Wow! Finished reading the article, An Oral History of the Internet, Vanity Fair, July 2008. While I was aware of some of the elements to the development of the net, it was fascinating to see how far it has come and the applications that have come out of its development. Interesting to see how something that had its roots in national security could become a medium for writing a public journal, downloading music, or participating in an auction for any number of products or items. As the article gives excerpts of comments from the key players of the development of the internet, it also gives a great perspective of what was happening in our culture at the time and how technology was evolving. Maybe it is because my youth has seemed to pass by so quickly, but the article really gave me the perspective of how quickly the technology of the internet and its applications has developed. Why 1995 only seems like last year!
In relation to our class discussion about cell phone use in schools and the overall impact of mobile devices on our society, check out the following link to a story I heard on NPR yesterday morning driving to class. Pretty interesting!
I was definitely interested in our cell phone discussion in class today too! I read the article you have linked here, and it definitely fits. I actually just put the book on hold at the library too, so I can't wait to read it. I'm going to make my husband and my brother read it too, because they are more attached to their Blackberries than I am to my phone!
ReplyDeleteOne thing in the article that really concerns me, especially with what I see from the kids I teach, is when the author was talking about all of the people at the crosswalk in NYC and they were all on their cell phones. He wrote that "everyone essentially wasn't present." That's my concern. I watch students, adults, even I am guilty of literally tuning out the people around me when I'm doing something with my cell phone. In many cases, I think it's rude! I wonder how long people will be able to go through life and not interact with anyone physically unless it is required or out of necessity. That worries me.
Thanks for the article, that was really interesting. The Today Show just had a story about parents not meaningfully connecting with their children because they are too connected to their devices. As they said: if you want to connect with your kids, disconnect!
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