The Effect of Technology on Learning

According to Marshall McLuhan technology was not an impartial medium of media as it had an impact on the mental process of human beings (Greenfield, 2015). In order to have an understanding of the media through technology McLuhan developed a process that would distinguish it into hot and cold media. The hot media requires passive recipient such as radio and television while the cold media such as telephone requires participation (Greenfield, 2015). Cyber experiences are regarded as both hot and cold their display leaves nothing to the imagination as well as they command interactivity and participation. The notable difference between a book and a screen is the availability of opportunity to multitask, hypertext and a chance of engaging the brain training (Greenfield, 2015). A text usually has a well lit hard surface which is based on the concept of affordance. A thin, light, opaque and a porous paper are easy to grasp, fold, carry and write on compared to the hard one. Laptops and the mobile phone affordances are very different to that of a text.

According to Anne Mangen electronic reading results to poor comprehension due to the physical limitations found in a text that pushes the readers to scroll up and down resulting in a disturbance with a spatial unsteadiness (Greenfield, 2015). Better reading comprehension is brought about by a good spatial mental stability. A better understanding is significant as it enhances remembrance and the relocation of spatial order of the text. The visual capability is also affected more when there is a significant use of a screen compared to that of a printed page causing visual fatigue (Greenfield, 2015).

Hanho Jeong assessed the usability of paper and electronic books aimed at measuring the eye fatigue together with the reading comprehension with students in their sixth year. The book effect was more significant in that there was less eye fatigue compared the electronic books although they were more satisfied with the eBooks (Greenfield, 2015). With time most of the readers preferred to read paper books. The analysis carried out identified showed that the critical remarks by the electronic readers were based on the screens rather than the text itself (Greenfield, 2015).

Technology offers multitasking opportunities where individuals can switch from emails to instant conversation, texting while watching television or from one website to another. This causes shifting of attention as it is subdivided between the multiple sources (Greenfield, 2015). As a result of multitasking e-reading takes more time to complete compared to paper reading. Instant messaging has been found to have a negative relationship in the grading point and the time spent on Facebook as they spared few hours of studying.

Printed books have incorporated visual arts which tend to have a detrimental effect on the students as they tend to deviate from the path of the text reading. Reading at your own pace is important as it helps an individual to monitor and access their cognitive performance (Greenfield, 2015). There has been a decrease in sustained attention as people are adapting to the digital environment with an increase in a more screen-based reading behavior such as browsing, nonlinear reading, and scanning. Franziska Kretzschmar’s team assessed the brain wave and the tracking of an eye in order to identify the cognitive effort that is involved in reading. They were able to identify that many people identified that they preferred paper reading. Face to face discussions are beneficial in problem-solving hence a real student-teacher conversation in a classroom will achieve more (Greenfield, 2015). Despite the increase adoption of computers and tablets in school the conventional teaching method of pen and paper is equally important.

Reference

Greenfield, S. (2015). Mind Change; How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Mark On Our Brains. Random House, New York