Opus 2026-300: Digital Applications

Three bits of information presented as the result of research have come together in my mind.  I say “presented” because I don’t know how valid the research was.  Just because I want something to be true does not make it such.

The most emotionally satisfying is the documentation of the stagnation and decline in the results of standardized testing since digital technology came into the classroom.  We all have made note of this.  I can remember when they dumbed down the SAT test to improve scores.  I witnessed the decline in the years I was teaching, 1987-2017.  Every time they issued new text books the vocabulary had to be lowered.  The talking heads claimed that research on this went back to 1962.

The most frightening is the effect of AI tools.  The research here was done in the computer industry.  Use of AI seemed to keep the lower levels from growing.  They could do their work using all the offerings of AI but they were stuck in a rut.  The upper levels seem to be able to advance.  Either they were old enough to have developed a deeper understanding of what they were doing or just having the experience let you keep growing.  It isn’t just a matter of productivity but of making advances in quality.

The personal concern came from a discussion of Bible study and the use of digital Bibles.  The talking heads seemed to feel that their learning was being weakened by dependence on the screen.  I think they said computer tools could help your research but the idea was that there was an acutual physical and mental decline.

I find I am watching more videos lately.  Does that have anything to do with my decrease in physical and mental energy?  It seems vaguely that the two correlated in my life.  Of course, correlation does not mean causation but it causes one to wonder.  I think of all the people confined to a bedroom with a TV and slowly sinking.

Does the increased use of technology have an effect on the dementia of Americans?  This would go back to the advent of television.  Is there any research for such a thing?  I know that the visual can effect people. When my son was young we didn’t let him watch a lot of TV but we noticed that when what he watched was animated as opposed to live actors, his behavior changed and the change was for the worse.

My son suggested that it might be due to decreased attention spans which is another area that researchers have noticed.

I am going to reduce my screen time and increase my time with physical books.  It can’t hurt and I am willing for it to help.

homo unius libri