Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review
Regina Servin
University of Texas at El Paso

LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract
Technology has evolved a great deal throughout the years and is only evolving more each day.
Some may say that technology is creating a bigger and brighter future but some feel as if all it is doing is
making human kind lazy. There are many different sides to this subject, good and bad. Technology can
cause mental problems as well and physical health problems. On the other hand technology has helped
many ideas evolve and has created things that has made human kind quite successful. There are many
articles, studies and surveys that contribute to the different beliefs.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review

It is no secret that technology has evolved over time, it is also no secret that technology is a very
common item in the community now a days. Over time technology has become more involved in the
everyday life, because of this it is very important to know what impact it has on humans, schools, and
whether or not technology is helping evolve the brain or take it down. Technology creates concerns
between parents, students, and schools concerning the fact if all the technology is beneficial and is being
used to its full potential. There are many sources that will contribute to this Literature Review, such as
videos, scholarly articles, and surveys. In the paper I will discuss technology and provide answers to
four questions.
1)

Is technology making us smarter or less intelligent?

2)

Are there health risks that come with using too much technology?

3)

What impact do students and teachers at The University of Texas at El Paso have when

blackboard is down, what is the back up plan?

4)

Through the years how has technology helped UTEP evolve as campus?

Is technology making us smarter or less intelligent?

Technology is something that is part of our everyday lives, something that has evolved into a
product that is needed everyday. Over the years technology has gone from a gadget that performs
something small, to creating robots that are capable of performing surgeries. There are many questions
as to if the technology is helping brains evolve or causing laziness. One of the concerns is if technology

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has caused humans to only rely on technology but also if has stopped humans from focusing on the
functions of the brain and if it is affecting how others communicate to each other. The other way it has
been looked at, is if technology is actually creating more knowledge and helping students create a better
understanding to their work and helping them create new ideas.
This research question is about how technology affects the brain, whether it evolves the brain or
creates somewhat of a set back. In a way communication skills are a component of whether or not
technology is impacting in the right way. NBC provided a segment that was about how parents are
worried technology is not only taking over their childrens social skills but also taking time away from
family time. It has been said that in a way technology has impacted social skills do to the fact that now
one can communicate with one another and yet not see their face. The segment explains how technology
is taking over childrens time and has created a loss in family time, and parents are also afraid that not
only will this affect the relationships children have with their parents but also the relationship children
have with all the people around them. Some believe that technology might be toxic when it comes to
social skills. Social skills are something that is very important in order to get far in life because of the
fact that being able to work with other is something that must happen at some point. It is also important
to not only spend time with family but with friends as well. Huffington post provided a study made by
The National Opinion Center at the University of Chicago, which studied the how many friends an
average person had, using two different decades. The survey studied approximately 1,400 Americans.
Asking them how many friends they had in 1985 and how many friends they had in 2004. The study
showed that the amount of friends they had dropped almost 25%. The reasoning behind this is because
they believe the technology has caused somewhat of an isolation, technology gives one the power to
have everything from entertainment, work, and homework all in one hand, so in a way it seems quite
normal to be on the internet all day seems quite sociable, but maybe that not all that healthy.

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http://fcp13-1.flatclassroomproject.org/CSI+Wiki+B

The graph above just representation of how much computers are being used, one can see that the
majority of the usage is during school, but the use at home comes at a close second. The positive side is
that most of time it is being used during school, but also when being at home. It is possible that this is
what some are worried about, is that children are getting so used to technology that it is the only thing
they know, somewhat addicted. Concerns are rising because this generation technology is all they know,
and maybe the only environment they are willing to surround themselves with.

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It is very important to know and study whether or not the evolving of technology is creating a
better education for each generation. Writers by the name of Susan Cramer and Annette Smith created
an experiment to see what type of school would create more work, a traditional school or a technology
rich school. This experiment consisted of two school and 7 language art teachers. The experiment was to
test two different types of curriculums by having each teacher provide writing samples of their students,
from the beginning of the year to the end, there was a total of 148 writing samples turned in. The
teachers were also asked to talk about the curriculums and all the assignments that the students were
asked to perform. By the looks of the experiment of course the hypothesis would be that the technology
rich school would not only use more technology but also contain more assignments. As the experiment
went on and they started creating results, the result varied. When it came to the beginning of the year
writing samples, the technology rich schools were a bit more advanced, but as the year went on the
traditional school had developed more throughout the years. The results showed that the traditional
schools assigned 12-18 essays and used the writing process 9-10 times, as for the technology rich
school, they only wrote about 7-12 essays a year and used the writing process 7-12 times. Not only did
the traditional school write more essays but they actually used technology more that those from the rich
technology schools. Even though it was a technology rich school, the technology was not being used to
its full potential. The technology that was being used in the traditional schools was giving the students
more opportunities to write and more to learn, which made sense considering that compared to the
technology rich school, the traditional school developed more through time. In this case technology
helped students do more work and be able to keep developing and advancing in their writing processes.

