Mini Research Project Critical Thinking and Technology: An Annotated Bibliography

Carr, Nicholas. (2008) Is Goolge Making Us Stupid? The Atlantic Magazine. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/ In this article the author describes how his thinking has been negatively affected over the last decade due to increased time spent on the internet. He posits that others have been similarly impacted and suffer from short attention spans and the inability to engage in deep reading and reflection. The article further relates that persons have become mere decoders of information, while the ability to interpret text and make rich mental connections remains largely disengaged. While the article uses mostly anecdotal evidence to assert that the use of the internet and related technology is reprogramming our thinking in a negative way, that emphasizes immediacy and efficiency above all else, the need for further research in support of these claims was identified by the author. A later article by Wolpert, cited below, highlights the research of Greenfield which lends some support to the claims made in this article.

Hopson, Michael H., Richard L. Simms and Gerald A. Knezek.

McMahon, Graham. (2009). Critical Thinking and ICT Integration in a Western Australian Secondary School. Educational Technology Society http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_4/23.pdf Based on findings of a PhD thesis, this paper examines the development of critical thinking skills within a technology rich environment. Using the students and staff at one school, data was collected to determine the relationship between learning environment factors and the critical thinking skills demonstrated by the students. According to the author, the results indicated that there were statistically significant correlations between studying in a technology rich environment, with a positive, non-linear effect on the development of critical thinking skills, the longer the student spent in the environment. These results do not seem in tandem with the findings of the researcher Greenfield as outlined in the article below by Wolpert. While the study on which this paper was based was conducted at one school, Greenfield analyzed the results of 50 studies in order to arrive at her conclusions. This difference in approaches may account for the divergent conclusions reached. Further, the current paper surmised that students with better developed computing skills scored higher on critical thinking activities. The author concluded by suggesting that schools should integrate technology across all learning areas in order to develop students higher order thinking skills. This conclusion generally supports the findings of an earlier paper cited above by Hopson and Simms, which examined a similar topic: Using a Technology Enriched Environment to Improve Higher-Order Thinking Skills.

Wolpert, Stuart. (2009). Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking and Analysis? UCLA Newsroom. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/is-technology-producing-a-decline-79127.aspx This article highlights the research of Patricia Greenfield, UCLA distinguished professor of psychology and director of the Childrens Digital Media Center, Los Angeles. Her research indicates that critical thinking and analysis skills decline as technology plays an increasing role in our lives, while visual skills improve. Through analysis of over 50 studies on learning and technology, including research on multitasking and the use of computers and video games, Greenfield concluded that learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology. As a result, she contends that the development of imagination, induction, reflection and critical thinking skills has suffered. Instead of denouncing the use of the internet and related technologies in schools however, Greenfield advocates balanced use of technology in schools, with an awareness of the associated costs and benefits in terms of the corresponding skills that are developed.