In my opinion, the educational system itself is the problem not smart phones or AI.
Critical thinking is no longer taught in primary and secondary education. Instead, educators “teach to the test”. They are incented to do so given that educators and administrators are rewarded based on how their student populations perform on standardized tests.
The pandemic only exacerbated this problem since the small amount of "soft skill" learning that was left was eliminated when learning went fully online.
Smart phones and AI are just tools. Like any tool they can be used with both good and bad results. Blaming these tools for the problem is simply an avoidance of the underlying issue.
I would be pleasantly surprised if the percentage of Zoomers that regularly use tech for anything other than entertainment the majority of the time exceeds 10%. Sure, there are loads of so-called content creators out there, but I don’t consider documenting one’s day-to-day “story” so much content creation as it is glorified journaling.
Smartphones and the internet have become more of a crutch than a tool for most. Quite honestly, it takes self-restraint and discipline to use tech in a responsible and productive manner. I find myself having to keep my smartphone use in check from time to time. Let’s be honest, American culture is severely lacking in both self-restraint and discipline; just take a look at the evolution of the body mass index over the past few decades for example.
Looking forward, the onus is on parents to teach their children how to use tech responsibly. Unfortunately, many parents themselves are incapable of using tech responsibly, therefore they’re not going to make the best role models when it comes to teaching their children how to do so. For the Zoomers already out there floating around with a fistful of tech, I only hope they find the desire and willpower to experience life beyond the screen.
In my opinion, the educational system itself is the problem not smart phones or AI.
Critical thinking is no longer taught in primary and secondary education. Instead, educators “teach to the test”. They are incented to do so given that educators and administrators are rewarded based on how their student populations perform on standardized tests.
The pandemic only exacerbated this problem since the small amount of "soft skill" learning that was left was eliminated when learning went fully online.
Smart phones and AI are just tools. Like any tool they can be used with both good and bad results. Blaming these tools for the problem is simply an avoidance of the underlying issue.
I would be pleasantly surprised if the percentage of Zoomers that regularly use tech for anything other than entertainment the majority of the time exceeds 10%. Sure, there are loads of so-called content creators out there, but I don’t consider documenting one’s day-to-day “story” so much content creation as it is glorified journaling.
Smartphones and the internet have become more of a crutch than a tool for most. Quite honestly, it takes self-restraint and discipline to use tech in a responsible and productive manner. I find myself having to keep my smartphone use in check from time to time. Let’s be honest, American culture is severely lacking in both self-restraint and discipline; just take a look at the evolution of the body mass index over the past few decades for example.
Looking forward, the onus is on parents to teach their children how to use tech responsibly. Unfortunately, many parents themselves are incapable of using tech responsibly, therefore they’re not going to make the best role models when it comes to teaching their children how to do so. For the Zoomers already out there floating around with a fistful of tech, I only hope they find the desire and willpower to experience life beyond the screen.