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Pursell Reading

What is technology? (How does that definition (or at least the examples of it) change in different eras and places?)

Technology has gone through many phases through the centuries from the railroad all the way down to what women did in the household. That caught my attention the most is that the technology that was discussed in American Technology by Carroll Pursell in the first 10 pages, did not all have something to do with electricity or technological advancements that have happened over the years. Just the fact that women in the household being mentioned because of the complicated technological systems that were involved in the household. One of those being cooking that did not only have the designing of the meals that were being made but the specialized energy that was being used by the stoves in the household that women used (p.3). - Hunter Dykhuis

When someone says technology one might think of electronics and things of that nature. It might be a surprise but technology is much broader than just electronics. Technology is anything that was or is invented to aid the person. We see in Carroll Pursell's, American Technology, that technology has been helping people basically since the dawn of time. From stone tools to the computers and electric cars we use today can all be considered technology. The type of technology we use is ever-changing throughout history. As we build our history we build more and more advanced technology with it. - Erin Madden

Throughout the years, technology has advanced tremendously from the cotton gin to the iPhone. Purcell has thought about technology in a way different way than what people would think of. In the world today, people think of technology as anything that runs on electric power like a laptop or a television. Purcell makes technology out to be something that has adapted overtime to help people with everyday jobs and to make their lives easier. As she says, “society determines technology” is correct (pg. 1). Technology has to advance with people. As eras and time goes on, technology has to move along with it. Typewriters would not work in today’s time because everything else is advanced, and people are moving faster than they were. -Reilly Miller

In the Pursell reading technology was defined in multiple ways whether it was an ax, a telephone, or a process. This was really interesting to read because it gave me a better perspective on what technology really is. In my mind before reading this I imagined technology as something that had to specifically do with electronics. This leads into the idea that depending where you are from the definition of technology will change. For me the idea of technology is one thing but in the past technology for instance a caveman was literally fire. This is really interesting to think about and realize how much technology has changed over time and how the definition of it changes right along with it. -Tory Martin

What is culture?

What is technological determinism?

According to the Pursell introduction, technological determinism is the “assumption that technology determines what happens in society (p.2). In other words, people want what is “new.” So, businesses use that to their advantage by saying their specific item or product is the best and will improve your way of life.

Technologcal determinism is basically the idea that technology is what makes society continue to advance. This was interesting to note how the British Americans labeled many of the Native Americans as savages due to the technology that they used. Because to the settlers their techology seemed primitive compared to the tools that the Europeans had developed.-Kendell Jenkins

Technological determinism is the often easily assumed concept that culture is shaped by technology. This is only further solidified by consumerism in modern America which through ad campaigns and media attempts to manipulate a consumer’s viewpoint into seeing technology as revolutionizing society and altering our collective culture. While there is some truth to technological determinism one has to examine the inverse and also consider that culture can and has shaped technology.

Technological determinism is defined in Pursell’s introduction as “the assumption that technology determines what happens in society”. Advertisers pray on this assumption present in consumers by trying to convince them that a new product will change their lives for the better if they buy it. – Jack Sweetak

technological determinism is a marxian economic theory which asserts that a culture is shaped by its technology. According to technological determinism, technology is the most influential factor in determining many social aspects of a society. -Z Kennedy -

Technological determinism is a “reductionist theory that aims to provide a causative link between technology and a society’s nature.” (1) Reductionism states that all phenomena are “collections of entities” that can be broken down into more basic entities. (2) The term was coined by economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen, and is influenced by Karl Marx’s determinist theories.

While technological determinism can be used to describe a linear, progressive path in which the “old” is replaced by the “new,” Pursell points out that (4) the evolution of society occurs when the “old” is joined by the “new.” Attending an orchestral concert at a music hall is certainly not the most common means of music consumption, However, the practice does still exists - albeit in a lesser capacity - and has arguably been amplified by the proliferation of other means of music consumption, such as CDs, MP3s, and music streaming services. (4)

Technology does not and cannot spawn out of the ether. Technology, as both a physical entity and set of ideas, stems from human creativity and social demands that play upon one another and come to fruition when the correct social circumstances and are achieved. When new technologies arise, they both solve and create new problems - an interplay that pushes society forward in a non-linear path. (5) (–GCF)

(1) Kline, Ronald. R. “Technological Determinism” in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition). Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/technological-determinism 2015. Accessed August 27, 2019.

(2) Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Reductionism.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/reductionism Accessed August 27, 2019.

(3) “Thorstein Veblen.” The Library of Economics and Liberty.https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Veblen.html Accessed August 27, 2019.

(4) Pursell. 2.

(5) Pursell. 2-3.

