Blog Question #7:
Do you agree with Feenberg that technologies can be seen as incorporating or ‘embodying’ values and commands? Use examples to explain your thinking on this subject!
I quite agree with Feenberg that technologies can be seen as incorporating or ‘embodying’ values and commands. One should not forget that technology is a system that understands and execute commands that are entered interactively by human beings, and, that values are beliefs of a person or social groups in which they have an emotional investment either for or against something – in this case technology! That being said, Feenberg said that when we look on successful technological designs, the ‘fit’ that is finally achieved is the product of process of social negotiation in which technological designs come to embody social values. For examples, social values involves efficient energy supply, good educational programs, environmental friendly design buildings and vehicles will be seen as representing technological progress. Looking back, one will actually agree that the success so far achieved in technology is as a result of incorporating social process – a process that involves the formation of groups of persons, a profess that absorbs cultural groups into harmony with another; a process whereby societies achieve an advanced stage of development and organization; a process whereby human involvement in technology make people to engage in an activity for pay or as a means of livelihood. Technologies enable cities to grow and become urban. This is social process. Through technologies, government disseminates information to its citizens to make them believe that they are trying to avoid hostilities (social process). Through technologies, governments try to neutralize other weak nations’ power politically, economically, and by social influence.
In view of the above, there is no doubt in my mind that technology can be seen as incorporating or embodying values and commands with its subtle involvement of social groups or social public interests in technologies, even when it appears to be doing it covertly by the technical ‘experts’.
Questions #8:
Feenberg argues that democracy can transform technology. How would you like to see technology transformed in the future? (or if you think technology is best left alone, explain why?
It is absolutely right to say that democracy can transform technology. Therefore technology should not be left alone in the hands of the determinists. The public or interest groups should be involved in the planning and development of technology to ensure a better transformation. Democracy by the way means individual participation in the decisions that affect one’s life. Democracy is an opportunity for individual self-development and involvement, which will develops character, self-reliance, intelligence,
moral judgment, and integrity. This will be achieved by encouraging each individual to contribute to the creation of public policy and by resolving conflicts over public policy. The interest or social groups should know what is going on in their society; how does it affect them, what are the benefits, what are the envisioned problems and possible solutions. Let there be unity of purpose. If the public, the interest groups, social groups are involved in technological development, technology will be transformed.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
'Polypotency' of technology and Technology as a 'form of life'
Question #5:
Think of your own example to illustrate what Sclove calls the 'polypotency' of technology. How, if at all, does your example help us to understand technology as a form of 'social structure'?
Sclove regarded technologies as 'polypotency' because of the fact that all technologies are associated with manifold latent social effects and meanings, and that it is in virtue of these that technologies come to function as social structure; that is technologies are potent or useful in many ways.
My own example to illustrative what Sclove calls the 'polypotency' of technology is"cutlass". Cutlass is a technological instrument which is primarily intended to cut grasses in the farm, but beyond this, cutlass is used for other various purposes - cut down trees, dig holes and carve wood etc. Like hammer, which Sclove used as an example of 'polypotency', technological cutlass equally possess the same qualities and attributes.
When a man uses cutlass for anything, he learns about the texture and structural properties of materials, he also exercises and develops his muscle, improve his hand eye coordination, generates noise. As he uses the cutlass and sharpens it from time to time, he stresses and wears the cutlass out. He equally acquire competence, confidence and approval as he uses it constantly. A he looks at the filed or the items he uses the cutlass for, he thinks cutlass as a symbol of self reliance. He is reminded of a goldmine that extracted the iron which was eventually refashioned by a Goldsmith. He thinks about somebody who chopped down a tree to make the handle of the cutlass.
The cutlass's immediate social and context of use varies, the man can work alone or works with others as a project. He may not earn a wage as well for using it in his farm, he may not choose his task. This man also see cutlass in different ways, it help reveal the world to him differently. His style of using his cutlass to weed or cut grasses reveal to others about his character, competence, and mood. Social conditions of the use of cutlass has some limitations. Cutlass also have only one handle, not designed to allow the type of class collaboration as it use in computer network.
