This past Friday I experienced my first online class in the online RPG "Second Life." It was interesting to say the least. The first thing I noticed was convenience. I woke up, rolled out of bed, turned on my PC and became immersed in a world of infinite possibilities. I flew into my class room after 'teleporting' from a virtual island. There is no way I could ever say that sentence in the real world without turning some heads.
The best part of my online class however was the manner in which it was conducted. Students sat in a circular fashion and answered questions from the professor in an open forum style. Everyone had a voice and no one was restricted by having to raise their hands. Discussion brought about new questions and interesting new ideas.
There were some downsides to this online adventure though. Our classroom was not private and any person could enter our discussion if they stumbled upon us. I believe there was an option to buy a private room, but that would not have been necessary for our purposes (It seems as if this virtual world cannot hide from the reaches of capitalism).
Overall, this classroom experiment went very well. Education is not limited to just brick and mortar anymore. Instead, we can rely on the powers of technology and the internet to connect ourselves and our minds. However, we must realize that the only way for this to happen properly is with some sort of 'code' to structure how we learn online. This is what Lawrence Lessig talks about and it is what we will continue to discover as time passes.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Work in the Information Age
In just a few decades, members of society have become increasingly connected with one another. From the advent of the printing press to the current Internet era, it has become increasingly harder for someone not to be connected. As Manuel Castells says, today's world is part of a new social structure-"the network society." The information technology revolution has changed so much of the way we are able to communicate and interact with one another. In fact, one area that has been greatly affected is the job market.
The so called "digital divide" is becoming larger and larger with ever computer chip created. Those from less affluent communities are being left out of the technology loop. For them, it is almost impossible to enter into a career where a basic understanding of technology is required. In Sarah Jane Tribble's article "The Social Network as a Career Safety Net" she speaks of workers utilizing social networking to create new job opportunities for themselves. Websites like Facebook and LinkedIn are now being used by workers and employers alike to find work and create new professional relationships. From a technical aspect this networking is wonderful, but from a social aspect those who do not have computer skills are being left out. Ironically, technology that is supposed to connect us is actually creating greater polarization. This networking also has other implications for workers.
Today's economy is seeing more and more of what Castells calls the "flexi-worker." The "flexi-worker" is someone who holds a job for a short amount of time then moves to another opportunity. Through networking, Companies are now increasingly seeking ways to outsource and downsize. This does not bode well for unskilled laborers.
Technology poses another question, this time for those who hold already hold jobs. Jonathan D. Glater looks at how privacy online is becoming a bigger dilema in the workplace in his article "A Company Computer and Questions About E-Mail Privacy." This piece looks at a particular case in which a man, Scott Sidell, was fired supposedly becuase of the content of emails he was sending from his private Yahoo email account at work. The controversy here is the legality of the company monitoring the private email account while Sidell was at work. Does a company have the right to do this if he is on a company computer? This is a question that will arise more and more in our "network society." Can a company use a Facebook or Myspace account to judge a potential job candidate? What sort of rights to personal technology does one have while at work? As we becoming increasingly connected with one another, we have to ask ourselves, at what point does digital life end?
The so called "digital divide" is becoming larger and larger with ever computer chip created. Those from less affluent communities are being left out of the technology loop. For them, it is almost impossible to enter into a career where a basic understanding of technology is required. In Sarah Jane Tribble's article "The Social Network as a Career Safety Net" she speaks of workers utilizing social networking to create new job opportunities for themselves. Websites like Facebook and LinkedIn are now being used by workers and employers alike to find work and create new professional relationships. From a technical aspect this networking is wonderful, but from a social aspect those who do not have computer skills are being left out. Ironically, technology that is supposed to connect us is actually creating greater polarization. This networking also has other implications for workers.
Today's economy is seeing more and more of what Castells calls the "flexi-worker." The "flexi-worker" is someone who holds a job for a short amount of time then moves to another opportunity. Through networking, Companies are now increasingly seeking ways to outsource and downsize. This does not bode well for unskilled laborers.