Pursell discusses what is considered “technological determinism” in this reading. Essentially meaning that technology is the key driving force of what happens in society and consequently what would happen in an individual's life. Pursell notes that this concept is used by advertisers to try to convince consumers to consume or purchase their goods or services. In my opinion this can be seen at times in society when looking at technology that is seen as essential but in reality is not essential to survive. Such as access to the phone or internet. -Emma Monaghan Technological determinism is the theory of technology figuring out what you are going to do before you do it. This is used precariously by advertisers who are trying to convince you of what they are selling/ telling you. They typically do this by saying things like “It’s brand new technology” or “it will change your life!” -Lauren Blouch

Pursell explains that “technological determinism is the assumption that technology determines what happens in society (p.2). Meaning the creation of new technologies will mold the way society is ran, but it is in fact the opposite. Pursell used the Cold War as an example; the creation of the technology that brought about nuclear weaponry was made for the purpose of intimidation during the Cold War. Same would go for railroads, railroads were created to make an easier/more efficient way to be transported from one city to another, they were not made in hopes that society would adapt around its existence. -Nick Bass

Classroom Technology Infographic -- How might we critique this as a source?

Technological determinism is a theory that tries to create a link between a society's culture and their technology that is present at the time. It tries to explain as to whom or what could have a controlling power in human affairs. It questions the degree to which human actions are influenced by technological factors. In this theory, technology is viewed as the driving force of culture in a society and it determines its course of history. Communication, in Mass. “Technological Determinism.” Communication Theory, 23 Apr. 2018,

    https://www.communicationtheory.org/technological-determinism/.                            -Kevin Bach

It is possible to critique the Classroom Technology Infographic as a source by first evaluating the credibility of the author(s), the Webanywhere.co.uk staff, and then evaluate their sources used to construct the infographic.

While the data is presented in a concise manner, this is not an academic source. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the given information by comparing it to scholarly sources. Nonetheless, it is interesting to note that infographics are becoming more popular mediums of education in academic settings, therefore I predict that the need to create scholarly infographics may very well occur in the near future. - Nate Stringer

- I think this infographic is a generally decent source of information, but could perhaps be missing out on technology that releases between pivotal years and that also isn’t necessarily intended for the classroom. Smartphones and Amazon Alexa for example may not be created for the classroom experience, but have broad applications into an educational environment. These two technologies have recently made their way into classrooms in the form of interactive trivia games like “Kahoot” and for being able to quickly access information online through speech. I enjoy infographics, and this one, specifically, serves a great purpose of analyzing the classroom over a decent number of years, but they have to be used with the knowledge that they do not provide all necessary information. - Dillyn Scott

The infographic contained alot of basic information, but I believe that there was not enough content to be used as a credible source. There is more to explore about the technological advancements depicted than what the infograghic is demonstraiting. And while it does provide a fair overview of the technology over the years it doesnt have enough content to really give the advencements more meaning. Not to mention the creators of the infographic have a more business related backround rather then an academic one which in turn continues to hinder the level of credibility that it has. -Kendell Jenkins

The infographic was extremely easy to get through and well written, but only presented basic information and did not dig very deep in explaining technological determinism. The site gave a simple definition with too little historical examples. More could definitely be said about the topic. This would be okay for a quick definition but would need more substance to be used for something like a research paper. -Jack Sweetak

The infographic was easy to read but held elementary information. For a person just looking to learn about the evolution of school technology for their free time this would be ok, but not as a credible source. The authors point to the most popular forms of technology and have probably skipped over some very useful forms of technology. I think the jump from social media being invented to using Ipads was a bit drastic as well. To be a credible source more information about the technology and the time period would have to be given. - Erin Madden

Webanywhere, the creator of the infographic, is a digital based company focused on expanding the reach of “eLearning”, or learning generated through the usage of digital technology. This already creates a bias within the information presented: the image relies heavily on digital technology as the years get closer to 20th and 21st century. Another negative about the image is that while its timeline of school's usage of technology is interesting, there is no real connection. The whiteboard replaces blackboards by the 1960s, but a reason for the shift is not given (i.e. ease of writing, lighter material, more colorful, less dusty, etc.). With that in mind, the infographic is fairly rudimentary; giving only a small glimpse into the impacts of the evolution of technology. -K.Eastridge

“Technological Determinism” was a well-written infographic on how technological determinism and how it changes the views on the older forms of technology and the knowledge behind them. For example, the infographic used how new and advanced tools are making people forget the traditional methods of farming. Even though this infographic gives examples, the samples should be more updated to help the reader relate to it. If the article mentioned video game consoles and how they advanced with time, readers would relate and connect with the infographic. Also, the authors are not very credible because their academic backgrounds are not the strongest. This brings down the credibility of the infographic. -Reilly Miller