I have been really enjoying the class, this is my first 400 level history course and I love the collaborative style and ability to pick where we want to focus our research and studies. Designing the projects having input on what kinds of tools we will be using and learning new technical skills. These blog …
So far, the class has been exciting and enjoyable. This is my first history seminar, and I expected the class
I have enjoyed the class so far! I am excited for our assignments, and am interested in delving more into the history of various forms of technology and communication that we now take for granted, or have forgotten about entirely. I also enjoy the fact that we are consistently working in groups, I appreciate the …
It is going ok so far in my opinion. This is my first class that’s very digitally focused/heavy. I like the freedom that has come with choosing our assignments but at the same time, I would like a little more structure. Its an interesting topic and I think the discussions that are upcoming in this […]
Going into this class I was unsure what it would be like, and had some anxieties about how I would fare in my first 400 level class. On top of the new level of rigor, professor McClurken made it clear that the syllabus would be crafted by the students, and that would be something new …
The experience with this class so far has been very good! I appreciate the time being taken to really collaboratively think through the syllabus and come up with things that we as a class would like to do to better understand this topic, rather than just having the Professor come up with assignments themselves. I’ve […]
The invention of writing fundamentally altered the human race’s mind and consciousness by creating the concept of extrinsic ideas, or an extrinsic brain in the form of langauge and literature. Previously, concepts were limited to intrinsic experience. Information could only exist in the moment as spoken word or memory. The author points out that the […]
In his booklet, Downey argues that infrastructure and communication technology are inexorably linked. When new technologies are introduced, new ‘sociotechnical’ systems also form around these innovations. Downey includes categories of technology similar to what we have in our course syllabus: print and transportation, networked interpersonal communication, broadcast mass communication, and computer-mediated communication. I was most […]
Downey’s main points were that technology and its uses are both made and shaped by social, political, and cultural movements and sentiments. He also argued that the “new age” technologies have never replaced the old, they have simply continued an age-old trend of technological invention and development in the spread of information.