Computers: Communication and Education Catalyst or Inhibitor?

The introduction of computers to the educational system of present day launched a new era of both education and communication for high school students. What was once thought of as the future has been made today’s normality. However, with this new influx of technology and freedom of the net comes a change in the way that our brains process information in both education and communication. Computers are utilized as a tool for teaching high school students and the students in turn use this tool for communication on a world-wide base. At the core of this technological, educational, and communicational juggernaut is the realization that isolated facts and data that computers provide do not create meaning by themselves; as a result the education and communication skills of today’s high school students are suffering. High school students of today are utilizing computers today more than ever; this new fascination with a cyber spaced form of contact is leading to a lack of face-to-face communication skills through the effect of a shorter attention span. According to Greenblatt, “human beings have always found it hard to sit alone and remain focused,” and the internet has made this problem exponentially worse for many. He says that it is becoming a common occurrence for people to state that they are no longer able to concentrate on one thing for a significant amount of time. In a 2003 San Jose State University study, it was noted that the participants were reading more and more material online, but at the same time found it increasingly difficult to give “sustained attention” to the material. A participant is quoted stating, “I find that my patience with really long documents is decreasing….I want to skip ahead to the end of long articles.” However, not everyone believes the internet is shortening attention