Running Head: GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT

Global Issues Report:

Access to Technology

Gino Salazar

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

October 30th, 2018

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Abstract

A report about access to technology and a global issue when it comes to the skills and

teachings of the use of it. Also how students procrastinate because of technology being a double

edge tool and the impact of technology in society from students of different levels.
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Introduction

Access to technology should be accessible to everyone and the global issue of students

not having the ability to access it and on top of that not having the skills needed to navigate and

fully take advantage of it and differentiate the information that is out there. Traditional students

and non-traditional having pros and cons when it comes to procrastination as well. At a bigger

scale we see these problems in every country and as important as water, food, housing and

education; technology can be an important factor in the life of a student and people in today’s

world.

Discussion

The new generation the “millennials” have more access to technologies than any other

generations prior this one, access to technology is not only having a computer in the school’s

library, at least not anymore, is having your own access in your home and having the freedom to

access it anytime you have to, nowadays we all can have access to a new world from the palm of

our hands. This new access has been getting more and more dispensable and the problem is that

not everybody can access these new sources (Canada Newswire 2018). And on top of that these

sources are not trusting enough for us to make an easy judgment even with a common or popular

website. Therefore students and professionals must make their own criteria and look for trusting

sources, in the 19th- and 20th-century library was about having the access to knowledge, the

21st-century library is about access to technology meaning the web, having to completes all

courses assignments through it. Consequently an article by Carina Dolch and Olaf Zawacki-

Richter showing on media usage between students of higher education, and special cases

between traditional and non-traditional students were having access to a more frequently and
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owned set of devices used to media and communication purposes, and also having a case of

procrastination, where the students had a more difficult time having to complete an assignment

on time but having all the resources to do them (Wheeler 2008). in sense technology is a double

edge tool that need to be used carefully, on the other hand traditional students had to spend more

time getting the access to the sources and completing the assignment and were able to focus in

completing the assignment (Carina Dolch 2018). And not only having to deal with these types of

problems, around the world, the basic needs are now satisfied though technology, humans have

been using Technologies to have a better standard of living, access to these technologies seem

granted for people that do not live in developing countries. Furthermore, the people there,

struggle with this access, satisfaction of basic needs is lacking in these countries, but leaders

fight these problems and according to Koning access to goods and services are being delivered

through institutions that help these countries, strategies for basic needs is what Koning portrays

on her paper for appropriate technology.

Articles show that access to technology is getting more academically dispensable around

the world and as UTEP students, they can relate to these problems. According to Koning

technology has been a tool for teacher and student to get more knowledgeable and in less time (p.

2). Explaining how technologies have been satisfying people necessities and how there are

people in other countries that do not have access to these technologies and institutions and

leaders try to solve this problem. In fact, a study made on 2012 by the doctor Mesma the children

that have these technologies can easily pick up things and learn more than the others, the only

thing more important is that everybody nowadays need this access. Consequently, this showed

that technology it is not only a tool but a necessary factor to succeed and work with the

contemporary world. A chart representing the access to technology by age and economic status,
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showing that people that have a hard-economic situation are more likely to not have access and

by that not being able to do well.

A study showing that when using technologies students need certain skills in order to

have a safe and successful search on the web, meaning that as student we need good trusting

information to rely on, but as today is hard to find it with these characteristics. According to

Cuhadar, the and study that took place in Turkey were several teachers were tested to see

whether they had the skills to teach their students, the study was negative and is presenting a big

problem for our future members of a society in Turkey. Consequently, Powsner (1994) and his

article on navigating the internet and research talks about ways of searching the internet and

concluded that in fact it is very difficult to navigate and that students need tools in order to do it

successfully (p. 3). Also an article by Jeffrey Young (2006) saying that good technology could

harm us if we do not know how to use it, in education several examples saying that technology is

a double edge tool and if students and teachers do not have the skills and information to access

and use it correctly could be really harmful for everyone. That is why traditional students

sometime prove or show that having to go the conventional way sometime is harder to do but

more reliable in question of trusting sources and reliable information, as well as having to do

with other aspects as procrastination and deadlines.

