Tabor Academy, the website of my science textbook denied me access to my Chemistry textbook for an upcoming test, claiming that “I do not have the correct username or password” while my previous attempts to access the Chemistry textbook were all successful. Eventually, after the eleventh time typing in the username and password, frustration finally overwhelmed me and I decided to give up. Similar scenarios have already taken place multiple times this year. I simply cannot understand why many schools have chosen to replace physical textbooks with digital ones—a decision that will create countless difficulties for students in their academic careers.
Additionally, doing homework online irrevocably impairs our visions. Ultimately, there is no difference between staring at cell phones for the latest updates on Youtube/ Reels/Feeds and polishing an essay that analyzed the differences and similarities between the arrogant Agamemnon and the egotistical Achilles. Both of these activities expose the student’s eyes to high-energy blue light produced by electrical devices. According to numerous studies done by ophthalmologists, constant screen time causes irreversible damages to our eyes, including drastic change of our eyeballs’ shape, elongation of our eyeballs, and nearsightedness. Electrical devices produce detrimental, high-energy blue light that penetrates into the deeper parts of our eyes, including the retina—the layer of our eyes that capture and transmit incoming photons to perceive a visual picture.
Using technology to study is a curse, not a blessing. While the rapid advancement of technology opens up a world of possibilities, we need to assess the pros and cons of replacing the conventional method to protect the future of the next generation. Otherwise, we risk facing turmoil and suffering instead.
Sunny Qian
Indresh Chandel