The material result of man activity include food items from the farm, scrap wood, pieces of wood for fire making, strengthen muscles, and some inhalation of dust from the earth, perspiration and food stuff which become inevitable to hum existence in the world. Therefore cutlass, like a hammer and all technologies are polypotent in their social functions, effects and meaning.
Question #6
I strongly agree with Langdon Winner that we can understand technology as a 'form of life' in which humans and inanimate objects are linked in various kinds of relationships. Winner stated that some people employ technologies as simple tools for specific instrumental purposes to gain some advantages over nature and gain various economic benefits, once these have been obtained other things may happen. This he referred to as secondary, tertiary or other distant consequences of our actions, that have impacts on our social, cultural, political and environments. These are after effects, which are often more significant than the primary intended result.
Without any doubts, the introduction of technologies has exceeded the instrumental advantages and economic benefits of their use. It has impacted or affected our social life, cultural life, political life and our environment.
In those days, only the Executive Directors in a company have an electric typewriters with a secretary attached to him, while typists are grouped together in the typing pool, using manual typewriters, serving other officers. This development changed from electric typewriter to computers, but today computer has become the order of the day. It has become part of our life. There is no household without a computer set. Same as color television, which has faced out the black and white televisions. The HDTV has taken over the scene. The introduction of cable TV has become part of our life, and without a cable box, one might not be able to view even the other basic TV stations. These have invariably affected our social, culture and political life, including our environment.
The introduction of navigator is another example of technological innovation that has come to become part of our life. Recently the Mayor of New York is compelling all the cab drivers in the state to install navigators in their cars! This will definitely have unintended consequences that will affect our social, cultural, political life as well as our environment. The fact is that a whole new kinds of society is being created by the introduction of these technologies, and the attendant multiplicity of relationship between people and between human and technology is being created, which will in the long run remain with us and become part of our life.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
'Women and the Assessment of Technology'
Question 3:
Do you agree with Gorlan Lee Bush's criticism of the 'tech-fix'? Can there ever be technological solutions to social problems, or is it always wrong to think that technology will eventually give us the answer. make sure you use examples to support what you say!
I strongly agree with Gorlan Lee Bush’s criticism of the ‘tech-fix’. Gorlan criticized the general belief that technology can be used to solve all types of problems, even social ones. She said instead of looking for long-term stable social, political and cultural solutions, we are looking for an easy way out by depending on the use of technology to solve all problems. She regarded ‘tech-fix’ as a counter productive because there are so many problems, which might be caused by political, social, cultural, and the environment we live in. She said the use of tech only make our life easier, but does not solve the underlying problems.
Gorlan cited the Guerrilla Gears as an example where the New York Times reports that Defense Department spent $38.3 million for tethered blimps equipment with digital camera to spy on guerrillas movement; $30 million for electronic jammers to disrupt their remote-controlled bombs and $70 million to develop and buy what the article called rapid-reaction/new solution technologies etc. Gorlan said these technologies are very important and useful, make the people more efficient in some respect, and make life easier for them. But the problems still remain, and that unless the underlying causes of these problems, which might be social, economy, political etc are taken care of, technology alone cannot solve the problems
She also cited the use of V-Chip to block access to TV programs from kids so that they don’t watch explicit and violent programs. She commended the use of these chips, but said the underlying cause of this problem might be unsupervised children by their parents as a result of other family pressing demands.
Another good example for supporting the criticism of Gorlan, as regard to ‘tech-fix’ is the use of various CCTV camera in use almost everywhere. Even though it helps in identifying and arresting intruders and offenders from time to time, the problem of rapes, house breaking and bank robberies still persist on daily basis. The use of technology alone could not solve the problems. The underlying social, economy and cultural problem is left unattended while we are looking for short time solution. These social problems are just being managed on the surface by the use of technology. While the use of technology is commendable, time-saving, increase efficiency, the belief that technology can be used to solve all problems should be de-emphasized, instead, like Gorlan said, a long-term, stable social, economy, cultural and political solutions to our problems should be formulated.