Technology has evolved a great deal through out the years and has changed the way students
think and act in the classroom. An article by Tara Musslewhite she talks about how she believes that

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technology is benefitting students because it keeps students intrigued in their work. She states that
technology helps students be more active with the learning skills they are learning and it makes it easier
to make the writing skills they are being taught into a habit. Technology helps students keep up to date
with their assignments and the work that is provided is up to state standards and also provides sources
for references such as, Internet, different types of software, and computer labs.

http://www.wcsu.edu/technology/techrooms/images/ws219.jpg

Some may not see technology as such a bright thing. In Forbes magazine there is an article
written by Anthony Wing Kosner. Kosner explains that yes technology has made life easier but in a way
in is making humanity unintelligent do to social media and the obsession over technology. A statistic
shows that humans check their phones about 150 times a day, the people interviewed even stated that
there are times when they are staring at their phone so much that their head practically goes numb. The
brain is an incredible creation, it allows humans to create stories, recall memories, and store data, but
technology has taken that away from it. Technology has taught human kind that in order to be
entertained and smart one need technology, technology has taken away thinking for human kind. A blog

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from the Examiner.com discusses how humans use their phones and how much. The blog states that cell
phones have actually taken away the attention to everyday life. If one walks into a restaurant, what one
will see are most people on their cell phones. Not only is this occurring in restaurants but also in
sporting events, concerts, and they even explain that people are not using these devices during a break,
this is during the event.
Are there health risks that come with using too much technology?
It is interesting to believe that technology could either be beneficial to the mind, or harmful. This
is something that must be considered, one might think that technology could not possibly have this big
of an affect, but it does. In todays world technology is part of our environment and humans learn and
adapt to their environment. Technology could either train the brain to become more productive or to go a
whole new direction.
Timothy Huneycutt wrote and article named Technology in the Classroom: the Benefits of
Blended Learning discusses how technology is indeed benefitting the mental health of students. It
states that technology is teaching students to use other parts of their brain, making problem solving and
memory much stronger. He believes that technology has helped students when it comes to mental health
because technology is shaping the mind to be prepared for the future and shaping it in a way that will
help students use their brain to its full potential. Technology is also providing students with leadership
skills, more productivity, and provides motivation. An article from Ed Tech Review also discusses the
positive impact that technology has in the classroom. This article explains that technology has helped
evolve education do to the fact that it is very easy to access information. Another positive factor is that
online courses are very common and students can access all their work and assignments even if they
were absent that day.

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http://www.mediamakechange.org/blog/2010/social-implications-of-technology-on-education-week-12mstu-4020
An obsession of technology has also led others to believe that too much technology can affect
humans physical health. An article from Body and Soul explains that technology is physically
making human kind sick. It is no secret that most people sit at computer from six to seven hours at a
time, not only does this impact the eyes but also the muscles. Sitting at a computer all day can cause the
back to hunch which if continued can cause immobility. As years go on this becomes severely
dangerous, as one gets older a hunched back creates more problems. Hunched backs compressed on the
lungs and on the heart, this can cause trouble breathing and poor circulation.

http://www.averyhillpublishing.com/articles/the-beginners-guide-to-being-outside-by-gill-hatcher/

