Dennis Baron discusses the stages of the development of communication and technology. He also discusses the development and evolution of production with literacy technologies and its effects on modern society. Baron describes in the article his ideas about the stages of literacy technologies and how they apply to every new product. The first stage is the invention of the new technology, and then comes the accessibility, function and authenticity. The three types of technology that Baron applies these ideas to are the telephone, computer, and pencil. The first example Baron uses to display the stages of new literacy technology is the telephone. Baron states, “The introduction of the telephone shows us once again how the pattern of communications technology takes shape…. “(Baron 36). At first, the telephone was impractical and not many people thought there was much use for it. According to Baron, “Once telephones became more established they started to replace other technologies such as the telegraph” (Baron 37). Baron writes about how the telephone has become one of the main ways information is passed around. It starts to become more familiar to people, which allows it to evolve into new uses and forms. …show more content…
The development of the pencil is not all that different from the development of the computer because of the way it was produced and the way it evolved through time. When the pencil was first introduced it was very expensive because they were hand carved one by one for the use of artists. Now that they have become more popular you can buy one for three pennies due to the development of mass production. Baron explains, “One pencil historian has estimated that a pencil made at home in 1950 by a hobbyist or eccentric would have cost about $50” (Baron
Communication in History: Technology. Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, D.J., and P. Heyer. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson, 2010.
In the essay from Pencils to Pixels, Dennis Baron details the world’s journey from the use and making of the pencil to the computer. Barron states that the pencil wasn’t originally intended to be used as a writing device. There’s a bit of information you probably hadn’t heard before. Yes, pencils were actually adopted as a tool by “note takers.. ..scientists...and others who need to write”. They were taken from artists and adapted it for use as a writing tool ( Dennis Barron 44).
Turckle notes the change in the culture of literacy, “when I first began studying the computer culture, a small breed of highly trained technologists thought of themselves as ‘computer people.’ That is no longer the case” (606). Computer technologies and resources have become a normal part of everyday life. The availability of millions of sources and endless information has enabled a growth in knowledge and an enhancement of literacy. Turckle helps summarize the impact of technology by saying, “Today, starting in elementary school, students use e-mail, word processing computer simulations, virtual communities, and PowerPoint software. In the process, they are absorbing more than the content of what appears on their screens. They are learning new ways to think about what it means to know and understand” (601-602). This new way of thinking and the capability to use the internet enables students to be more proficient at gathering information. No longer does a person need to wait to borrow the book, drive to the library, find a bookstore; any person, at any time, can search out and discover the information he or she needs from a variety of sources that previously would not have been
However, think about the evolution of literacy and the different ways in which children and people learn and retrieve information; this definition could also include interaction with the digital text. There is a wide range as to what counts as literacy such as blogging, social networking, emailing, digital storytelling, online chats and even shopping online just to name a few. Not everyone will agree with what counts as literacy, but if students are not enlightened on the many aspects of what could make them valuable assets in the future; that would be negligent. In Rich’s article digital literacy is being discussed which is the topic this response will focus on. Learning is not restricted only to the classroom. Just like books, the Internet can take you places, on advantages without having to leave home. Digital literacy can be beneficial with the proper guidance of teachers, educators and
When it comes to the definition of technology in their articles, both Carr and Cascio have similarities and differences. Both authors are debating about the use of technology in today’s society. Both of their articles touch base on the ideals of “what technology is” in their perspectives. Carr believes that technology is making us want the quick path to information or common knowledge and says the Internet is “a machine designed for the efficient and automated collection, transmission, and manipulation of information”. Cascio also believes th...
Where a student once had to travel to the local library or bookstore to find information, they can now find information almost instantly in their “smart” phone. In this technological age “we are raising our children in a multimedia environment. Before writing and books, information was carried in songs, dance, and storytelling. Today, the average person has a cornucopia of information readily available at home.” (Withrow 44). Anyone in possession of a computer, digital e-reader, laptop, or “smart” phone has an almost immediate access to any kind of information they are seeking. In today’s society, a two-year-old child knows how to operate a tablet or “smart” phone before they know how to read. It is this interest in technology that leads to a decline in reading as children age. Where once it would take hours to find information, there is now an almost immediate response to queries. Through the instant gratification technology provides, children begin to lose interest in reading. According to Michael, the disinterest in reading is “because reading takes time, and we have an instant gratification generation who can’t wait to read the book when they can just watch the movie” (Michael). Instead of spending days discovering a new world in a book, a child can instead spend a couple hours in front of a television and watch
What happened to the pen and paper quality of literacy? Traditional elements such as the pen and paper method has been changed due to the advancement of technology the quality of learning has been digitized to fit this day and age. “Just as the nature of and expectation for literacy has changed in the past century and a half, so has the nature of writing. Much of that change has been due to technological developments from pen and paper, to typewriter, to word processor to network computer, to design software capable of com...
The most important thing when interacting with other human beings is being able to communicate one another. People’s first mechanical way of communicating was with the invention of the telegraph, which was at first run by gas. It wasn’t until 1836, when Samuel F.B Morse, Alfred Vail, and Joseph Henry invented Morse code that our civilization had would be able to electronically communicate. Soon after, the first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell which allowed people to vocally converse electronically from miles away. The invention of the telephone was then modified and eventually converted into a mobile cellular phone by Martin Cooper in...
