Technology †The Last Great Frontier :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Technology – The Last Great Frontier Introduction The technological frontier marks one of the last chapters in the development of American society. We have survived the cultivation of land, ranging from the first exploration of Christopher Columbus to the last expeditions of Buffalo Bill and the Wild West. Now, as there is no longer any land to explore, we must focus our attention on the rapidly increasing technological age. Without a doubt technology has blazed a pathway to a new and unmapped educational frontier. This frontier is pioneered by a completely new academic system: distance learning. The "distance learning" frontier features education of students from outside the traditional classroom setting through the use of technology. For example, quizzes are taken online, classes are taught over televisions, and degrees are earned on the Internet. Although this new and unexplored path has vastly expanded our academic horizons, just like the West expanded our country, we must not travel into the frontier without nurturing it first. In order to fully utilize technology we must cultivate the technology frontier in order to tame its communicational dangers. Background Just as the West promised to satisfy the needs and dreams of the American people in the nineteenth century, technology promises to satisfy our educational goals in the twenty-first century. The introduction of the Internet in the 1980’s served as the first pioneer to the technological frontier. Never before in history had academic information been so readily available at the click of a button. This new system of learning sparked excitement and interest in the minds of students and faculty members because it provided a potentially better way of learning. At first glance, the technological frontier creates an illusion of a quick and convenient educational system; however, this is not totally true. The technology frontier is still a new and unmapped territory, and there have not been an abundance of studies or writings that explain its possible benefits or dangers. Chris Piotrowski and Stephen Vodanovich, pioneers in the expansion of technological based learning, conducted a synthesis of the available research in the field. Their procedure for identifying relevant studies was to conduct a series of searches on educational databases. The results showed that "investigations about technological based instruction have not been supported by the extent of literature" (3). The conductors of this experiment claim that successful ways to incorporate technology into education have not been carefully examined or researched. Technology – The Last Great Frontier :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers Technology – The Last Great Frontier Introduction The technological frontier marks one of the last chapters in the development of American society. We have survived the cultivation of land, ranging from the first exploration of Christopher Columbus to the last expeditions of Buffalo Bill and the Wild West. Now, as there is no longer any land to explore, we must focus our attention on the rapidly increasing technological age. Without a doubt technology has blazed a pathway to a new and unmapped educational frontier. This frontier is pioneered by a completely new academic system: distance learning. The "distance learning" frontier features education of students from outside the traditional classroom setting through the use of technology. For example, quizzes are taken online, classes are taught over televisions, and degrees are earned on the Internet. Although this new and unexplored path has vastly expanded our academic horizons, just like the West expanded our country, we must not travel into the frontier without nurturing it first. In order to fully utilize technology we must cultivate the technology frontier in order to tame its communicational dangers. Background Just as the West promised to satisfy the needs and dreams of the American people in the nineteenth century, technology promises to satisfy our educational goals in the twenty-first century. The introduction of the Internet in the 1980’s served as the first pioneer to the technological frontier. Never before in history had academic information been so readily available at the click of a button. This new system of learning sparked excitement and interest in the minds of students and faculty members because it provided a potentially better way of learning. At first glance, the technological frontier creates an illusion of a quick and convenient educational system; however, this is not totally true. The technology frontier is still a new and unmapped territory, and there have not been an abundance of studies or writings that explain its possible benefits or dangers. Chris Piotrowski and Stephen Vodanovich, pioneers in the expansion of technological based learning, conducted a synthesis of the available research in the field. Their procedure for identifying relevant studies was to conduct a series of searches on educational databases. The results showed that "investigations about technological based instruction have not been supported by the extent of literature" (3). The conductors of this experiment claim that successful ways to incorporate technology into education have not been carefully examined or researched.