Do you agree with Gorlan Lee Bush's criticism of the 'tech-fix'? Can there ever be technological solutions to social problems, or is it always wrong to think that technology will eventually give us the answer. make sure you use examples to support what you say!
I strongly agree with Gorlan Lee Bush’s criticism of the ‘tech-fix’. Gorlan criticized the general belief that technology can be used to solve all types of problems, even social ones. She said instead of looking for long-term stable social, political and cultural solutions, we are looking for an easy way out by depending on the use of technology to solve all problems. She regarded ‘tech-fix’ as a counter productive because there are so many problems, which might be caused by political, social, cultural, and the environment we live in. She said the use of tech only make our life easier, but does not solve the underlying problems.
Gorlan cited the Guerrilla Gears as an example where the New York Times reports that Defense Department spent $38.3 million for tethered blimps equipment with digital camera to spy on guerrillas movement; $30 million for electronic jammers to disrupt their remote-controlled bombs and $70 million to develop and buy what the article called rapid-reaction/new solution technologies etc. Gorlan said these technologies are very important and useful, make the people more efficient in some respect, and make life easier for them. But the problems still remain, and that unless the underlying causes of these problems, which might be social, economy, political etc are taken care of, technology alone cannot solve the problems
She also cited the use of V-Chip to block access to TV programs from kids so that they don’t watch explicit and violent programs. She commended the use of these chips, but said the underlying cause of this problem might be unsupervised children by their parents as a result of other family pressing demands.
Another good example for supporting the criticism of Gorlan, as regard to ‘tech-fix’ is the use of various CCTV camera in use almost everywhere. Even though it helps in identifying and arresting intruders and offenders from time to time, the problem of rapes, house breaking and bank robberies still persist on daily basis. The use of technology alone could not solve the problems. The underlying social, economy and cultural problem is left unattended while we are looking for short time solution. These social problems are just being managed on the surface by the use of technology. While the use of technology is commendable, time-saving, increase efficiency, the belief that technology can be used to solve all problems should be de-emphasized, instead, like Gorlan said, a long-term, stable social, economy, cultural and political solutions to our problems should be formulated.
Question #4:
Do you think that, on the whole, technology helps or hinders the goal of gender equality? Or does it perhaps not make any difference? Explain your answer.
It is true, according to Anita Borg that “technology increasingly affects all dimensions, no matter where or how we live. Technology pervades the culture of the developed world, and technology has extra ordinary potentials for improving the human condition.” She said the creator of most of our current technology represents a narrow stratum of the world population- North American males, and that most of the world’s women do not have a voice in the design of technology solution and therefore does not represent their needs or those of their families and communist.
On the whole I think technology does not really helps or hinder the goals of gender equality. I think technology does not really make such a significant difference in terms of gender equality. I think, and I believe that gender equality is a social problem which should be tackled as such; hence Bush said it is wrong to think that equality will follow from technological changes alone, and that addressing social problems from a purely technological perspective will fail us to get to the root cause of those problems.
Technology has decreased hardships and sufferings while raising the standards of health, living and literacy throughout the industrial world, but not without problems, according to (Mesthene 1970. p.26) ‘technology is neither wholly good nor wholly bad. It has both positive and negative effects, and usually has the two at the same time and in virtue of each other.” Every innovation has both positive and negative consequences that pulse through the social fabric.