Around the years 2001 to 2004, more text capable cellular telephones became available to the general public. When these types of cellular telephones became available, the text messaging phenomenon began. More and more people decided that text based communication was the most efficient way to communicate. Due to this phenomenon, educators are becoming more aware of the effects of text based communication on the developmental learning of literacy. Text messaging is dumbing down literacy for future generations. The newer generations have not had the privilege of experiencing a society that is not wrapped up in text based communication, such as instant messaging, chatting, and text messaging.
The proponents of technology have always believed that technology is a product of independent creation and thus follows its own pace. They say that technology is forceful and society does not have a choice but to adapt to the changes that it imposes on the people. The members of any particular society may not be actually happy with the change but eventually they learn to accept it, as a result of which the process of change comes a full circle. This idea however is debatable because many critics point out that technology is in fact a planned phenomenon. Not only this but also they point out that there are certain forces that control and introduce technology into the society and that the expected changes from such an introduction is said to be a deliberate attempt at transforming the society. Marshall McLuhan wrote extensively about this subject in his book The Gutenberg Galaxy. The book is basically about the changes that were imposed in the European society as a result of the creation of the printing press in the fifteenth century. It was this printing press that was responsible for a number of changes in the society, which include the social, political and economic forces that were present at the time. The printing press was primarily responsible for the Protestant Reformation because a large number of bibles were available for everyone to read which meant, “Every man can be a priest.” The following essay will thus attempt to discuss McLuhan’s ideas in the light of the phenomenon of technology and discuss whether it is relevant to the current revolution in electronic publishing. The initial Gutenberg revolution discussed by McLuhan is just an introduction of other things to come. He is more interested in finding out about the...
It is difficult to escape the influence of technology on modern life. It lurks behind every door: the classroom, home, office, and store. There are many who are resistant to new technology, saying that technology causes harm to society. These claims are often made without the realization that technology also includes important and indispensable parts in their life such as writing and the tools for writing. Writing was one of the first technologies invented. Technology has now become so entrenched in the majority of cultures around the world that it is hard to imagine a life or society without writing. For those that maintain a majority of technology beyond writing is harmful, imagine the difficulty in writing without the help of other technologies, which includes pencils, paper, computers, printing presses, and a number of other technological aids.
The world around us is constantly changing and technology has a lot of impact on the rapid changes. This is one of the reasons why it is hard to give a specific definition of the word literacy. Literacy can be broken down into two main subcategories: literate and illiterate. One of the main discussions with this is what qualifications or qualities separate someone who is literate from someone who is illiterate. Historians have been researching literacy for the past five decades and have been trying to come up with a fixed definition of the word. To me, literacy is a very complex word as the definition has evolved over time, but in the end it is how one excels in their discourse(s), which have changed throughout the years and helped create their
The standard 21 year old adults have exchanged 250 thousand emails, spent 5 thousand hours video gaming and 10 thousand hours using their mobile devices (Lei, 2009). When people hear the word technology, they think of microwaves, televisions, cars, NASA, different types and transportation and more. For all that, technology has occurred long ahead these discoveries. Technology is an arguable matter amongst people. .In the old days, people lived an extremely simple life without technology. They used candles to light their houses and lanterns at the dark to travel, they used fire to cook and used newspapers and mail to share news. On the other hand, technology has seized an important place in our society. People are living in a stage of progressive technology. They are using all natural reserves applicable for making their lives better and easier. The society cannot picture life without electricity since it allows them to live through their everyday life. This paper argues that technology positively impacts people’s lives.
This age is dedicated to more of learning age. It is said that even the teachers are the learner. This is the age of knowledge gradually shifted towards the age of communication. Thought and ideas are playing a crucial role in the present 21st century. The period when the denial and ignorance was the answer to the learner’s inquisitiveness has no solution. The answer to these questions is the technology which has solved problem to very much extend. People call such kind of change where teachers are supported with the technological tools to prove their worth. It does not say that previous centuries teachers were not efficient or they do not have that kind of knowledge. In the present time, the knowledge has got the support of the technology to explore. The learners are satisfying their requirements to the larger extend. The technological tool such as internet has shown great difference. The use of videos and photographs, 3D picture support, animations and documentaries and use of computers especially has changed the whole scenario. The most advanced version we have seen are the mobiles and the various applications which are loaded in mobile has taken the world in strong fist. The laptops are converting into the interactive machines which are loaded with n number of facilitation.
What is the technology? We can define the technology as an independent note applies its origins and its theories, and seeks to provide knowledge to people. In this era technology is very important, because all our lives depending on it and we cannot imagine a day without using any kind of technology. Phones, laptops, Televisions, cars or video games are the most kind of technology people use it nowadays. Although the technology has a powerful factor in building and developing a community, also it has a negative effect among the youth and teenagers. So in my essay I will discuss the two sides of technology and explain the reasons of why it’s useful and why it’s not.