Jumana's Journal

After completing both required readings the first thought that came into my mind was, how people can get so involved in these types of technological communities. I can’t say that I am very comfortable with the idea of cyberspace and the ability to assume a persona of our own creation. MUDs, which are worlds of imagination that allow us to assume these personas, are a new and intriguing idea to me. Although interesting I do question how healthy it is to get so caught up in these types of fantasies.

One of the most shocking parts of the reading was when Turkle (1995) stated that some individuals lose grips with reality. The fact that people go as far as challenging the idea of giving priority to reality or real life is frightening. These types of technological communities are JUST programs and will always be JUST programs, they should not have precedence over one’s REAL life.

Turkle speaks frequently about the social interaction that MUDs allow individuals to have. I would have to strongly disagree with this particular point. Although individuals are interacting, I would not go as far as saying that they are socially interacting. In my personal opinion for true social interaction individuals have to be face to face, person to person…NOT person to computer screen.

As a future educator I will definitely be incorporating computers into the classroom but I believe that there is a thin line that can be and often is crossed. When used appropriately technology is definitely an asset to education but when technology is abused it is not a benefit to anyone. I am a true constructivist and believe in hands on learning, which includes interacting with objects, one another and the environment. A computer and various programs do not meet all of those needs.

I have said this before in my journals, too much of something is not good. When an individual gets to a point where he/she is devoting all of his/her time and energy on a program like MUD, it’s a problem.

Everything in moderation!!!

Current Mood: awake

I would like to start off by saying that this reading was strenuous. To be quite honest I am having a difficult time coming up with things to write for this journal. For the most part I was extremely confused as to what this story was about. As I kept reading I began to understand what Isaac Asimov was trying to say.

I believe that the entire point of this reading is to question whether technology is positive or negative in terms of being helpful or destructive to us. I personally think and have always thought that technology is helpful and useful but at the same time I believe people are far too dependent on it. Without television, computers and so on, society is lost.
It is an extremely scary thought that we are being controlled and regulated through technology…robots. The Frankenstein complex that Asimov mentions in the story could very well become a reality. With all of the advances in technology it will not be long before this fear becomes an actuality.

Too much of a good thing only leads to something negative. People are always striving to achieve more and go beyond the limits…but how far is too far? Will this need to go further end in destruction? I believe that if we are not cautious with our technological developments we will be faced with tribulations.

Blog? Blogging? Blogosphere?

These are terms that I had never heard of before entering this class. At first I was definitely confused but as I read the weekly readings I began to understand what these terms meant. The readings not only explained what weblogs were but they also discussed both the pros and cons associated with using weblogs.

There are three key points that really stood out for me while I was reading.

The first is regarding the term authentic activities. As a future educator I strongly believe that activities should be authentic and that students should have ownership over their own tasks. Weblogs clearly foster this approach; the collaborative web publishing supports the idea of authenticity. Students not only produce original work but they also have the opportunity to get feedback and give feedback to their peers. I believe that this type of feedback is crucial to both a students’ educational and social development.

The second point that stood out was the issue of the teacher’s involvement. I fully agree with Alexander Halavais when he stresses the need for the teacher to be well educated with the system. If the teacher is unaware of how to use the system and does not have the enthusiasm for it, the students can not be expected to fully engage in the process. The teacher also has the responsibility of making the students aware of the dangers of weblogs. The very public manner of weblogs causes concern especially when younger students are involved. Extra care needs to be taken.

Finally, one of the most interesting points is that weblogs can be a very powerful cultural tool. In terms of the media we all know that it is clearly filled with misconceptions, by having weblogs people are able to articulate their views, opinions and for the majority of the time, the truth. Although, like the media we have to be cautious of what we read and absorb from peoples weblogs.

Needless to say, weblogs have become very interesting to me over the past couple of days. Although I am nervous about being able to use the system properly, I am also very excited about becoming a weblog expert.