What concept or idea intrigued you most in this weeks' readings? How/does it impact your thinking about the questions and issues you wrote out for yourself last week?
The readings for this week explored the "Information Society" - whether or not it is an accurate label, and how we are, or should be, transitioning to this new society. Crawford explored the concept of the information society through an economic perspective, analyzing how the proportion of the GNP for R&D has changed over time. Her results did not convince me that we are actually in a new era, however, I know from my own observations and instincts that information (development and sharing) is an important element of life today. What really defines the information society for me is not changes in the GNP, instead I believe that how knowledge is created and shared has drastically changed since the early 1900s. Yet, I am not enough of a sociologist to know if we are in fact in a new society. I think there is a societal demand for information, consensus, and answers, and advances in ICTs have altered the nature, availability, and quality of information across geographies. This has drastically changed the way that some of us communicate, work, and learn. The reason why I wrote "some of us" is that this plethora of public information often does not reach individuals in some socioeconomic groups or cultural groups because of a lack of resources or by choice. Therefore, the information society may not impact everyone in the same way.
For example, I currently work part time as a software engineer. Everyday I speak with my co-workers, joke with my friends, meet with experienced engineers to get feedback, and run tests on really expensive servers - all from my living room. Now, this is all feasible because of advanced telecommunication technology and the progressive attitudes of my managers. Being able to work from home has certainly changed my lifestyle. I am now not tied to living in one place. The accessibility of information in my job has greatly impacted my lifestyle, but likely does not impact others nearly as much. Perhaps someday it will...
In the Handbook of New Media, Webster's discussion of "human capital" stuck out to me, because of it's applicability to k-12 education. He discusses the importance of skills developed in higher education, like communication skills, negotiation skills, the ability to impartially assess a situation, etc (p. 446). I think these skills can begin to develop in students prior to higher ed. In my last post, I questioned attitudes toward technology and media use in the classroom because I believe that often technology is used in classrooms as a form of mass media - one to many dissemination of information. There are some groups of education reformers that are looking to infuse the development of 21st century skills into k-12 education (see
Partnership for 21st century skills). I believe this is a move in the right direction, and perhaps since the ways we use technology as adults is driving the need to develop these skills earlier in life, then technology can be used in the same way to develop these skills in k-12.
The readings for this week also led me to reflect on one specific talk I heard this summer. I had the amazing opportunity to hear Steve Jubb, Elizabeth Lian, and Katrina Scott-George talk about a new education paradigm that focuses on "learner-centered networks" (you can learn more from their
podcast). Their vision for education is relevant to our discussion of the information society because it revolves around using information in new ways. My understanding of it is that students create their own learning experiences (via external vendors or traditional school experiences) based on their individual interests and build a network of support based on their educational needs. I wouldn't say that their approach depends on technology, but the technology would definitely make these new, individualized educational experiences possible by providing the means for networking (connecting individuals to share information).
If the accessibility of information today is advanced enough to drastically change social systems, then are we in a new social era? After reading the articles, I am still questioning what defines a new society?
