Correlation

Technology’s benefits to man’s life significantly correlates with its bad effects. This is how I look at technology.

It is undeniable that technology gives enormous benefits that men before could not imagine. But it can never also be denied that those benefits come along with bad ones.

As believed by everybody, technology makes life easier. From manual washing, we now have machine that washes, dries and irons clothes. From menial cleaning, we now have vacuum cleaner and many more of them. Because of these innovations, mothers are believed to have more time to spend with their kids. But it is not. A survey in the United States revealed that mothers still have no generous time for their kids. In fact it gets worst. This is due to the additional work that they have to attend to. Since they would finish their tasks earlier with the help of technology, extra works would come along for them to accomplish. It seems that technology doesn’t make like easier at all.

Along with the possession of technological tools that are said to be “beneficial” to man is the increasing monetary responsibility to keep them working. Before you don’t have car, cell phone, computer, ipod etc. and you don’t have problems about them. Now that you have them, they start to bug your life. Because of these tools, one gets frustrated and problematic. Technology tools then aren’t beneficial at all sine they cause problems to persons who own them.

Sadly, as technology emerges very fast, there are numerous people who are being left behind. They are not acquainted with modern technology. And even if they do, the technology they know would be old technology that is already faced-out or rarely occurring any more. Time will come that three-fourths of the world’s population will be strangers to their own land.

Technology brings hideous crimes. Pornography, sex slavery, adultery, murder, name it and you’ll know technology brings it. One will say that these crimes happen because of misuse of technology. But technology still plays as bait to everyone in doing nasty deeds.

With all these, we can reject the null hypothesis that technology’s benefits have no relation to its bad effects. As technology rises, benefits and bad effects also rises. One comes after the other.

But guess who makes the research. Guess who creates technology.

Badly Needing

I badly need a PC.

This realization frustrates me every time I go to my favorite computer shop and spend 40 pesos just to finish all the stuffs I need to accomplish there.

I thought, probably I already owned one if I would sum those nth 40 pesos I spent. This fact frustrates me more.

I am a teacher and for me, teacher’s technology is the computer. That is why I consider computer a necessity. And even from the start of my teaching career, I found out how valuable the computer is to my life and how it is useful in my profession.

First. It was every quarter of the school year that I rushed to computer shop to encode and compute my pupils’ academic grades. If only I have a PC I wouldn’t need to stay out of my boarding house late and suffer from starvation.

Second. Quarter exam. The deadline already passed. If only I have a PC I would have passed the examination questions ahead of time. Not owning a PC destroys one’s punctuality.

Third. I don’t have a generous source of books and I need supplemental facts on my lessons. Libraries are very far from where I stay and going there will be impractical plus the fact that I don’t have enough time to go there. If only I have a PC I would have searched the net or even the Encarta for additional information I need for my lessons. Not owning a PC limit’s one’s reach to intelligence.

Fourth. My school days were busy that I needed to rest early after school. I woke up to do the things I needed for my Masters and it was too late to go to the nearest among the far computer shops where I should do my work. When will I finish my research, PowerPoint presentation and written report? If only I have a PC I would be able to accomplish all of these even if I stay very late at night. Not owning a PC makes one settle for the things one only have.

Last. If I own a PC I wouldn’t be here in a crowded computer shop, together with a bunch of loud-mouthed teenagers whose shouts make one’s eardrums crack, doing my blog.

In doing researches, reports and presentations, computing grades, typing of exams and gathering facts, technology is badly needed by me and I badly need a PC.

Leaped

To someone whose technology quotient is inferior, taking computer subject is like the courage to leap on a cliff where someone you know will catch you and won’t let you fall.

I leaped confidently because I whole-heartedly believe that my former mentor who happens to be my computer skill teacher will not let me drop for he will catch me.

He did; I didn’t fall.

That was the very reason why I excelled in the class – at least on my own evaluation. I knew from the very start that I would learn because of him. Unexpectedly, I learned more than what I expected. Probably because I accompanied the motivation he unconsciously gave to me with hard work and patience.

I could still remember the times when I went to nearest computer shop, which seems not be near, every after class to add even just few slides on my PowerPoint presentation for I don’t own a PC. I spent two hours each night in the computer shop and after that, I would go home teary-eyed because of the computer screen, exhausted and starving. This took me two weeks before I finally accomplished the task.

Aside from the PowerPoint presentation, I was also tasked to make a movie presentation which for me was the most challenging, time consuming and artistic activity we had in the subject.

Challenging because the topic I chose required me to take photos of children. I took photos of Sampaguita vendors, street children, disabled kids and muddled kids which reminded me of my childhood days where I used to ask people to bet in jueteng with my very grimy shirt and short pants paired with old slippers which soles have holes. I thought I am still lucky for I didn’t end up to what I was before. The kids on my photos should escape the kind of living they have now. I hope.

The activity was also time-consuming for I needed to allot time for the photo shoot. Gladly, I managed to budget my time. This taught me the value of setting goals and priorities.

Making movie presentation needed artistry, too. It would start from the topic one had chosen, then from the way one took pictures and finally from the way one would synchronize the photos and the music.

I must admit that the tasks were hard but they were paid off. The learning, the values and the acquaintances I gained worth all the hardship I invested in the subject. And if I would need to jump to another cliff again, I would for I knew, I wouldn’t fall.