Thoughts on Module 1

Or ... climbing up the learning curve.

Some of the tasks and concepts have been very easy for me and others quite frustrating. Perhaps this makes it easy to empathise with those who used and developed previous systems. I am thankful to them for their efforts and relate this back to concept #27 the persistence of history– by relating where we have come from we can see future possibilities and that by understanding older technologies can help to develop new technologies.

Concurrently, I am also learning to blog (with varying rates ofsuccess). Scanning our NET11 discussions reassures me that I am not alone here.

With current technology and the emphasis of usability, more people are able to perform more tasks more effectively…barriers to success are lowered - especially now that access the internet and information is so (relatively) easy compared with the last decades of the 20th century which is where much of the technology explored in Module 1 originated.

Will this development of technology be exponential as Gen Y (and beyond) who have grown up with computers, mobile phones and other communications technology as common place in their lives explore and develop ways of communicating? Or - if we explore the paradox of the World Wide Web in Concept # 28 where individuals are empowered but also demands that users cope with increasing complexity (Exon, M. 1998) - will this complexity fail to be managed by these generations because of their familiarity and ease of accessing internet which is second nature?

‘Supercomplexity’ (where the frameworks of how we understand the world are multiplying and in conflict... the multiplication of these frameworks is termed supercomplexity) (Barnett, R. 2000) is an increasing aspect of a 21st century life, even outside of the internet.

How will we interact even in 5 years from now?

Lessons from the past can help us with the future. Technological developments parallel the ability of people to express themselves (or created selves eg in MUDs (multi user domains), other personalities or their Second lives and this will affect a culture’s perceptions of the self.”...culture of simulation is affecting our ideas about mind, body, self, machine”. (Turkel, S. 1995).

As technology develops and becomes more entrenched in our developed, first world lives (and also more introduced into developing countries),how will this affect our perceptions of our selves as humans and our abilities to interact with each other and machines?

References
Barnett, R.(2000). Realizing the University in an Age of Supercomplexity. A supercomplex world (p 6-7). Philadelphia:SRHE and Open University.

Exon, M (1998) cited in Concept# 28 from Internet Communications
Concepts Document, Curtin University.

Turkle, S. (1995) In Introduction: Identity in the information age, Life on the Screen (p10). New York: Simon and Schuster.