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Student 1

Random Student

Mrs. Wilson

Expository Writing

5 Dec. 2014

Technology and Video Games – Does The Good Outweigh The Bad?

Video Games may actually improve cognitive ability by up to 20% over non-gamers says

a recent study by The University of Southern California. Despite this evidence, Ed Bell believes,

although admitting that technology has improved some aspects of society, that we do not know

how to distinguish the good uses of technology from the bad. Ed Bell’s assertion that everything

was better back in the “good ole days” is misleading. Although technology is sometimes used

indiscriminately, as Ed Bell believes in Technology, Movement, and Sound; the benefit that

technology has had on our society, I believe, outweighs the cons – although there are cons.

Teachers in America are under constant pressure to improve test scores, and raise

achievement, yet in a society tethered to technology, they are losing the battle to keep kids

engaged. Ed Bell’s discourse about a leaf blower and noise pollution left much to be desired, yet

his appreciation of the “good ole’ days,” may be agreed upon by many teachers. Back in the

“good ole days,” teachers had fewer distractions from their instruction other than the occasional

note-passing or whispering during the lesson. In today’s society, teachers have to contend with

the constant struggle to keep kids engaged in more than the latest app or text from their friend or

parent. The problem has become almost epidemic, leading to kids learning less in addition to

impeding the progress of class. This sometimes makes it necessary to reteach what the students

fail to absorb because they had their head in their phone during the lesson. Unfortunately, this is

not the only negative effect technology has had on our society.

Student 2

Although Ed Bell’s diatribe seems to wage war on technology, it is the message of

inactivity that I think is the greater take-away from the article. For years, with the increasing

presence of modern conveniences in our daily lives, society’s activity level has steadily

decreased. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that American

adults should get the equivalent of two and a half hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity

each week. Children should get about an hour a day. With the popularity of games, and the

advancement of time-saving technology, there is less of this activity than there used to be – but

that is not all. With the advancement of computers and automation in the workplace, the

American employee is not working as hard either – well, not laboriously, anyway. In 1950,

thirty percent of Americans worked in high-activity occupations; by 2000, that proportion had

dropped to only twenty-two percent, according to a Harvard School of Public Health article. Ed

Bell’s article is seemingly mostly negative, but there are some positive benefits to technology as

well.

Ed Bell’s article seems to be very anti-technology, failing to mention the numerous ways

that technology has improved the thought processes of the human brain. It was thought that the

human brain could not expand or grow beyond the age of twenty without compromising existing

brain cells, but in an article by Bob Freeman, researchers at Harvard made a startling discovery.

The military has an increasing need for soldiers to think on their feet and who are able to make

decisions quickly and in a moment of distress. These researchers have found that gamers, more

than non-gamers, possess this ability; in fact, adult gamers in the military score ten to fifteen

percent higher than non-gamers in perceptual and cognitive ability. The military is taking this

new research very seriously, because they want to prepare soldiers to be better able to match wits

with an ever-increasingly complex enemy in the military’s war on terror.

Student 3

The “good ole days” as Ed Bell puts it, may not have been that beneficial for students

with learning disabilities. These students, however, actually benefit from new educational

technology. Mark Griffith, author of the article “The Educational Benefits of Video Games,”

admits that video games can be bad for health. They can become addictive by releasing an

overabundance of serotonin in the brain which contributes to euphoric feelings while playing the

games says Steven Johnson in an article titled, “Your Brain on Video Games.” Regardless,

games do have significant positive effects on educational development in kids with learning

disabilities. In addition to enabling learning content to become more attractive to these students,

it also increases participation, provides instant feedback for them as they play and allows

students to track their scores. These games have been shown to improve cognitive response,

reaction times, and problem-solving in kids, especially those with learning disabilities. Because

of this new learner, educational software developers are racing to create new types of educational

programs that incorporate game-based curricula. Developers model these programs after what

students today are familiar with such as tracking their scores, trial and error, feedback on

problems missed, competition among their peers, and the ability to try again to improve their

score.

Ed Bell is right about one thing, technology needs to be used responsibly and reasonably.

It has so many benefits such as contributing to the positive growth of the brain so that it can learn

more, think faster, and have a greater degree of cognitive ability; cognitive ability that can be

derived by simply playing challenging and fast-paced video games. By taking these video games

and modifying them to help teach kids gives kids the incentive to learn. It motivates them to

participate and makes learning fun by giving students an enjoyable way to learn that is actually

based on what they do in their leisure time already – play games. With these benefits, adults and

Student 4

children need to understand that technology should be used responsibly and reasonably such as

taking the stairs instead of the elevator, biking to school or work, and turning off the devices in

class while the instructor is teaching. Americans should feel free to embrace technology, but with

technology comes great responsibility. Society can and should be able to incorporate physical

activity to stay healthy and live a fulfilling life while being responsible enough to use technology

for the convenience, educational benefits, and entertainment it was intended for.

Student 5

Citations

(Bell) Technology, Movement, and Sound

(Brownson RC, 2008) Declining Role of Physical Activity in the United States, What Are

The Contributors?

(Freeman) Researchers Examine Video Game Benefits

(Griffith) The Educational Benefits of Video Games

(Johnson) Your Brain On Video Games