Describe what fulfills your lives today without referring to what technology does?

Recent critics have suggested that you cannot do so without some references to the tools you use, or the technology on which you depend.

Interviews | Defining terms | Organizing concepts | Homework questions | Assessing technology | Culture | Exercise on the authors | Laws of technology | Conclusions | Do later

When you interview people do make sure you ask the following substantive questions after you answer these yourself.

• Who are you without the tools you have learned to use?
• What techniques do you rely on to make the tools you use work?
• What five tools or devices do you use most often?
• What was your earliest memory of using tools or technology?
• Can you "multi-task?"
• How many hours per week do you spend doing the following:
  1. using a computer -- _____________________.
  2. using a cell phone -- _____________________.
  3. reading books or long magazine articles -- _____________________.
  4. watching TV -- _____________________.
  5. exercising -- _____________________.
  6. driving -- _____________________.
  7. Other _____________ .

The Office of Technology Assessment or OTA (1972-1995).

During its 23-year history, OTA provided Congressional members and committees with objective and authoritative analysis of the complex scientific and technical issues of the late 20th century.

The OTA was a leader in practicing and encouraging delivery of public services in innovative and inexpensive ways, including distribution of government documents through electronic publishing. This site honors that legacy by making available in electronic form the complete collection of OTA publications along with additional materials that illuminate the history and impact of the agency.

The way we use tools and therefore technology as the study of tool-use has had both a physical and psychic or psychological impact on the beliefs, ideas and experiences that are part of western Euro-American and Japanese societies, but especially our shared material culture.

Clarify

1. Define technology in your own words with an example:

1.1 How is this part of a set of related tools?

1.2 Describe the ways that these devices work together:

1.3 What sort of impact do these tools have on you and others?

economic cycles

Interviews | Defining terms | Organizing concepts | Homework questions | Assessing technology | Culture | Exercise on the authors | Laws of technology | Conclusions | Do later

2. With examples from all the authors build an essay that suggests technology is complex because of the way it works with or against cultural assumptions and social organization (both small scale and institutionally larger scales).

Pursell

Postman

Pacey

Head

Tenner

Eberhart

Snow

Kaku

Pacey on meaning:

Kranzberg's laws.

Interviews | Defining terms | Organizing concepts | Homework questions | Assessing technology | Culture | Exercise on the authors | Laws of technology | Conclusions | Do later

Thinking about the cultural impacts of technology

With examples can you give to describe culture: ?

A. List the institutions that have taught you about your culture:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

B. List the sources of influence: examples of institutions in C. P. Snow's, Two Cultures:

A.

B.

C.

Turn in the Chapter Number, pages & brief summary of the Snow selection. Organize by the following: Who, what, when, and how.

C. List those Sources of influence: suggested impacts on your lives and our experiences.

Interviews | Defining terms | Organizing concepts | Homework questions | Assessing technology | Culture | Exercise on the authors | Laws of technology | Conclusions | Do later

Homework select a portion of any book we have assigned to compare with C. P. Snow:

1. Read the passage aloud.
2. What does the passage mean?
3. Restate the important part of the passage in your own words:
4. Create a question to interview the class and post this to the Blackboard™ discussion board.

 

 

Conclusion:

technology has had both a physical and psychic or psychological impact on the beliefs

Interviews | Defining terms | Organizing concepts | Homework questions | Assessing technology | Culture | Exercise on the authors | Laws of technology | Conclusions | Do later

Later in the class, take out the homework and compare that idea you described with C. P. Snow's, Two Cultures and be prepared to read it out load for the class.

Contrast with any of the notes you find on this page DeLillo’s White Noise and determine who in the people you interviewed or read about is the technophile and technophobe.

Give examples in Delillo of passages from the web page, or from finding his book in Google books that convey the character of American culture:

In your own life think about the influences people and institutions have had on you personally. Can you describe them in 140 characters or less?

Can you think if they relied on technology in some way that influenced you?

How whould you describe the tchnology that most influences your character?

Interviews | Defining terms | Organizing concepts | Homework questions | Assessing technology | Culture | Exercise on the authors | Laws of technology | Conclusions | Do later