Technology has been around since 4000 BCE when iron was used for the first time in decorative ornaments. Since 4000 BCE we now have cell phones, the internet, and even self driving cars (“History of Invention”). Dictionary.com describes technology as “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.” Since then, technology has advanced and changed in the medical field, society and in the way students learn.
Technology has changed tremendously in the medical field.
There have been advances in surgeries, more cures for cancer, and technology has just made working in the medical field easier in general. Technology has become a driving force in the future direction of healthcare and surgery (Richard Satava).The speed of change has accelerated beyond comprehension, with a number of revolutions occurring during a surgeon’s career. Everything occurs in cycles: revolution, change, adaptation to change.
In healthcare and surgery, this cycle had been occurring about every 100 years, but recently there has been a perceptible acceleration of this cycle.
The first revolution for surgery came during the Industrial Age in the mid 1800s with the simultaneous introduction of anesthesia, asepsis, pathology, and new instrumentation. Nearly 100 years later, in the mid 20th Century as the Information Age was about to begin, surgery was advancing with antibiotics, intravenous fluid and hyperalimentation, radical surgery resections and chemotherapy. According to Satava, by the 1900s, laparoscopic (or minimally invasive) surgery emerged and became the standard for many procedures.
Information Age technologies, such as the video cameras and monitors, continued to evolve. But technology is accelerating faster than ever, and we are on the threshold of yet another revolution. This is referred to as the BioIntelligence Age, an age of multidisciplinary medicine, which can achieve much more than a single researcher or clinician Satava.
When most people think about cancer treatment, their minds probably go to radiation and chemotherapy (“New Technology is…”). While these methods are still the primary types of treatment for various kinds of cancer, the technology used to administer them has changed a great deal. Every single person is unique, so it makes sense that every person’s cancer treatment should also be unique. One of the best examples of new technology in cancer treatment is a new process called ChemoID. Through ChemoID, an oncologist has a higher chance of using the most effective chemotherapy drugs for a patient’s particular cancer. During ChemoID, a doctor takes a small sample of a patient’s tumor. Then, that sample is used to grow bulk tumor cells and cancer stem cells. By testing these cells with a variety of chemotherapy drugs, a doctor can determine which medicines kill the most cells effectively (“New Technology is…”). Assuring the use of the most effective chemotherapy drugs before treating the patient, a doctor can avoid administering unnecessary painful, stressful, and lengthy chemotherapy treatment. Instead, the patient receives the treatment that will help him or her with his or her particular cancer, which can lead to faster and more dramatic positive results. ChemoID can also help patients save large amounts of money that would be spent on other drugs that do little for them. New technology in cancer treatment has also changed the way doctors and patients can approach radiation. In many people’s minds, radiation therapy has been known to impact and even damage healthy parts of the body surrounding the cancerous tumors. Advancements in technology have lessened much of that danger and made radiation into a safer, more effective form of treatment (“New Technology is…”).
Technology has affected society in many ways. There are now self-driving cars. By enabling GPS, the car can reach its destination without having to steer or press the pedals. According to mckinsey.com, the first attempts to create autonomous vehicles (AVs) concentrated on assisted-driving technologies. These advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)- including emergency braking, backup cameras, adaptive cruise control, and self-parking systems- first appeared in luxury vehicles. Eventually, industry regulators began to mandate the inclusion of some of these features in every vehicle, accelerating their penetration into the mass market. According to Kersten Heineke, et al, by 2016, the proliferation of ADAS had generated a market worth roughly $15 billion. Around the world, the number of ADAS systems rose from 90 million units in 2014 to about 140 million in 2016- a 50 percent increase in just two years. Some ADAS features have greater uptake than others. The adoption rate of surround-view parking systems, for example, increased by more than 150 percent from 2014 to 2016, while the number of adaptive front-lighting systems rose by around 20 percent in the same time frame (Heineke, et al).
Social media has impacted society greatly. According to the article “Home”, social media is quickly evolving in front of our eyes, and it is almost impossible to reject and hide from this new form of media. Not only is it an important part of socialization within peer groups, but now it is used to market and motivate people to become a part of a larger community. It is undeniably changing the way one communicates and how one finds and shares information. Most websites offer communication through the use of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn and many various blog formats. With new apps on smartphones and photography and video made digital, media can be created, edited and shared quickly and once it is in this new digital cloud it is not yours anymore. According to the article “Home”, through these new advances in technology one can share things about themselves to the world to view, and prior to social media, one would have to communicate and share physically. Technology has taken away from a person’s social skills. People do not make eye contact when they are speaking with someone. Society would rather communicate over text or social media then to meet with others in person and talk, and as a whole society does not know how to talk to each other anymore. Social media offers adolescents new ways to access communication and entertainment, and the long-term effects are still unknown. For this reason, it is imperative for parents to be more aware of this new media and what it offers both good and bad for children. Five aspects of the use of social media are: not many restrictions on creatively expressing oneself, easy way to share information, informal support of other’s work, general understanding and respect of other people’s forms of expression, and an alternative way of socializing (“Home”).
Stuart Wolpert wrote an article that had research done by Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA distinguished professor and psychology and director of the Children’s Digital Media Center, Los Angeles, and she concluded that technology has affected the way that students are learning and the way that teachers are teaching. As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved. Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology says Greenfield, who analyzed more than 50 studies on learning and technology, including research on multitasking and the use of computers, the Internet and video games. Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not. “Schools should make more effort to test students using visual media, she said, by asking them to prepare PowerPoint presentations, for example” (Wolpert). The website TeachHub.com has an article titled “Top 12 Ways Technology Changed Learning” and it states 12 different ways technology has changed learning. Some of those ways include interactive textbooks, the disappearance of chalkboards, and the use of Ipads in the classroom.
According to “5 Ways Technology…” education now extends beyond the classroom walls. Students don’t have to use a computer lab to do get their homework done on the computer, when the assignment is posted online they can work on it outside of class. With new technology like iPads and chromebooks we aren’t tied down to doing our work at school. “5 Ways Technology…” also states that technology in the classroom allows teachers to deliver more personalized learning. The teacher can edit and change the lessons accordingly to fit each of the students learning styles and progress in the classroom.
Technology has had many different impacts on society and the way that we are evolving. It has helped advance us in the medical field by making surgeries easier and more effective, but it has also had a negative effect on the way students learn by decreasing the pleasure of reading for leisure, and with social media, the lack of social skills is astounding. With all of the advancements and the way society has changed with technology, it will be interesting to see how technology will change over the next 20 years.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download