Difference between revisions of "325--2011--Week 1 Questions/Comments"
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I enjoyed reading the Pursell introduction, and like Matt I also thought about the iPad and the assumption that it will be the "end of the textbook." Personally, I don't think it will be the end of the textbook. It is like Matt said, a textbook doesn't need recharging... whereas an iPad will. That is not to say the iPad won't have an influence in how we learn, because I think it will. Most likely though it will be through something that isn't defined yet. Which brings me to the point that really struck me in this reading. Quite early on (page 2) Pursell brings up a couple of assumptions about technology and promptly debunks them. The one that struck me the most was the second one, where we assume the only change that will take place is the replacement of the old with the new. In this case the old being books, and the new being the iPad. Personally, I don't think the iPad will be the culmination of technology.(I keep holding out for the [http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-04/memory-hacker Brain Chips] to hit the market, which will actually create and solve more problems) As society grows and changes and faces new problems, the technology will follow. As it has done, for mankind. We create what we need. From something as simple as fire, to something as complex as the iPad. -Jenn | I enjoyed reading the Pursell introduction, and like Matt I also thought about the iPad and the assumption that it will be the "end of the textbook." Personally, I don't think it will be the end of the textbook. It is like Matt said, a textbook doesn't need recharging... whereas an iPad will. That is not to say the iPad won't have an influence in how we learn, because I think it will. Most likely though it will be through something that isn't defined yet. Which brings me to the point that really struck me in this reading. Quite early on (page 2) Pursell brings up a couple of assumptions about technology and promptly debunks them. The one that struck me the most was the second one, where we assume the only change that will take place is the replacement of the old with the new. In this case the old being books, and the new being the iPad. Personally, I don't think the iPad will be the culmination of technology.(I keep holding out for the [http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-04/memory-hacker Brain Chips] to hit the market, which will actually create and solve more problems) As society grows and changes and faces new problems, the technology will follow. As it has done, for mankind. We create what we need. From something as simple as fire, to something as complex as the iPad. -Jenn | ||
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| + | Pursell claims, “It is not uncommon for the same events to be ‘good’ for some people and ‘bad’ for others at the same time” (8). He also mentions the development of the atomic bomb. It is a great advancement in science and technology, yet it is not necessarily always a good advancement. The United States used it in World War II as a means to catalyze the end of war; so it was beneficial to the Americans. However, the effects of the bomb on the victims were deadly and more than anyone could have predicted. It is a powerful weapon and if the wrong people use it (e.g. terrorists), there could be horrific consequences, e.g. nuclear war between countries. This is where the cultural side to technology plays a role. A society can choose whether or not to use certain forms of technology. The existence of a specific technology does not always require utilization.-Samantha W. | ||