Technology poses another question, this time for those who hold already hold jobs. Jonathan D. Glater looks at how privacy online is becoming a bigger dilema in the workplace in his article "A Company Computer and Questions About E-Mail Privacy." This piece looks at a particular case in which a man, Scott Sidell, was fired supposedly becuase of the content of emails he was sending from his private Yahoo email account at work. The controversy here is the legality of the company monitoring the private email account while Sidell was at work. Does a company have the right to do this if he is on a company computer? This is a question that will arise more and more in our "network society." Can a company use a Facebook or Myspace account to judge a potential job candidate? What sort of rights to personal technology does one have while at work? As we becoming increasingly connected with one another, we have to ask ourselves, at what point does digital life end?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Electronic to Book Readings
I am taking 5 classes in my first semester this year at Muhlenberg. They are New Information Technology, Media and Society, Religions of Japan, Statistical Methods, and Financial Accounting.
Here's how my readings stack up in terms of electronic reading versus book reading...
New Information Technology:
1 Book
All other readings are done online.
Media and Society:
1 Book
21 Online Articles
Religions of Japan:
1 Textbook
1 Novel
Statistical Methods:
1 Textbook
Financial Accounting:
1 Textbook
Here's how my readings stack up in terms of electronic reading versus book reading...
New Information Technology:
1 Book
All other readings are done online.
Media and Society:
1 Book
21 Online Articles
Religions of Japan:
1 Textbook
1 Novel
Statistical Methods:
1 Textbook
Financial Accounting:
1 Textbook
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Technology: Our future enemy?
There is a band called The Flight of the Conchords which has a song named "Robots." The band states in their act that the song was made in order to tap "future music markets." Won't the robots need a song to celebrate to when all the humans are dead?
If you have not realized by now, The Flight of the Conchords are a comedic band. However, their seemingly harmless song actually has some possible truths to it. What if technology actually does take over our world? This is exactly what John Tierney looks at in his article "Technology That Outthinks Us: A Partner or a Master?" Tierney looks at the science fiction works of Dr. Vernor Vinge where the future is a place of constant technological bombardment and communication. Humans access knowlegde of others in an instant and communicate directly with computers. This is one of the "least unpleasent scenarios for the future" however. There is another possible outcome that could result in the destruction of the entire human race-the succes of artificial intellegence.
Hollywood has shown us what a future with super-intellegent machines can lead to. Movies like Terminator and The Matrix show a grim future where the human race is fighting for its existance against machines. It is a future that is not too far away if we do not learn how to collaborate with computers instead of using them for our every need. As Dr. Vinge says,"Imagine yourself confined to your house with only limited data access to the outside, to your masters. If those masters thought at a rate - say - one million times slower than you, there is little doubt that over a period of years (your time) you could come up with 'helpful advice' that would incidentally set you free." Wherever the future takes us, we must always rely on the ingenuity and spirit that sperates us from technology. Let us never forget that.
If you have not realized by now, The Flight of the Conchords are a comedic band. However, their seemingly harmless song actually has some possible truths to it. What if technology actually does take over our world? This is exactly what John Tierney looks at in his article "Technology That Outthinks Us: A Partner or a Master?" Tierney looks at the science fiction works of Dr. Vernor Vinge where the future is a place of constant technological bombardment and communication. Humans access knowlegde of others in an instant and communicate directly with computers. This is one of the "least unpleasent scenarios for the future" however. There is another possible outcome that could result in the destruction of the entire human race-the succes of artificial intellegence.
Hollywood has shown us what a future with super-intellegent machines can lead to. Movies like Terminator and The Matrix show a grim future where the human race is fighting for its existance against machines. It is a future that is not too far away if we do not learn how to collaborate with computers instead of using them for our every need. As Dr. Vinge says,"Imagine yourself confined to your house with only limited data access to the outside, to your masters. If those masters thought at a rate - say - one million times slower than you, there is little doubt that over a period of years (your time) you could come up with 'helpful advice' that would incidentally set you free." Wherever the future takes us, we must always rely on the ingenuity and spirit that sperates us from technology. Let us never forget that.
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