Sometimes it is hard to determine whether or not technology is truly a bad thing; more often than not, the real outcome of technology being detrimental or beneficial depends on how the operator utilizes it. As an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Buena Vista University (BVU), Miranda Pollock has put effort into producing games and tools for education with her knowledge of design technology. Through her graduate research, Miranda explored this idea of high-tech verses high-touch and how it affects society, especially because she has had experienced both worlds. Through these studies, she found that technology is able to accelerate learning new skills that may be difficult to learn otherwise. The point of her research comes down to this: there are aspects that can be learned with technology and there are aspects that can be learned without it.

 

It’s true that staying connected via technology may be beneficial for school and business related processes, but is it healthy for staying in touch with humanity interpersonally? Miranda feels as if people need to foster connections on a personal level, and not just with other people. She says that an individual should take the time to leave their technology at home to go for a walk, stop and look at a tree and make a connection with it, and simply examine it or whatever else that is natural.