Gender equality has been an issue from Adam. So technology is also an equity issue because it has everything to do with who benefits and who suffers, whose opportunities increase and whose decrease, who creates and who accommodates. So Bush is saying that to understand the impact of a technology on women and society, we must understand the effects it has in a number of different contexts, amongst which are the design or developmental context; the use context; the environmental context; and the cultural context. She discussed the decisions, materials, personnel, processes and systems necessary to create tools and techniques from raw maters. The motivations, intentions, advantages and adjustments by the use of particular techniques or tools; the effects of a technology on its surroundings; and the norms, values, aspirations, laws, morals, ideas and interactions of the society of which the tool or technique is a part.
Like Bush says, a feminist unthinking of technology should strive for holistic understanding of the contexts in which it operates, and assessment of technology must recognize it as an equity issue, therefore the challenge is to ‘transform society in order to make technology equitable and to transform technology in order to make society equitable’
Do you think that, on the whole, technology helps or hinders the goal of gender equality? Or does it perhaps not make any difference? Explain your answer.
It is true, according to Anita Borg that “technology increasingly affects all dimensions, no matter where or how we live. Technology pervades the culture of the developed world, and technology has extra ordinary potentials for improving the human condition.” She said the creator of most of our current technology represents a narrow stratum of the world population- North American males, and that most of the world’s women do not have a voice in the design of technology solution and therefore does not represent their needs or those of their families and communist.
On the whole I think technology does not really helps or hinder the goals of gender equality. I think technology does not really make such a significant difference in terms of gender equality. I think, and I believe that gender equality is a social problem which should be tackled as such; hence Bush said it is wrong to think that equality will follow from technological changes alone, and that addressing social problems from a purely technological perspective will fail us to get to the root cause of those problems.
Technology has decreased hardships and sufferings while raising the standards of health, living and literacy throughout the industrial world, but not without problems, according to (Mesthene 1970. p.26) ‘technology is neither wholly good nor wholly bad. It has both positive and negative effects, and usually has the two at the same time and in virtue of each other.” Every innovation has both positive and negative consequences that pulse through the social fabric.
Gender equality has been an issue from Adam. So technology is also an equity issue because it has everything to do with who benefits and who suffers, whose opportunities increase and whose decrease, who creates and who accommodates. So Bush is saying that to understand the impact of a technology on women and society, we must understand the effects it has in a number of different contexts, amongst which are the design or developmental context; the use context; the environmental context; and the cultural context. She discussed the decisions, materials, personnel, processes and systems necessary to create tools and techniques from raw maters. The motivations, intentions, advantages and adjustments by the use of particular techniques or tools; the effects of a technology on its surroundings; and the norms, values, aspirations, laws, morals, ideas and interactions of the society of which the tool or technique is a part.
Like Bush says, a feminist unthinking of technology should strive for holistic understanding of the contexts in which it operates, and assessment of technology must recognize it as an equity issue, therefore the challenge is to ‘transform society in order to make technology equitable and to transform technology in order to make society equitable’
Friday, September 7, 2007
'The Automatic Professor Machine'
Question #1:
What do you think was the main point Langdon Winner was trying to get across with his video satire, ‘The Automatic Professor Machine’?
I think the main point Langdon Winner was trying to get across with his video satire, ‘The Automatic Professor Machine’ was one to expose some of the forces underlying the over dependent on the use of digital technology in our educational system today, and also to make caricature of the those who over relied on the system. He was actually attacking and ridiculing human folly by the introduction of his APM. He said Edu-Sham has recognized some of the vital forces that are shaping education today, amongst which are commodification, globalization, privatization, and digital transformation. In exploiting these forces, he is soliciting for potential customers and investors in Edu-Sham’s new mechanism for delivering education products online. To achieve this, Winner said his company stands to drain the bloat from the $6000 billion education industry; level its expensive infrastructures; raze its antiquated guild approach to pedagogy, and get rid of its high cost, low production personnel, including librarians and professors with high wages and cushy lifestyles. He said his APM will be flexible, user-friendly, low-cost that will be cheaper than most colleges, just in time pacing and that the APM is the face of education tomorrow, without saying anything about its limitations and possible problems. From this, I think he was really concerned and condemning the over-reliance on the use of computer technology and the gradual elimination of teacher-students interactive. He was actually making caricature of the whole system, especially the problems and unemployment the introduction of banking ATM has caused the world. I believed he was equally very concerned about the cost, antiquated guide approach, the low production personnel and its inflexibility of relying on the computer technology alone.
