Life in the Digital Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Life in the Digital Age - Essay Example The development resulted in data transmission methods that had significantly faster speeds than the pre-existent methods of data transmission. In the end, the technology provided a fast and reliable method of communication that served as an alternative to the analogue communication tools of the day. Its pros facilitated its application in most of the communication of the world today. Telecommunications, television broadcasts, digital printing, and other major communication methods rely on digital methods in message transmission. In the last two decades, the development has been fast tracked with new communication methods such as the internet, social media, and online sharing coming into being. These have enabled worldwide connectivity with unrestricted sharing of all kinds of information. This has yielded a lot of benefits that have helped significantly in the covering of major milestones in the goal of global development and security. However, according to Cathy Davidson in Now You See It, the use of digital technology has also resulted in the social phenomenon of the generation having a paradoxical obsession with implications associated with living in the digital age. This raises the question â€Å"do we need to rethink and restructure the organization of our institutions so as to maximize the results because of the situation of the digital era?† Technology availability In the United States, investments into the technology industry has seen the availability of technology increase many folds as the population wants to access information and utility sites like social media. A PISA survey in 2006 showed that among pupils in the 15-year age bracket, over 95% frequently used a computer at home (Gros 26). The projections of this survey show that in 2013 this is a universal feature. The survey found that most of the children prefer the internet to all other media. The universal access has increased the overall time spent on screens with most teenagers spendin g a large portion of their time on social networks and texting using various gadgets. Television and video games are also a huge part of the lives of the young generation of today. This extends to young children under the age of six who are also accustomed to dealing with technologies. This shows that the young generation is accustomed to and views technology as a necessity in their lives. The development and use of the forms of digital technology has therefore succeeded in influencing the society in viewing it as a necessary part of life with some in the young generation relying heavily on it. This means it is necessary to have institutions of learning that consider this aspect of the young generation (Davidson 12). In comparison, the organization of institutions of learning tends to uphold teaching and assessment models that do not serve the new generation of students facing challenges in learning to think critically in the information overload era. In response, Davidson proposes that changes be made to the systems of learning to embrace digital technology in a fluid and participatory manner. One way of achieving this is the use of digital game-based learning technologies. Digital game based learning Digital game based learning (DGBL) is a method of instruction that applies principles of learning or content that is educational in digital technology in the form of video games aiming at engaging the student ("Digital game-based