The Americanization of Everything

Although we do not realize it on a daily basis, our lives today depend/revolve around major corporations and chains. In an average, suburban town, it is not unusual to drive by multiple McDonald’s stores and several Starbucks Coffee houses. This is not only happening in America, globalization, an increase in interconnected and interdependent nature of communication systems, economies, cultures, and politics of contemporary societies, is occurring in foreign countries across the world. McDonald’s stores have even sprung up in Havana, Cuba. While globalization seems like a good idea to some because of the extended wealth and products that will be available to more people, increased living standards, and shared values worldwide, it also evokes much criticism and doubt. Perhaps we as a world are becoming too “Americanized”.

            I am a first generation American born to Chinese immigrant parents. Living in the United States has almost entirely disintegrated my Chinese roots and culture. Although my parents are very traditional in their upbringing of my brother and I, because we interact with other Americans everyday and growing up in an extremely American suburb (Milford, Connecticut), we have inevitably adopted an almost entirely American set of values. This is what people refer to as Americanization. Apparently, because the United States is such a dominant and influential world power, the world is becoming westernized and homogenized.

            However prevalent America and the West have become in the world, I do not believe the world will become homogenized. This summer when I went to Beijing, China for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I would see people dressing in the same brands and fashions as in America. Instead, I got off the plane and couldn’t find one person wearing a Hollister or Abercrombie shirt. Much of the clothing they were wearing were either brandless or from an Asian company. It surprised me to see that as “cool” and “modern” as we Americans seem to other countries, people in Beijing had their own fashion and style. I saw styles of clothing I have never encountered in America. This shows that however prominent the West becomes in the world and no matter how much influence it may exert, people will never truly lose the sense of their own background. There will always be something unique to their culture that they will be proud of and cling to.

            As long as countries don’t lose their sense of identity and uniqueness, I do not see why Americanization is a bad thing. If other countries can pick out the good parts of America to utilize them in their own societies, shouldn’t that be a good thing? Being more like America in some aspects, can unite the world and create a better understanding of ourselves as a whole and not separate, unreachable countries. 

Laptops in class? Blasphemy! or perhaps not? Should we be more open to incorporating technology into education?

All my life, the only type of class/classroom I was used to would be that of a traditional lecture. The teacher would prepare a lesson or a Powerpoint and stand in front of the class copying down the notes from her notebook onto the blackboard behind her or reading off slides projected onto a screen while the students would try to copy down everything she says and writes on the board. Recently though, due to the rapid rise of technology and use of the internet, we start to ask ourselves if this traditional style of teaching really is the most efficient and effective. Now, in more and more classes (mainly in college), students are allowed to bring their laptops and tablets into class to take notes or view the daily agenda of the class. Could allowing the use of technology and laptops in the classroom enhance the learning that takes place there? Some experts and companies encourage the development of online classes as a substitute for traditional classrooms arguing that it is innovation and that it provides low cost, but high quality education. Still others argue that the best kind of learning takes place inside a traditional lecture/seminar style class where no technology is allowed. These advocates for traditional classrooms are mainly concerned with students getting distracted in class/distracting others who prefer taking notes with pen and paper and also losing the sense of classroom community and the connection between students and teacher.

            Today, in a consistently improving and progressing world, is it possible to continue living in the past? Is it practical for us to ignore innovation and remain confined by methods that have worked in the past while stopping our quest to find more efficient ways of doing the same thing? I feel as though stalwart opponents of bringing technology into the classroom are, in addition to avoiding the problems it may bring, also preventing possible advancements. Timothy Snyder, a professor at Yale, is a strong opponent of letting students bring laptops to class. He argues that students will develop the habit of being easily distracted and it will spill into the workplace. He says that students who want to take notes become distracted by the call of social networking sites or catching up on the newest episode of their favorite TV show. In addition, students who bring laptops to class become a distraction for the students who are trying to take notes using pen and paper. “The ability of one human being to reach another by speech s an irreplaceable part of what it means to be human. In seminars, laptops are still more harmful serving as physical barriers that prevent a group of students from becoming a class” (Snyder). I can understand this concern as it does become difficult to engage a class while everyone is on their laptops doing something different.

