report on the negative impact of construction engineering to the environment

Source: Derek E. Baird. Barking Robot.

Retrieved from http://www.debaird.net

Problem

Walk into almost any classroom and what will you see? A computer for the teacher to upload grades and maybe a device such as a smart board or a mimio that is used to help with lesson plans. Today’s society is based on the idea of technology and how it can make our lives just a little easier. So it should come to no surprise that its presence can be found in grade levels throughout school. Technology’s role in classrooms can be helpful. Interactive classroom technologies may enhance the student experience by encouraging participation (Co-Creating Value In Higher Education: The Role Of Interactive Classroom Response Technologies). The problem with this is that these students are never taught about the importance of how long to use technology. Students abuse the use of computers and smart phones while in class. They do not interaction with teachers, but instead tweet or play an online game. These examples of technology abuse carry on through their childhood years and teenage years. The issue that this technology use brings is that with advanced use, many children become sluggish and do not get the recommended sixty minutes of activity.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to show individuals that we must control our use of technology. Children and adults alike are using technology far too much on a daily basis. Teachers and parents must teach children about proper technology use. I want to inform teachers and parents of technology’s effect on their children and help them understand obesity and the factors that affect obesity rates.

Scope

This report explores the use of technology in the United States school system and at home for children. In this report, different options to fighting this epidemic will be given. Educating individuals about technology’s negative health risk will improve the health of children in the United States.

Discussion

Providing information regarding technology use

People have argued that today’s society and its newest generation have become completely technology dependent. Although this may not be necessarily accurate, this statement does hold water. Statistics have been compiled from the United States and other parts of the world that show just how much technology is used and by which age groups. The newest generation to join the ranks in the United States has been declared the iGeneration. This new generation that has certainly earned the name “iGeneration” (Larry D. Rosen). This new generation consists of those born in the 1990’s and beyond. The name represents the types of digital technologies used by children and adolescents such as the iPhone, iPod and iPad. Larry D. Rosen seems to have the mindset of half of America, which is that all this technology is helping children learn. This early learning curve seems to have a positive effect on children’s school ethic. They are learning from an even earlier age how to use important research habits that are needed in the classroom (Educational Leadership:Teaching Screenagers:Teaching the iGeneration).

I have personally witnessed the use of technology at a grade school level. While in high school, I tutored a fourth grade class that was, very much, a part of the iGeneration. These students used computers and laptops on a daily basis. The only issue with this is that the teacher is one, and the students are many. She could not always monitor the student’s activities. At this level, students are limited on access to technology. However, the older the students get, the less they are monitored. Today, in America 85 percent of schools have computers. Of those 85 percent, 64 percent have internet access (Life in the Fast Lane). These statists continue to grow annually. Technology is a powerful tool. It is when students abuse such privileges that a problem arises. It is no surprise that obesity rates are higher than they have ever been. In the United States, in the year of 2012, 68.8 percent of adults are either overweight or obese (Obesity in America: By the Numbers). During the years of 2009 and 2010, almost 17 percent of children were considered obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

No one will argue that the underlying problem with childhood obesity is dieting. Many children do not get the proper nutrients they require to grow at a healthy rate. This, coupled with a lack of physical activity can be to blame for the increase in obesity rates. Children are not getting the recommended daily hour of physical activity. Studies by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have revealed that the majority of children should be getting approximately 60 minutes of physical activity basically every day (Exercise for Kids - Get Kids Active). Children have shown over the years that they get far less than the recommended 60 minutes of activity every day. A study produced by Donna Spruijt-Metz of the University of Southern California, shows that children struggle to meet physical activity guidelines. Only 48.9% of boys and 34.7% of girls aged 6 – 11 meet the physical activity guidelines (Troiano et al., 2008). Longitudinal data show that physical activity declines by 37.6 minutes per year between the ages of 9 and 15 (Nader, Bradley, Houts, McRitchie, & O’Brien, 2008, 2009), with only 11.9% of boys and 3.4% of girls meeting the guidelines by ages 12 – 15 (Troiano et al., 2008). Obesity rates are on the incline and have shown no change in direction. This, in part, is due to technology. While in school, children use computers for personal use, such as online games or social media sites. Although many schools try to block those sites, students can still access them through smartphone applications. This leads to a decrease in energy and drive to be active.

After the final school bell rings, many children head home and go straight to playing video games, or browsing the internet. In today’s society individuals have nearly 24-hour access to media devices. The development of technology has caused an increase in the amount of time young people spend with entertainment media. A study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals just how much children use technology while at home. Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week).  And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’ (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours. (Daily Media Use Among Children and Teens Up Dramatically From Five Years Ago - Kaiser Family Foundation). As this article states, the amount of time that children spend with entertainment media is dramatically high. With so much time devoted to technology use, there is little time for exercise in a child’s day. Figure 2 below shows the increase of obesity in children over the last few decades. This is alarming due to the large percentage change from the 1960’s to the early 2000’s. If this issue is not addressed I believe that we will find ourselves in a world that is filled with obesity and severe health problems.

Figure 2

Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents ages 6-19 years