Not All Access is Created Equal Essay -- Definition Technology Essays

Not All Access is Created Equal Access n. 1) the ability, right or permission to approach, enter, speak with or use; admittance; 2) the state or quality of being approachable; 3) a ways or means of approach; ~ v. 9) to make contact with or gain access to; to be able to reach, approach, enter; 10) Computers. to locate (data) for transfer from one part of a computer system to another, generally between an external storage device and main storage Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd Edition Unabridged Language is a continuum. New words enter any given language upon contact with other cultures. Language is not static. It expands and contracts to allow or disallow change. The above excerpted definitions are reflective of what â€Å"access† can mean when this second edition of the dictionary was published in 1987. The first edition published in 1966 did not include the definition designated in number ten dealing with the technology arising in our computer age. Even that 1987 definition of computer access is outdated. However, we can derive from the preceding explanations a comfortable basis for determining what â€Å"access† means to computing technology in schools, the workplace and at home. Access, to those of us who use computers, means that we have a tool making communication and work tasks easier. Access, by implication, means to many of us that anyone has the ability to acquire the same information or perform the same tasks based on the availability of c omputers within a school or workplace or home. Accepting this notion is of course absurd. Not only does the definition of a word change, but the environment in which it exists is also in flux. Access does not ever the mean the desired object is avai... ...l in the hands of the educators. We become adept at manipulating the materials and the technology we have on hand to create the most productive and stimulating and thought-provoking exercises possible. We can bemoan our lack of access or simply use the technology we have. But I contend that access still has its ups and downs. Sometimes because information links and word processing are so accessible we become desensitized to the personal and emotional act of communication. We have traded hands-on-experiences for virtual reality – handwritten letters for abbreviated emails – summer games of kick the can for solitaire on a green screen. The world has shrunk because of technological advances so that we know more about cultures around the globe while at the same time we have surrounded ourselves with machines that help us maintain personal distance and anonymity.