Michael Wesch’s “A Vision of Students Today” highlights the effects that new and constantly changing technology has in the United States education system.
“A Vision of Students Today”, a video by Michael Wesch, accurately illustrates the importance of continually developing technology inside the classroom, because if the students of today do not adapt with technology, they will not be successful in the future. In today’s world, technology is a constantly developing industry, with countless extraordinary devices becoming available to humans each month. Two hundred students come together on one survey to share their opinions about technology’s importance in the classroom (Wesch, "A Vision"). The students exemplify how technology today affects their studies, mentioning concerns like, “I pay for hundred dollar textbooks that I never use” and “I complete 49% of the readings given to me. [While] Only 26% are relevant to my life,” (Wesch, "A Vision"). Similarly, Karl Fisch confronts this idea in his video, “Did You Know?” by acknowledging the rapidly changing technology, “The amount of new technological information is doubling every year” (Fisch). It is important that teachers and learners alike jump on board with technology, because it will move to become more advanced, whether the world is ready or not. Although the importance of embracing technology within education is vital to learning, the distraction posed by the new devices has negative effects within the classroom. The students in Wesch’s video explain what they do during class with comments like, “I FaceBook through most of my classes” and “I bring my laptop to class, but I’m not working on class stuff” (Wesch, "A Vision"). Matt Richtel of the New York Times explains, “Students have always faced distractions and time-wasters. But computers and cellphones, and the constant stream of stimuli they offer, pose a profound new challenge to focusing and learning” (Richtel). Though it is imperative for children to learn using technology, schools should block websites such as FaceBook and Twitter to ensure children are learning in class rather than focusing on social media. The importance of continually developing technology inside the classroom, though it may pose a few distractions is imperative, as made clear by Michael Wesch in his video “A Vision of Students Today”.