Public opinion says that distance learning is the future of teaching and a convenient way

for students to get over with a class and getting the most out of it without having to come to a

campus. According to Kosovska Zoran the benefits gained in the context of cost, functionalities,

effectiveness and the users satisfaction are well rated. However, Cook an associate professor of

medicine and chair talks about the cons of distance learning and being social isolated, expensive,

and when it comes to technical problems there is not much to do.

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A global situation that concerns most of the leaders of the world, the education of people,

the future, technologies being needed every day, opportunities to become a professional and as

UTEP students how it relates to us. Students from different backgrounds and opportunities y to

become better citizens and a having a better standard of living. The article written by Romero

(2017) talks about how Manny Pacquiao and leaders of the Philippines try to give their people

access to technologies and a higher education opportunity. In conclusion the problems are

everywhere, and we can relate to them as we see these things every day (p. 6). But then an article

by Alison Druin stating that actually kids in brazil that have access to these technologies and are

more able to spend more time than average using these technologies such as internet and

computer have slow or bad academic progress. Druin (1997) asks the question about the future

and what technology being the future is doing to kids that are the future for us, and this is a very

good point when talking about technology and how has been changing the youth and the way we

do pretty much everything from teaching to working and medicine. According to Druin (1997)

moderate use of technologies and a great training to pass skills to the children could be a balance

for the problem in today’s youth.

The new age of millennials is all about technology, we are forging ahead the books and

old fashion ways. Is needed too the technology, universities and institutions know this, in fact

they are making it more part of the student life as well as the faculty, and still there are problems

and struggles for students to get access to these technologies. According to the Canada Newswire

the Dr. Nathalie Méthot affirms that technologies centers are dispensable and that are needed for

the intercommunication between universities and professionals. And that having these tools

shows signs of innovation that is accessible to everyone.

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Conclusion

The technology is of course a huge factor in people’s lives nowadays, but we need to be

careful; access to technology is not only being able to use it and for people around the world that

do not have these tools need to be even more careful and teachers must assure that the future of

the world can defend themselves with the skills needed to succeed and leaders of the world can

provide everyone the access and skills to succeed.

Figures
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A graph that shows the difference in between economic classes and their access to

technology

A graph showing reasons why students for different levels procrastinate.

References

Canada Newswire. (2018, February 27). Tech-Access Canada Welcomes Strong Support for

College Applied Research. Canada Newswire. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=201802271850

CANADANWCANADAPR.C1983&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Carina Dolch, & Olaf Zawacki-Richter. (2018). Are students getting used to Learning

Technology? Changing media usage patterns of traditional and non-traditional students in

higher education. Research in Learning Technology, Vol 26, Iss 0, Pp 1-17 (2018), (0), 1.

https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2038

Cook, D. A. (2007). Web-based learning: Pros, cons and controversies. Clinical Medicine, 7(1),

37-42. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.7-1-37
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Cuhadar, C. (2018). Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers’ Levels of Readiness to Technology

Integration in Education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 9(1), 61–75. Retrieved

from http://0-

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e=eds-live&scope=site

Powsner, S. M., & Roderer, N. K. (1994). Navigating the Internet. Bulletin of the Medical

Library Association, 82(4), 419-25.

Romero, P. (2017, March 17). Senate OKs free Internet, tuition to college students. Filipino

Reporter, p. 20. Retrieved from http://0-

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e=ehost-live&scope=site

Koning, J. D. (1979). Foreword. Towards Global Action for Appropriate Technology, Xi-Xii.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-024277-4.50004

Kotevski, Z., & Milenkoski, A. (2018). Are Free Internet Technologies and Services the Future

of Synchronous Distance Learning? Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 19(3),

4–14. Retrieved from http://0-

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Wheeler, S., Yeomans, P., & Wheeler, D. (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating

student-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational

Technology, 39(6), 987-995. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00799.x

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Young, J. R. (n.d.). When Good Technology Means Bad Teaching: Giving professors gadgets

without training can do more harm than good in the classroom, students say. Retrieved April,

2006, from http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i12/12a03101.htm