Ask any modern luddite and they will tell you that technology is making us dumber. People argue that the Internet and its search engines is rewiring how our brains access memories, and not in a good way. They’ll also argue that modern video game and on-demand streaming services are rotting our ability to appreciate more refined entertainment.
It’s true, to an extent, that a lot of modern technology is helping people find more creative ways to slack off. But all of this is hardly the fault of household tech. If someone wants to improve their knowledge and thinking power, this can all be done using the simple tech we use every day!
Take off your cynical caps and check out these arguments for the use of technology in boosting brain power.
Increased accessibility of education resources
Many people call the Internet “the information highway”. It’s an apt nickname. After all, as you surely know already, the Internet is loaded with information. You may even say too much information. But if you have strict, defined goals about what you want to learn, then the Internet becomes an amazing tool.
YouTube channels like Crash Course offer entertaining educational videos about science, philosophy, economics and history. Wikipedia offers a wealth of information, as long as you check the sources! And, of course, there are online educational institutions that have opened their doors to people all over the world. See www.khanacademy.org for more information about online education.
More puzzle and strategy games than ever
The spread of mobile phones can definitely help people exercise their brains. A lot of people would see this idea as ridiculous after all, aren’t mobile phones just massive distractions? But there are load of educational apps and brain-boosting games out there.
The market for puzzle and strategy video games has been helped tremendously by the ubiquity of mobile phones. A mobile with touchscreen capabilities has proved to be the perfect platform for these sorts of games. Research has shown that these games can help improve cognitive flexibility. This can be especially useful in children when they’re developing these sorts of traits in their brains. Find out more about strategy games for children at www.gameadvice.org.
Easier to find and buy books
This is a really underrated way of using technology to aid your learning. A lot of the luddites I referred to earlier would say that people shouldn’t be using the Internet to get their learning. They should be turning to the more classic, tried-and-true method: reading a book. My argument here would be that people should be combining both things. And something that these naysayers have forgotten is that the Internet has made it easier to acquire those books!
Many dense and enlightening texts are now easier to find and buy than they used to be. Back in the day, people would have to hope they got lucky in secondhand book stores if they wanted a copy of a rare academic text. That’s not the case anymore! You should also consider the fact that works in the public domain can now be downloaded for free from the Internet. See www.ebooks.com to find out more.
