Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 14, No. 341.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
<http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/>
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/>
[1] From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi <tripathi@statistik.uni- (48)
dortmund.de>
Subject: Academe: Technology its Problems & Promises
[2] From: "Price, Dan" <dprice@tui.edu> (23)
Subject: Quotation from Chomsky and Comment
[3] From: Randall Pierce <rpierce@jsucc.jsu.edu> (14)
Subject: Noam Chomsky
--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 21:03:20 +0100
From: Arun-Kumar Tripathi <tripathi@statistik.uni-dortmund.de>
Subject: Academe: Technology its Problems & Promises
Dear Humanists,
In the September-October 1999 issue of Academe, Vol. 85 and No.5, *Education
Bytes: The Problems and Promises of Technology* -- The Editor of Academe:
Education Bytes, Prof. Ellen Schrecker mentioned in the Editorial note..
"My conversion to virtual education occurred last spring, when I walked
into my classroom and found my students arguing ferociously-about the
assigned reading. I had set up an electronic Listserv, posted a question
about World War I, and encouraged the students to discuss it online. Once
they got to class, the debate intensified. Whatever lingering doubts I had
about the educational benefits of technology, that afternoon's experience
mostly dispelled them".
Now, my point of views are that -- The new technologies raise serious
structural, pedagogical, and legal issues that, because of the speed at
which higher education is turning virtual, faculty members can no longer
ignore.
As..Wendy Maloney has written in her article "Brick and Mortar Campuses Go
Online" at <http://www.aaup.org/SO99Malo.htm> She wrote, "...Online
education programs are in their infancy at regular colleges and
universities. The nontraditional student they serve are satisfied and
despite about cheating and intellectual property, so are most professors
who teach online"..
Also, Prof. Feenberg has written about Technology can enhance the
curriculum..and profits over pedagogy in his article on "No Frills in the
Virtual Classroom" which can be available at
<http://www.aaup.org/SO99Feen.htm>
One can also find..the following article such as *The Distance Education*
--Utopianism pervades most thinking about online education. by Prof.
Philip Agre ..but the article of Prof. Agre can be found at
<http://dlis.gseis.ucla.edu/people/pagre/academe.html> and
on *Technology's Grand Challenges* --Revolution is in making..by Prof.
Stephen Ehrmann..one can read the draft of this article *Technology in
Higher Learning: A Third Revolution* at
<http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/dthirdrev.html> or *Grand Challenges
Raised by Technology: Will This Revolution Be a Good One?* at
<http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/grand_challenges_raised_by_techn.htm>
Technology will enhance the teaching and learning style -if properly used.
As Stephen Ehrmann and Andrew Feenberg explain in their article.
Technology may also change scholarly communications.
--now, some points to be given second thoughts--
Will technology make classrooms, libraries, and books obsolete? If
technology does revolutionize the university, how can we make sure that it
doesn't exacerbate the growing gap between higher education's haves and
have-nots?
Also, one can find the other papers with the printed version of the
Academe Journal..
Full reading at <http://www.aaup.org/acahome.htm>
Kind Regards
Arun Tripathi
--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 21:04:04 +0100
From: "Price, Dan" <dprice@tui.edu>
Subject: Quotation from Chomsky and Comment
Hello,
Just read the posting from Francois with the quotation from Chomsky, who is
quoted as saying:
I suspect that extending > that form of abstract and remote relationship,
instead of direct, personal
> contact, is going to have unpleasant effects on what people are like. I
will diminish their humanity. I think.
Personally I am confused here. No one that I know of is saying that ALL of
our communication has to be done by the Computer Mediated
Communication. Indeed, a surprising portion of our daily contact is still
with face to face situations-family, professional interchange, daily life
tasks. By contrast, I find that the availability of contact and
interchange with colleagues around the world in forums such as this is most
supportive, broadening and stimulating.
Seems like we need some perspective here.
Sincerely,
Dan Price, Ph.D.
Professor, Center for Distance Learning
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<http://www.tui.edu/Faculty/FacultyUndergrad/PriceDan.html>http://www.tui.edu/Faculty/FacultyUndergrad/PriceDan.html
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--[3]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 21:04:40 +0100
From: Randall Pierce <rpierce@jsucc.jsu.edu>
Subject: Noam Chomsky
Professor Chomsky's thoughts are well-taken. I have often been disturbed
by the societal isolation encouraged by electronic information
technology. I am not as alarmed as some psychologists who feel that the
internet could be the influence which causes our traditional societal
forms to disentegrate, but it can encourage those who do not feel that
they "fit in". It does, however, encourage those who find any sort of
human interaction threatening. They can feel safer communicating
electronically, whereas human contact would send them back into
isolation. I am acquainted with the disability community in some areas,
and I know that electronic information technology has been a boon for
many. Not only in education, where distance learning has made it
possible for so many home-bound to be part of our vital intellectual
community for the first time, but in terms of making a living. So many
without the ability to leave their can support themselves and
contribute so richly to the tapestry of emerging knowledge. Randall
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