An Automated Society    Cell Phones: Classroom Technology of the Future     There was a time when robots and home automation were just a fantasy

Subject:EnglishPrice: Bought3

Share With

 An Automated Society    Cell Phones: Classroom Technology of the Future 

   There was a time when robots and home automation were just a fantasy. Robots were found only in science fiction and home automation was limited to cartoon families who had every convenience at their fingertips. Meals arrived with a simple push of a button. A robot maid performed every task humans didn't care to do. Today, these once visionary ideas have become reality. In factories, robots perform hazardous tasks; in homes, they vacuum the floor. Houses can now lock themselves and lights are programmed to turn off and on automatically. In hospitals, doctors use robots to perform surgery. Cars that drive themselves are in development. As automated machines and robots take on more human tasks, there are serious questions to consider. What will become of society if robots do all the work? Will humans become too dependent on machines and lose the ability to do things for themselves? Will robots eventually become smarter than humans?

   The cell phone. No longer a device just to make telephone calls, cell phones can now be used to take pictures and record video, send text messages and tweets, and access the Internet. Using a smartphone, you can receive and send e-mail, get directions, play games, listen to music, and watch movies. You can now speak to your cell phone and it will answer back. Ask it a question and it can tell you the answer. At some stores, customers can pay using their cell phones. The cell phone has become a handheld computer—an integral part of day-to-day technology. The question, therefore, inevitably arises: Is it appropriate for students to use cell phones in schools? Some schools have adopted policies to ban cell phone use in the classroom, but are these initiatives reasonable? Although they have limitations, cell phones can be used to ensure student safety, help with job skill preparation, and aid in classroom instruction.

What is a common theme in these excerpts?

A)The dangers of technology that teaches itself and has the potential to become smarter than people.

B) Everyday activities that will become obsolete as technology evolves over the next decade.

C) The ever-present cell phone and how modern society depends on it for day-to-day activities.

D) Ever-changing technology and how we incorporate it into our daily lives.