Students are becoming more and more reliant on technology. What are some of the problems associated with reliance on computers, and what are some of the possible solutions?

Learners are becoming ever more dependent on technology,

such

as the Internet and mobile devices.

This

essay believes the main dilemma associated with dependence on computers is the lack of original thought and copying original work from others and suggests critical thinking classes and writing analysis programs as the most viable solutions. The principal complication with over-reliance on technology is people not being able to think for themselves and piracy. With access to so much information,

students

often rely on other people’s opinions

instead

of forming their own. As well as

this

, they often use search engines to answer a question and simply copy the text from a website, rather than thinking about the question.

This

practice is not only prohibited in schools and universities but

also

stunts a student’s intellectual development because they will never truly think for themselves, which is what university is supposed to really be for.

For example

, many teachers complain that

students

copy web pages straight from Wikipedia word for word rather than giving a reasoned answer to their questions. Solutions to these worrying problems are special classes to focus on critical thinking and teachers using anti-

plagiarism

software to detect copying. If teachers create situations where

students

have to infer meaning and express opinions based on a small amount of information,

this

will ensure that

students

have an opportunity to develop these skills.

Also

, if

students

know that their assignments are being checked for

plagiarism

,

this

will be enough to deter them from doing so.

For instance

, many universities already use

this

kind of software to scan coursework for

plagiarism

and it could be extended to include all homework, by learners in both secondary and tertiary education. In conclusion, the main problems with the overuse of technology in education are the lack of original thought and

plagiarism

and these can be solved through special classes that teach

students

analytical skills and the use of

plagiarism

detection software.