Technopoly post1

The book Technopoly starts off with a short summary of the history of technology. The book tells that every time a new medium is created, the old ones are forgotten An example of this would be the printing press being changed when television was invented. Since television is so important in American culture, there is a theory that in fifty years reading and writing might not be the main focus in school teaching. The problem of technology affecting learning is not a new problem. This has been around since the time of Plato. Formal learning was greatly developed when the printing press was invented. Technology is both a good and bad thing. It is good because it can enhance learning. Examples of this would be the invention of the printing press, calculators, and personal computers. Some cases where technology becomes a problem to education is the dominance of television and the internet. Technopoly gives the example that people’s attention spans are getting shorter with each new technology medium being invented. It also gives the theory that in the future maybe education will change so much, that children who struggle now will be the gifted ones in the future. With every new development, new approaches to teaching must be made.

    Another point Technology makes is the comp arson between Technology cultures and tool using Cultures. I don not understand how they are different, since the examples the book gives is the error before electronic. Since Egypt was able to construct tall pyramids in ancient times, this should be considered technological. Just because there is an absence of microchips, wires and switches, does not mean it is not technology. An interesting point brought up in chapter two is how inventions can change more than one asp3ect of a society. The clock of a church was invented to signal masses and prayer use. However, the government took this signal of time keeping and used it to their advantage. The introduction of matchsticks in Africa changed that culture.

    In an African village, a person would have to go to their neighbor, for tinder in order to start a fire. Once matchsticks, this custom was changed. Do to the custom of lighting a fire after being intimate, the old practice made it hard for a person to cheat on their spouse. After Matchsticks were introduced, people could be more secretive. The matchsticks also probably detached people from their neighbors, and made them more isolated. Since there was one less reason to communicate, people would not have to come in tact if they did not want to. This is a negative aspect of Technology. It detaches a society and makes the members more focused on them selves.