Conflicting Discourses

Well, I am officially intrigued. The nature of society is of course to be divided on issues. That's healthy. So, obviously when you throw a topic like technology at people, it merits much conversation. I hear it on the radio all the time. Some new device comes out and people call in to give their opinion and immediately after, someone else will call in to oppose that opinion. People seem to be divided about technology in regard to the devices themselves, their uses, the political policies in place for it, the impact it is having on people, the rapid change it is going through, etc. I think that is good. It keeps everyone in check. It convinces people who are reluctant to atleast consider it and at the same time, makes the technology "radicals" slow down a bit.

It was especially interesting for me to hear Julye's presentation about Cuban. The trend today seems to be that society needs to jump on the technology band wagon because it is the biggest issue at the moment. Perhaps not. A conflict nonetheless and one that people will probably remain divided on for a while anyway.

The great think about technology and the societal divide is its creativity. Technology doesn't just have one use. Hardware and software can be used in several different industries in completely different ways for different audiences in different contexts with different purposes. That's its beauty. That is also why I am so interested in pursuing more knowledge about its scope in education. I realize that technology is becoming a strong influence with people especially the younger generation and I need to understand the trends, limitations and possibilities in my job.

As a last comment, thank you for clarifying last night about the purpose of some of the topics you presented in class. I often left class wondering why you showed us some of the things you did and racked my brain for a week wondering why I couldn't figure it out or see the connection. Perhaps I am not quite as ready as I thought I was for higher education.