Education and Technology

Education in ancient civilization: The development of writing starting in about 3500 BC, various writing systems developed in ancient civilizations around the world. In Egypt fully developed hieroglyphs were in used at Abydos as early as 3400 BC. Later, the world's oldest known alphabet was developed in central Egypt around 2000 BC from a hieroglyphic prototype. One hieroglyphic script was used on stone monuments, other cursive scripts were used for writing in ink on papyrus, a flexible, paper-like material, made from the stems of reeds that grow in marshes and beside rivers such as the River Nile. From there on, I may say, the rest is history.

Technology has certainly changed the way we live. It has impacted different facets of life and redefined living. Undoubtedly, technology plays an important role in every sphere of life. Several ordinary manual tasks can be automated, thanks to technology. Also, many complex and critical processes can be carried out with ease and greater efficiency with the help of modern technology. Thanks to the application of technology, living has changed and it has changed for better.

Technology of education is most simply and comfortably defined in Wikipedia as an array of tools that might prove helpful in advancing student learning and may be measured in how and why individuals behave. Educational Technology relies on a broad definition of the word "technology."

Technology can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines or hardware, but it can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. Some modern tools include but are not limited to overhead projectors, laptop computers, and calculators.

Technology has revolutionized the field of education. The importance of technology in schools cannot be ignored. In fact, with the onset of computers in education, it has become easier for teachers to impart knowledge and for students to acquire it. The use of technology has made the process of teaching and learning pleasurable.

Virtual socialization

Add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, comment on my status, like my photos…. Are terms we commonly heard every day from almost all kind people from different level of society.

Twitter, Orkut, Friendster, Hi5, Facebook, and MySpace-do these names sound familiar to you? These are examples of social networking sites. Such sites allow people to make new friends, send messages, share photos, etc. In recent times, these sites have become very popular amongst old and young alike the world over. Rather than going out in the sun, they would happily dole out a couple of hours gawking on the computer screens and chatting with the friends and the strangers alike.

Most of the people count heavily on the social networking sites as a mere connection that binds them to the world. When the society is undergoing transformation with every passing moment, it is more than inevitable that our routines and customs are too affected by the winds of change. The beginning of this millennium has been witnessing major technological advancements and is considered as only the beginning of a whole new discoveries in the field of Electronic world.

With the social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, AOL becoming the staple of the young breed, socialization has altogether assumed a new meaning. Be it a school going cheerful kid or a professional, everybody counts upon these social networking sites to meet their social needs. Only few years' back, you would have gladly counted reading, playing, and dancing as one of the favorite pastimes.

I’ve been to 15 Countries, one of the common denominator for all of those 15 Countries is that all of them were invaded by facebook mania. From school children to common citizens to young professionals are all facebook users. Most of my meeting abroad, after giving out calling cards amongst the group, they would normally say “I also have facebook account, just add me”. Even in my short stay at CLSU to take my Masteral Studies, after meeting somebody, the next question ask is the Facebook account. Socialization has change a lot, but no one knows if it is for the better.

Missing the Snail Mail?

Every time I heard the word “mail”, I only have two things in my mind, CLSU Post Office and Postal Stamps.

"Snail mail" is a term used to refer to mail that is sent in the traditional way — through the postal service. It is given this name because it can be very slow, as is a snail. Postal mail generally takes four to eight day (Philippine scenario) to go from origin to destination, if not many more, whereas email can be sent instantly.

With email, a message is sent directly from a user's mail program to another person's email address. Though many email messages simply contain words, they may also include photos or other digital files, such as songs, or links to websites. Since most people now use email on a regular basis, snail mail has gone out of fashion for simple letters, though it is still necessary for sending packages or legal documents that require signatures.

Though the postal service seems to have gone out of style for many uses today, it has a long history all over the world. The first postal systems in the world originated in Persia and China, and date back to possibly as early as 1700 BC. These early mail systems relied on messengers who rode horses from town to town, and most mail was delivered to government officials or royals.

Snail mail or not, one must acknowledge that regular postal services offer a number of valuable services not likely to be available soon on the World Wide Web.Many things can be replaced with today's technology, but there are things technology can't duplicate, like licking of stamps and pastes it on an envelop before dropping our letters.

I grew up at CLSU, I still remember those times when my mom would ask me to drop letters at the CLSU Post Office. Those were the times when students, teachers and laborers would crowd the Post Office entrance on a daily basis. Though the system of snail mail is fading fast, the memories of it would be in my heart forever.