            By limiting the use of technology in lesson plans, teachers also hinder possible student interaction and critique. Cathy Davidson, a professor at Duke University, through comparing her students’ writings on their blog and their traditional written papers, discovered that the writings they had to post on their blogs were considerably better than their papers. “Research indicates that, at every age level, people take their writing more seriously when it will be evaluated by peers than when it is to be judged by teachers” (Davidson). She also noticed that incorporating technology (iPods) actually promoted connection amongst the students. They figured out themselves ways to turn iPods into social media to actually enhance their learning. For example, in the music department, the students uploaded their compositions to their iPods so their classmates could listen and critique. Letting students discover creative uses for technology will enhance their learning, promote their creativity, and motivate them making them eager to learn. 

            In conclusion, although there are two valid, opposing sides for the issue of whether or not technology should be incorporated more into education and the classroom, I think there are obvious benefits to using technology to enhance learning. We should not be afraid to stray from the traditional classroom style of teaching and try a different approach that may work better. The amount of information and possibilities on the internet is so vast and there is so much potential for it if we utilize it in the correct way. Ultimately, I think that students should be allowed to use laptops in class. If they can take advantage of the information and tools, good for them. If they cannot exercise self control and get distracted, it is their loss but just because it may not be a good idea for certain students does not make it automatically detrimental to all students.

Learning from video games? contradictory much?

            I remember when I was in elementary school, my parents bought my brother and I an Xbox for Christmas. They also bought us our very first video game, which was Halo. Back then, video games and gaming systems were often considered luxuries/accessories that most parents didn’t feel was necessary to buy for their children. My brother and I were so excited to own a gaming system and once we told our friends, they would want to come over every week to play. Since then, video games have been consistently rising in popularity. Today, 90% of American children and teens play video games and the typical child plays an average of 2 hours of video games per day (Prot, McDonald, Anderson, Gentile). I think video games appeal to people for many reasons. Video games are consistent and fair. There are set rules and there is little you can do to cheat and get around them. This is pleasing to players because we like to feel in control. Also, advancing to the next level or beating a game always gives me a sense of achievement. Especially if I was having a bad day at school, things were troubling me, or I felt like I couldn’t do anything right, video games would offer solace and give me a sense of pride. I know, sad life. Because of the consistent rise in the popularity of video games, there has been much debate about the potentially harmful and beneficial effects of video games. Some scholars argue that video games encourage violent behavior, emotional numbing, and also distracts students from school work. Others believe that video games, especially educational or pro-social video games, enhance empathy, promote helping behavior, teach us how to collaborate and problem solve. In my opinion, video games may have completely different effects on different people based on each circumstance. Yes, it is very possible they can negatively affect us but there are also things we can learn from video games and ways we can benefit from playing them.

            Some scholars use the social learning theory to argue that video games, especially violent ones, encourages violent behavior because they make children prone to suggestion, especially since they are actively participating in the game and not just watching it like in a movie. And some people believe that even though video games may have a miniscule effect on one child, small effects can add up changing the behavior of an entire society. However, Christopher J. Ferguson, a clinical psychologist, tells us to let go of claims about the danger of video games because they are ideological and not data-based and harm the integrity of the scientific community. Another possible effect of playing violent video games, researchers argue, is that it can cause emotional numbing; in other words, children will be so used to seeing and participating in violent acts through video games that if they were to encounter something like that in real life, they wouldn’t react or think it was a big deal. In my opinion, this does not make sense. Unless the child has some sort of mental disorder in which he/she has a hard time differentiating between reality and fantasy, such as schizophrenia, it would be difficult to lose the ability to feel scared or react to a real, threatening situation. There is also apparently a negative relation between the amount of time a child spends playing video games and their school performance. Gamers spend 30% less time reading and 34% less time doing homework. This I do agree with. It becomes difficult to focus and prioritize when you are preoccupied doing something that you feel you would rather spend time doing. There is only 24 hours in a day and the more time you spend playing video games, the less time you have available to study. However, I believe that this is only an issue of self control and discipline; performing badly in school should not be a problem if the child knows self restraint. In a way, playing video games will force the child to learn how to manage his/her own time in order to allow time to study and to play video games.

                 Video games, when indulged in in moderation, can benefit us as well; it increases brain function, boosts creativity, perception, and cognition. From acquiring these skills from video games, we are able to apply them to real life tasks through a process called broad transfer. Video games also teach you a lot about strategy and planning. In almost every video game, you must figure out a specific plan and know how to communicate it effectively with your teammates who might also be playing with you toward the same goal. I remember when I used to play video games with my brother when I was younger, I would get easily frustrated when we couldn’t beat a level. Video games taught me to be patient, set goals, and accept challenges. Video games also force us to develop problem solving skills in order to advance through the levels. When you play multiplayer video games with friends, it helps enhance your collaboration skills and teaches you how to work effectively with another person. Through video games, I have also learned to always be on guard in new situations. Unexpected things can happen in a new, unfamiliar level that can cause you to lose a life and return to the previous checkpoint but that only conditions you to be actively observing and helps you develop the ability to act quickly.

