Tuesday 5 November 2013

Societies and Technology

Society and technologies have affected one to another. If we compare the way we use technologies in the past and in everyday life, we can see the big differences. There are increasing number of improvements happen. For example, in the past we used a telephone to call someone who does not live in the same house as us. Then the technology of telephone developed. We had a mobile phone so that we still can make a call to our friends or relatives or anyone while we are not at home. The technologies did not stop there. We combined the mobile phone with a radio so that we can use the mobile phone not only to make a call but also to listen to the radio. The technology still did nt sto there. We started to combine the mobile phone, a radio and a camera. This time, we could use the mobile phone for making a call, listen to the radio, and to take a picture. Then, we started to add the internet technology onto the mobile phone so that we can also surf on the web.

I believe that the development of technologies will keep on moving forward as we need the technologies to develop. By saying that, I believe that technologies are developed because there is a need in the society. We had a telephone because there is a need to make a contact with someone who does not live in the same house as us. A mobile phone is created because there is a need to use the phone in a mobile way. We combined a mobile phone with a radio because there is a need to listen to the radio in addition to make a call in our mobility. There is a camera integrated onto the mobile phone because there is a need to use those two tools in our mobile life. We added internet onto the mobile phone because there is a need to get information in our mobile life.

Dr. David Thornburg (2004), on one of the media segment, reflected on characteristics and examples of technologies in Alvin Toffler’s three waves. The three waves are the agricultural era, the industrial era, and the information era. He also mentioned about the possibility of the fourth wave. It is the communication era. In the agricultural era, time is considered as seasons. In the industrial era, time is very important because there is a need to be on time when we create things. In the information era, we use technology to minimize the time consumed in creating a product. Dr. David Thornburg (200) believes that in the communication era, the technologies are used so that there is a collaboration between the parties. This technology development affects the teaching and learning process. With the developed technologies, we can use them as tools to collaborate in the teaching and learning process. The teaching and learning process is not limited only at the classroom. It opens the door to a new communication era where people can share ideas and participate without having to be at the place (a school or a classroom) physically.

Technology has changed the society. Everything which was hard to do  are becoming more simple to do. Communication becoming easier and faster. On the other hand, I still believe that human still need to have a face to face interaction. Therefore, I am still wondering on the effect of technology on the human interaction. What will happen next? We can only wait because the answer means that there is a need for the technologies to develop more. 
    

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Thornburg, D.). (2010). The Emergence of Educational Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author. 


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