computerbook
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Web 2.0. . . The Machine is Us/ing Us
Reflections after viewing:
I like how this starts with the linear "paper and pencil" text to help illustrate how digital text is more flexible.
I also like how the explanation of code helps explain why digital text can do what it does.
"We are the Web" sounds like an interesting article to read.
I like the idea that the internet is not "more powerful" or "greater" than humans or human interaction, but that our use of it teaches the machine how to act!
I really like the list at the end of all the things that we'll have to rethink-- copyright, privacy, authorship, family . . . new literacies are challenging for us all!
Did you Know? 3.0
Some thoughts after watching the video:
The world is becoming a bigger place! 25% of India's highest IQs is greater than the population of the U.S.!
Careers are changing! The top 10 jobs in 2010 didn't exist in 2004!
We are social networkers! If MySpace were a country, it would be the 5th largest in the world!
We connect beyond typical face to face! The number of text messages sent and received DAILY exceeds the population of the planet!
Language is evolving! We have over 5x as many words as in Shakespeare's time (and think of words we've lost from his time!)
We have constant information! A week's worth of NY Times is more info than someone in the 18th cent. would read in a lifetime.
Information is changing! 1/2 of what a technical student learns in his first year is outdated by his third!
So what does all of this mean?
It means that change is inevitable, and it is happening! We cannot ignore the world and how it is run and what technology is a part of it. We cannot live in "what used to be" because it is quickly changing to something new. We are a more global community which means we are competing and cooperating on greater levels than ever before. We also need to be able to sift through information, critique it, and locate it, because there is so much of it that there is NO way we can memorize it all! We need to stay in touch with what is current and keep growing. Communication and Information are the new "power" that people are going to seek. We have an opportunity to share information with more people- personal or professional- than ever before.
What does it mean for you?
How the Web Was Won: An Oral History of the Internet
(Click on the title to read the article.)
The beginning of this article surprised me. It was curious to me that the beginnings of the web, no matter how infantile, started in the late 50s. It was almost just as startling to think that only 15 years ago, the internet was starting to be in the hands of ordinary people. It seems like things have changed so much that it should be longer than 15 years.
It seems mainly sad that like probably too many things, war and conflict started the idea of the internet. Being able to fire missles back if we were fired upon started an idea that would change how we communicate and interact, and even how we read and write.
It was interesting to read how there were not many sites online because of the complexity of connecting and adding this information. When I think of how blogs, Twitter, You Tube, and so many other programs make sharing and connecting easy-- most with the click of the "share" button, it is amazing that we've come so far along.
Bob Metcalfe talks about two things that I think technology gurus or futurists must relate to. The experience of having a system crash while you are presenting it to important people, (Haven't you been to a technology meeting when the server was down and you all watched the presenter's screen?) and the moment when AT&T's reps laughed at him. The fact that people couldn't see that this was going to be a large part of our future, in hindsight, seems like folly, but so many inventions have been treated in such a manner. It makes me wonder what things lie ahead for us.
This was my favorite quote of the article:" Steve Case: We always believed that people talking to each other was the killer app. And so whether it was instant messaging or chat rooms, which we launched in 1985, or message boards, it was always the community that was front and center. Everything else—commerce and entertainment and financial services—was secondary. We thought community trumped content." I like the idea that the purpose of the internet in the beginning was about connection and communication. A lot of things have spun off of it, but it was made to connect us. At our hearts, we are still storytellers who want to share stories.
The beginning of this article surprised me. It was curious to me that the beginnings of the web, no matter how infantile, started in the late 50s. It was almost just as startling to think that only 15 years ago, the internet was starting to be in the hands of ordinary people. It seems like things have changed so much that it should be longer than 15 years.
It seems mainly sad that like probably too many things, war and conflict started the idea of the internet. Being able to fire missles back if we were fired upon started an idea that would change how we communicate and interact, and even how we read and write.
It was interesting to read how there were not many sites online because of the complexity of connecting and adding this information. When I think of how blogs, Twitter, You Tube, and so many other programs make sharing and connecting easy-- most with the click of the "share" button, it is amazing that we've come so far along.
Bob Metcalfe talks about two things that I think technology gurus or futurists must relate to. The experience of having a system crash while you are presenting it to important people, (Haven't you been to a technology meeting when the server was down and you all watched the presenter's screen?) and the moment when AT&T's reps laughed at him. The fact that people couldn't see that this was going to be a large part of our future, in hindsight, seems like folly, but so many inventions have been treated in such a manner. It makes me wonder what things lie ahead for us.
This was my favorite quote of the article:" Steve Case: We always believed that people talking to each other was the killer app. And so whether it was instant messaging or chat rooms, which we launched in 1985, or message boards, it was always the community that was front and center. Everything else—commerce and entertainment and financial services—was secondary. We thought community trumped content." I like the idea that the purpose of the internet in the beginning was about connection and communication. A lot of things have spun off of it, but it was made to connect us. At our hearts, we are still storytellers who want to share stories.
It was also amusing that like most other technology or product stories, there was heavy competition between Microsoft and Netscape. This reminds me of the VHS and BETA debates, Blueray or HD DVD, Mac or PC, Coke or Pepsi. It seems like every good idea has some rival. In some cases, one dominates and drives the other out, but in other cases the competition helps the companies thrive and push to develop new ideas.
The Internet is the most important democratizing invention since the printing press, 500 years ago. This quote really stuck with me because I think that it is true. Notice that the comment was linked to "old" technology of the printing press. Being able to print books and make them available to people who weren't rich opened up doors for education and learning and sharing ideas. The internet now allows people that same freedom on a totally different level. The only issue that we have is whether people have access to the internet. It seems like those gaps are quickly closing.
This article was interesting not only from an historical overview point of view, but the fact that it demonstrates how quickly humans can take an idea and then see how it applies to their field. Musicians, Companies, Movies, and other people all saw that the internet would have an impact and changed what they did to accomodate that change. We have to see the change and do the same for education.
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