            In conclusion, I think that video games affect everyone differently and it is unfair to generalize over an entire population that video games are harmful. Children with exhibited violent tendencies or mental disorders should be discouraged from playing video games but I think in normal situations and in moderation, video games can actually teach us things and we can benefit from the skills we can acquire from playing video games. 

Who/Where Would we be Without Technology? Approaching Technological Advancements [cautiously]

Today, it seems as though more and more aspects of our lives have become increasingly reliant on advancements in technology.  While humankind relies on advancements to consistently improve our quality of life, technology also provides us with a crutch on which we have become frighteningly dependent. I think it is important to know how to utilize the technology we have developed. If we can set boundaries and realize that technology exists as an aid to us and not as a crutch, following the trend of converting to “digital” may not be a bad thing. In my opinion, we have the tendency to rely on technology too much to the point that we are losing our basic life skills.

It is undeniable that technology has improved the quality of lives and made things simpler and more convenient. Maps, traditionally large and hard to navigate, have been converted so that directions can fit in the palm of your hand. While we used to have to do our research for class using the reference books in the library, today, we can simply enter some key words into the search bar on Google and have access to more resources that perhaps the library can provide. Calendars that used to hang in every kitchen have been taken down in favor of the more easily accessible ones that come with the typical cell phone. There seems to be some gadget to solve any problem or some app to make some task easier. The problem with converting everything digitally is that too much of our daily tasks rely on our computers and phones. Suddenly, if we lose our phones or do not have access to a computer, it becomes the end of the world.  This is similar to what Small and Vorgan write about in their essay “Meet your iBrain: How the Technologies that have become Part of our Daily Lives are Changing the Way we Think” that our lifestyle has actually become fragile and easily disturbed because of the amount of value and trust we place on our electronics. I like the hypothetical situation they wrote about the individual who has his entire life and schedule in his Blackberry scoffing at the woman with an old fashioned daily planner. Most people would expect the man with the Blackberry to be better prepared living in this “computer age” and consider the lady with the planner to be hindered because she doesn’t have a Blackberry but the situation is flipped. The man drops his Blackberry and his laptop and everything he has stored into those devices is lost while the woman with the planner gets in a cab unaffected.

Something else we must take into consideration concerning future progress in technology is to not overstep our boundaries. According to Small and Vorgan, “the current explosion of digital technology not only is changing the way we live and communicate but also is rapidly and profoundly altering out brains” (Small and Vorgan). Most people know that technology changes our behavior and the way we act but not many know that our daily interaction with evolving technology has been literally rewiring our brains so that we think differently now as well. It is a scary thought that technology may soon define who we are as people. It is easy to observe the effects of internet on the way we think. Most likely than not, our attention spans have significantly decreased since before the implementation of the internet. We used to have to be able to focus in order to read through a research book but today, we have become accustomed to quickly skimming through material and jumping from link to link on the internet. “Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes” (Carr). We have become so used to having quick access to information that we can no longer focus for long periods of time even when it is necessary. In addition to having a shorter attention span, we are also beginning to lose our ability to think critically after reading texts. We are “losing deep thought”. Because we are able to see so many opinions of others on a specific topic, we let it influence our own and thus we lose our own personal opinions. We also don’t have to think as hard to write responses/essays because it is easy to search existing works on the same topic.  

Lastly, technology has provided us with an outlet in which we can do daily tasks easier. We begin to lose the ability to perform these tasks naturally. Face to face conversations become difficult and “awkward” because much of daily interaction now takes place through the phone or through text messages. “As the brain evolves and shifts its focus toward new technological skills, it drifts away from fundamental social skills, such as reading facial expressions during conversation or grasping the emotional context of a subtle gesture” (Small and Vorgan). We are essentially becoming computer-like: no emotional response.

In conclusion, technology can be a useful tool aiding us to accomplish daily tasks more efficiently leaving us with more time to do constructive things but we must be careful about jumping too quickly into the digital realm. Technology is expanding too quickly causing us to become increasingly dependent on it to the point in which it is physically altering our brains and the way we think. We should embrace technological advancements but proceed with caution, know the boundaries, and “maintain our people skills and our humanity” (Small and Vorgan).