大学の部 2位
三浦 悠輝（慶應義塾大学）

Technological Innovations: An Investment in Education

 For the past couple of decades, technological innovations have not only granted us more convenient lifestyles but also smarter ones. We use emails for daily communication, instead of handwritten letters; we listen to music on portable music players instead of CDs; and we read the newspaper with tablets instead of actual paper. When we reflect on our daily lives like this, we come to realize just how much of a vital and irreplaceable role technology plays in our everyday lives now. Of course, we all recognize the importance of technology in many different situations; but for me personally, I felt it tremendously through my education.
 Before becoming a university student in April, I went through what many 12th graders go through in Japan, juken- studying relentlessly for the university entrance exams. For many students, a year long of studying for more than 10 hours a day is nothing but a pain in the neck. I could barely stand sitting in front of my own desk with uninteresting textbooks that only made me want to sleep. Just thinking about the long journey that was awaiting me made me want to run away from reality. I can still think back to the way that I was last April, when I kept thinking to myself that I was never going pull this off.
 However, things did not play out the way I expected. With the help of advanced technologies, I was able to plan out an efficient way to make progress with my studies. I took online classes, where I would watch videos of charismatic cram school teachers. This system enabled me to take high quality classes anywhere and anytime I wanted to. I also made flip cards using an app on my smartphone, and I was able to use the time riding the train to and from school effectively-memorizing world history facts, without having to haul a thick textbook with me. Plus, in my free time, I could listen to English podcasts that I had downloaded on my electronic tablet beforehand, which could help enhance my listening skills. I even recorded all my study hours and stored all my scores from past mock tests into one digital file, in order to motivate myself to study harder. From these experiences, I am able to say that technology played a tremendously significant part in my juken life, and helped produce satisfying results.
 Even after entering university, technology is everywhere in every classroom; students take notes on personal computers, and professors give lectures using power point presentations. Technological innovations completely changed the form of education today. I can't even recall the last time I saw someone using a paper dictionary. Who would have thought forty years ago, that students would be studying with electronic smart boards using electronic pens, instead of writing with chalk on blackboards? Who would have thought that we'd be taking tests in front of a computer screen, instead of writing on a sheet of paper?
 I remember learning in a Japanese history class that back in the Edo period, kids had to walk a long distance to get to what was called a "teragoya"－a small facility where they could learn how to read and write. But with the invention of smartphones and computers, kids today can learn how to read and write without even having to step outside their homes. What's more, they don't even need teachers to correctly understand the system of the alphabet, or how to add and subtract in mathematics. Education has indeed become something that more and more people in the world have gained access to.
 Now, disparity in education has been a major worldwide problem for as long as we can remember. Kids coming from poor family backgrounds in developing countries can't afford to go to school- they have no choice but to work in order to support their desperate families. In areas like sub-Saharan Africa, educational infrastructure is extremely poor, creating an environment where kids of all ages can't get an education. The lack of teachers and textbooks are the main reasons for the improper educational system, but with technological innovations comes an opportunity to close the educational gap. We can provide electronic tablets, such as iPads, to every student in these areas, which can allow them to learn various things through unlimited numbers of academic applications. Whether it's learning a new language or keeping in touch with the latest world news, just one touch can allow them to access anything they want. Millions and millions of dollars are being donated every year to support education in developing countries, but we have no clue how the money is being used, or whether it's helping at all. Then, my proposal is, why don't we use the money to buy electronic devices that will no doubt have an impact on the children's lives?
 Why do I think this would be helpful? Back in high school, I took part in an organization called Youth Community, an NPO that aims to educate students from poor earning families. I taught under privileged kids through computing software, which allows them to learn math, science and social studies. This meant that these kids could easily access proper education without the help of trained teachers or an academic textbook. From this experience, I learned that introducing advanced technology in the academic field is certainly a step in the right direction.
 Over the next century, technology will inevitably continue to develop. There is an infinite possibility to what technology might bring to education. Nelson Mandela once uttered these immortal words: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can choose to change the world.” As human beings, we all have the right to learn. Technological innovations have succeeded in doing just that and I expect that it will continue to do so.