Question #2:
Technology is playing an increasing role in education today (let's face it: we wouldn't be having this class otherwise!). State what you take to be advantage and one disadvantage to using more technology like computers in education.
The rapid development of technology has now become an influential component of learning pedagogy in today's educational system. There are many advantages and disadvantages in the use of computers in our schools today. One of the advantages of computer is that it provides the learners more independence from classrooms and allowed the option to work on their learning materials at any time of the day. It allows full time workers the opportunity to study at home at their convenient time in the evening while still working full time. This will invariably give the student learning motivation and sense of achievement. This will also reduce the learning stresses and anxieties well as provide room for repeated lessons as often as necessary.
Despite the advantages, there are however many disadvantages and limitations as well. Apart from the cost of the computers and its attendant problems, one of the most pronounced dis advantage of using a computer in today's educational system is the inability of the computer to handle unexpected situations being faced by the students. The computer is unable to deal with the student's unexpected study problems and responses to the student's questions immediately as the teachers would do. This is because the computer technology are not yet intelligent enough to fully interact effectively with the students.
What do you think was the main point Langdon Winner was trying to get across with his video satire, ‘The Automatic Professor Machine’?
I think the main point Langdon Winner was trying to get across with his video satire, ‘The Automatic Professor Machine’ was one to expose some of the forces underlying the over dependent on the use of digital technology in our educational system today, and also to make caricature of the those who over relied on the system. He was actually attacking and ridiculing human folly by the introduction of his APM. He said Edu-Sham has recognized some of the vital forces that are shaping education today, amongst which are commodification, globalization, privatization, and digital transformation. In exploiting these forces, he is soliciting for potential customers and investors in Edu-Sham’s new mechanism for delivering education products online. To achieve this, Winner said his company stands to drain the bloat from the $6000 billion education industry; level its expensive infrastructures; raze its antiquated guild approach to pedagogy, and get rid of its high cost, low production personnel, including librarians and professors with high wages and cushy lifestyles. He said his APM will be flexible, user-friendly, low-cost that will be cheaper than most colleges, just in time pacing and that the APM is the face of education tomorrow, without saying anything about its limitations and possible problems. From this, I think he was really concerned and condemning the over-reliance on the use of computer technology and the gradual elimination of teacher-students interactive. He was actually making caricature of the whole system, especially the problems and unemployment the introduction of banking ATM has caused the world. I believed he was equally very concerned about the cost, antiquated guide approach, the low production personnel and its inflexibility of relying on the computer technology alone.
Question #2:
Technology is playing an increasing role in education today (let's face it: we wouldn't be having this class otherwise!). State what you take to be advantage and one disadvantage to using more technology like computers in education.
The rapid development of technology has now become an influential component of learning pedagogy in today's educational system. There are many advantages and disadvantages in the use of computers in our schools today. One of the advantages of computer is that it provides the learners more independence from classrooms and allowed the option to work on their learning materials at any time of the day. It allows full time workers the opportunity to study at home at their convenient time in the evening while still working full time. This will invariably give the student learning motivation and sense of achievement. This will also reduce the learning stresses and anxieties well as provide room for repeated lessons as often as necessary.
Despite the advantages, there are however many disadvantages and limitations as well. Apart from the cost of the computers and its attendant problems, one of the most pronounced dis advantage of using a computer in today's educational system is the inability of the computer to handle unexpected situations being faced by the students. The computer is unable to deal with the student's unexpected study problems and responses to the student's questions immediately as the teachers would do. This is because the computer technology are not yet intelligent enough to fully interact effectively with the students.
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