Thanks to the Tech by Nicholas

Thanks to the Tech by Nicholas - January 2020 Scholarship Essay

I sometimes ponder where I would be in my education if it was not for my access to technology. I remember how my mom would tell me that when she went to school there used to be a whole room dedicated for the computer, but now thanks to the advancements in technology, I’m able to type this essay using the computer sitting on my lap. It is because of technology that arguments spanning from what Pokémon game was the first to be released to who won the Grammy for best new artist last year to who was our 37th president are now all accessible with the click of a few buttons. This is exactly what technology has done for my education. Through the astronomical amount of information accessible through the internet and the plethora of creative tools that allow one to expand and hone their skills, technology has allowed me to flourish in my education.

It is not surprising that most things that a person can think of are on the internet. One can find anything from the alphabet of any language to a description and analysis of Descartes’ philosophical meditations online, all with a simple Google Search. Technology has aided my education because it gave me easy access to heaps of information with the tap of a few keys. For me, it comes in the forms of research papers. I remember in elementary school doing a project where we would have to use a couple of print sources. These projects featured begrudgingly walking to the school library to search through rows and rows of books, hoping to quickly stumble upon a fact that I could use in my paper to receive the points for using a print source. Then once I got older and teachers allowed us to use solely online sources, researching was a breeze and sometimes fun. It was being able to search for resources that actually talked about the things that I was writing about and being able to not only gain the knowledge necessary for my paper, but also being able to learn more about the topic. For instance, I still remember the research process in my high school debate class, when I was assigned a debate revolving around standardized testing in the US education system. I would come home every day from school for two weeks straight, grab my laptop, and graze through the twelve different tabs of articles I had open just to look for a couple of sentences that I could use to support my point on the obstacles that standardized tests had on lower socioeconomic students. It was because of technology that I was able to then later compile a 5-page paper that I would then use to go on to win the debate. It was technology that allowed me to do this. Computers, phones, the internet, they all work together to allow us to find out anything at the drop of a pen.

In addition to this, technology is not only the hardware that we now cannot fathom to live without, but also the applications or apps that were created with them. These apps have reworked the way that we do things and even have created new possibilities. Apps have allowed me to further my education because they are outlets that I can use to explore different faucets of my imagination along with interest. For example, at my high school, there was a spectacular computer science and graphics program, but I did not know if I would be interested in programing and the like. So, I downloaded Apple’s kit that sought to teach little kids how to code through the use of mini games. I still remember how frustrating it was trying to code a monster to walk around a square block in a certain direction. After about two hours of this madness, it was with great pleasure that I realized that coding was not for me and that computer science would not be the area for me. Despite not furthering my education in computer science, it was the application, that allowed me to test the waters with something that I thought I could pursue. Personally, I appreciated the two-hour headache over the yearlong one that I would have had to endure had I taken the class. This is the beauty with technology in education. Just as it allowed me to explore the computer science field, they have apps for drawing, math, constructing, music editing, playing doctor, and so much more that allows the youth to engage in things that they would perhaps want to pursue in life that they otherwise would not have access to in a non-technological environment. Technology helped me better my education by allowing me to explore things that I could have explored otherwise.

Throughout the 13 years of my education, technology has been there right by my side, growing as I expanded my own knowledge. It was there when I had a question that I just couldn’t find the answer to, it was there when I wanted to explore a new field, and it will continue to be there and expand its uses for education. It’s crazy to think that something that used to be the size of an entire room has evolved to something that is able to fit on my lab and do so much more.