Education nowadays should be mostly computerized

I will be arguing that modern technology must be balanced with traditional textbooks and pen-and-paper note taking. The average number of Google searches per day has grown from 9,800 in 1998 to over 4.7 trillion today. This may not be surprising, since we"ve all come to appreciate the thrill of instant information. But while it"s certainly convenient to have the sum of all knowledge at our fingertips, studies show that the "Google effect" is changing the way we think. In an experiment published in Science Magazine college students remembered significantly less when they learned on the computer. the ease of access to the internet has conditioned our minds to dispose of information as it can be accessed later. Essentially, we utilize the computer to save energy on encoding information into our long-term memories. Neuroimaging of frequent Internet users shows twice as much activity in the short term memory as sporadic users during online tasks. Basically, our brain is learning to disregard information found online, and this connection becomes stronger every time we experience it. So the more we use Google, the less likely we are to retain what we see. Our brains use information stored in the long-term memory to facilitate critical thinking. We need these unique memories to understand and interact with the world around us. If we rely on Google to store our knowledge, we may be losing an important part of our identity. In order to balance this effect, we need to use the computer in order to facilitate learning which must first be done in a more traditional sense. In regard to my opponents case, 1. he states that you can upload lessons on the web. however, if that comes at the cost of a decreased capability to then retain that lesson it's essentially worthless. 2. He states that you can share resources like reading materials and exam papers. Since we've already established that most learning should be done on paper, we then have to remember the principle of state/context dependent memory which basically means that if an exam is conducted on the computer and the learning took place on paper, you will see decreased test scores. I do believe that conducting group assignments could see increased efficiency with programs like google docs and would not affect learning as long as it was coupled with traditional classwork. 3. He says that we should "regulate progress and attendance via different apps including geolocation apps. Do you mean schools tracking students? I'm just against that as a matter of principle. it's simply not their right. 4. I believe that another valid use of technology is out of school communication between students and their teachers. It could only facilitate learning so I'm fine with it. 5. For his next point regarding drilling material and taking notes I would reference you back to my case and my points against learning on the computer. 6. This point suggests that my opponent is arguing in favor of complete virtual classes which would mean that all learning would have to be done on the computer which as I've said, would harm learning. 7. in regard to lowered tuition, If you're in college and can choose your classes and choose the school you go to, and you choose to go to a school that has complete virtual learning (emphasis on choose) that's your right as an adult. While that may lower tuition costs which may be an equal trade off for some in regard to decreased learning. I do not, however, believe that it should be a universal mandate among all colleges or high schools. 8. he states that students can go at their own pace instead of others and complete more material. I believe that we should not force other students to have their learning compromised with the flawed mandate of virtual learning and instead students who can't keep up in class will need to take responsibility for their own learning and take the initiative to get extra help from their teachers or from a tutor. "Google Annual Search Statistics." Statistic Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. 2 Sparrow, B, J Liu, and D M. Wegner. "Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips." Science. 333.6043 (2011): 776-778. Print. 3 "Smartphones Account for Half of All Mobile Phones, Dominate New Phone Purchases in the US." Newswire. Nielsen.com. The Nielsen Company, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. 4 Small, G.W, T.D Moody, P Siddarth, and S.Y Bookheimer. "Your Brain on Google: Patterns of Cerebral Activation During Internet Searching." The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 17.2 (2009): 116-126. Print. DR Godden, AD Baddeley - British Journal of psychology