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Studies have shown that not only does technology create physical health problems but also
mental health problems, such as depression and brain shut downs. Statistics have shown that those who
use their phone more are more likely to be linked to depression. A study has found that technology has
taught human kind to multi task. At first multi tasking seems like an ideal task to maintain but studies
have shown that multitasking can cause actual mental breakdowns. These mental break downs can
actually cause the brain to shut down, this leads to anxiety. Anxiety also comes with the over use of
technology, not only because of the multi tasking but also because of social medias. Social medias cause
overthinking and many more mental issues. Life Script wrote a blog on just how technology impacts
health. The writers for Life Script contacted many specialists in this topic, one explained that technology
causes the brain the multi task, and that might not be the best thing. It states that humans have been so
used to take on more that one task at the same time, but it is much better to work on one task at a time.
Multi tasking causes a loss of memory and a loss of focus.
The affects of something sometimes has to be seen in a different way, a way people will be able
to relate it to something else. A writer by the name of Molly Raisch has performed a study on how the
body reacts to technology. The study explains that humans are actually creating new addictions from
technology and putting their health aside. This article states that now a days Twitter is more addictive
than cigarettes. A survey that was taken showed that most people would rather check their emails or
twitters rather than smoke a cigarette or drink alcohol. Not only that but some people even put a halt on
their hygiene. Another survey they performed was asking 514 Americans if they would rather give up
their toothbrush for a week or give up their phone, 22% of people said they would rather give up their
toothbrush, but when asked to iPhone users if went up to 55%.

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http://www.tnooz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/evolution-tech.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Blackboard_logo.png

What impact do students and teachers at The University of Texas at El Paso have when
blackboard is down, what is the back up plan?
With technology come some complications. Most universities are technology rich now, teachers use
computer programs to teach and often even post tests online. It is very common to have all the textbooks online
and even lectures. Lectures are now power points that are posted on school websites. There are many
programs that are being used to teach, programs that can make it quite easy for students and teachers to stay on

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task and of course make it easier to get a hold of a professor. Every now and then technology is not on the right
side, the back-up plans are very important.
The University of Texas at El Paso uses a system called Blackboard. Blackboard has everything
a student needs to know about classes, assignments, test, everything. Most professors post assignments
and lectures on blackboard, and during class these lectures are brought up and can later be used to study
for exams. Every piece of technology has its days where it is not working properly. There are times
during class that the system is not working and there is a slight change in the class structure. In personal
experience at times my classes have been cut short do to the lack of information or activities, in other
cases we simply go back to hardback textbook. This at times gets quite difficult do to the fact that not
everyone has a hardback copy of the textbook, and in some cases neither does the professor.
I performed a small survey during my break to analyze what other professors. The majority said
that their professor would simply talk about what they know but it would it would sometimes be
confusing to the students and caused them to zone off, as if they were not really in class. Another part to
the survey was if they had ever had instances where blackboard shuts down on them while doing an
assignment. That was a yes, some stated that it would happen sometimes while taking an online test and
black board would just shut down. In this case they would have to send an email to their professor and
explain what happened and hopefully get a second try.
Through the years how has technology helped UTEP evolve as campus?
It is amazing how much a campus can evolve over time, and technology is a huge factor as to
how a campus and grow and become more efficient, from technology centers, bus routers, laboratories,
easier access for those with special needs, and even applications for cell phones. Now-a-days
universities are very high tech campuses and try to accommodate every student with every possible
need.

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The University of Texas at El Paso has evolved a great deal throughout the years. There are so
many new laboratories in the university, from having chemistry, biology, engineering, and many other
types of laboratories, to having technology centers. The technology center in the library is one that is
used by most, from helping students with their assignments to actually teaching other students how to
use other different soft wares. A few years ago there was a bus router that was set up on campus, this
router would tell student when and where their bus was. Creating more efficient way of transportation,
and helping students get to where they need to be on time and safe. There has also been an application
that has been created for students that can be downloaded to their phone. This application provides
maps, events, news, grades, and a directory. The maps that are provided can identify the location you are
at and is able to guide you to your destination. This is extremely helpful especially for new students. The
campus is also full of wireless printers that are ready for use. All a student has to do is connect to the
wireless connection and swipe their identification and they are able to print out an assignment, these are
located at most building. The laboratories are becoming much more advanced as well, the engineering
labs contain all the programs that one need to create a circuit and to measure the voltage. Chemistry labs
are also equipped with computer programs that can measure ph levels, temperature, concentration and
many other important things. All the technology that is being provided is giving the students
opportunities to work with things that they will be using in the future and provide the ability for students
to create things that one could only imagine of.
All these sources give a different viewpoint of the affects of technology and they also help
provide answers to the research question. There are many different sides to each research question, and
they all provide quite a bit of information that can help a reader better understand the situation hopefully
help the reader create new knowledge

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LITERATURE REVIEW
References
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Cramer, S., & Smith, A.Technology's impact on student writing at the middle school level.

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Giebelhausen, M., Robinson, S. G., Sirianni, N. J., & Brady, M. K.Touch versus tech: When technology
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Huneycutt, T. (October 8, 2013). Technology in the classroom: The benefits of blended learning.
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