(October 5, 2007) — Technology means speed and loads of information. It also means U.S. teens spending more than 72 hours a week playing video games, listening to music, and using cell phones, the Internet and television. Media literacy, defined by David Considine, a PhD professor at North Carolina’s Appalachian State University, as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate information in a variety of formats,” shapes Clark into a resourceful as well as an interesting school. While it is true that media quells ignorance, it also destroys skills and limits knowledge that students acquire if it is not used properly. One media resource that is controversially both building and destroying skills and knowledge is the computer. Even students seem to be disputing the value of this brainless genius. When asking sophomore Clark students for their opinions, one responded that computers may hinder the learning process because “instead of doing homework, you go on the computer all day.” On the other hand, sophomore Pegah Mirshahidi said that when she does homework “it’s much easier to go on the computer for information instead of going to the library for books.” Mirshahidi also said that it is helpful that teachers post homework on their sites. Technology isn’t limited to just one debate. Does using cell phones cause cancer? Can iPods steadily diminish your hearing? Are people getting enough exercise with the amount of time they spend on their butts transfixed by flashing lights? In spite of the debate over the questions, there exists a one-word answer–moderation. As an illustration, consider the health worry of sedentary lifestyles. While too little exercise can affect your health, over-exercising can likewise disrupt it. Analogous to this example, overexposure to technology may play the antagonist in life, while too little technology may leave one behind, watching as technology elevates the rest of society. Media surely cannot be criticized for allowing teens to enjoy life. Rather, teens are the ones to be blamed for taking advantage of such privileges. Who is to say that occasionally turning on the television or listening to music will ruin society? In fact, sometimes such claims are exaggerated in futuristic books like Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury and Feed by Anderson. On the other hand, their basis is fundamentally true. In 300 years, will we be a technology dependent society or will we find time to study past and present day cultures? The key is moderation. As media education movement leader Elizabeth Thoman puts it, “Media literacy is an ever-changing way of thinking and understanding in a world of strong words and images.” You just have to know the limits.