Research Outline

Thesis:
How has the evolution of technology changed the way people raise their children?

1. Computers, the Internet, smartphones, and telecommunication technologies have all changed the way we live -- how we think, socialize, entertain, work, teach, learn, and train as well.
a. Not only did it change the way we do things in our everyday lives, but also how lives are being raised.
b. In my opinion I think the way people raise their children now is out of hand; yes it is a different generation and things are not how they use to be, but does that mean children should be let and given everything without having to work for it?
2. Information literacy skills are a necessary skill for survival in today's information driven society. Schools must prepare students to be successful in the real world, by teaching them to become effective users of information through information literacy skills. Technological innovations are sure to continue to advance; therefore we must adapt and embrace these changes or we will be left behind.
a. Not only do parents play a big role in how their children are being raised but also the society they are around. The way their friends act, think, do things impacts other kids. The way teachers teach impacts their ability to retain information
b. In personal experience while I was in middle school and throughout high school, teachers wanted everything typed and I got the hang of doing research and assignments online that when it came to note taking without a computer I had no interest in learning and it was more difficult to retain the information I was being taught.
3. The explosive entry of technology into every aspect of life has changed how people live, how they work, how companies do business - and how governments serve their people, For the first time since the creation of the modern welfare state, there is now a real opportunity to 'reinvent' government.
a. The way the government sees technology, impacts how technology flows throughout the society.
b. The ideas people get about how to raise their kids in a “better” way comes from what they see other people doing.
4. Susan Greenfield stated in her article, “Unless we wake up to the damage that the gadget-filled, pharmaceutically-enhanced 21st century is doing to our brains, we could be sleepwalking towards a future in which neuro-chip technology blurs the line between living and non-living machines, and between our bodies and the outside world.”
a. There is nothing new about how the human brain has been changing, developing, and adapting, but our brains are under the influence of an ever- expanding world of new technology.
b. Greenfield makes various points on how technology has become a negative effect on people’s lives.
5. With starting off young by using and depending so much on technology; technology becomes a part of one’s life and is no longer just used as a hobby.
a. “And if you've watched your kids using their computers, you probably share another of my worries--that we're raising a generation of children with the attention span of fleas. Sure, they can do 10 things in 10 different on-screen windows at once, but I wonder whether they're making the connections between all these snippets of multimedia education.”
b. History shows us that all hell breaks loose during the teenage years in any generation. But never before have teenagers been able to connect instantaneously, or to share their thoughts with so many so quickly.
Conclusion: “As we watch our kids use technology with a fluidity and naturalness that we'll never have, our natural tendency might be to stay clear. That, I'm convinced, is a mistake. It's more important than ever that we, their parents, are beside them, our children, understanding the challenges technology puts in their path, and helping them to wrestle against the bleaker sides of the Internet.”