Module 4 Disruptive Technology

Disruptive technology is defined as something that changes the way society does things.  The virtual world of Second life is thought to be the future of social, educational and corporate interactions. Second life was touted by some to be the latest in disruptive technology.  Second life does not appear to be  inherently disruptive technology. The internet and its ability to allow socialization appears to be the actual disruptive technology.  Second Life seems more like  another example of socialization software.  I actually investigated using second life as a teaching tool about 5 years ago but it did not benefit the students as it is. It was fun for a day or so but to actually replace educational methods permanently or true socialization in our society I do not think it will be that disruptive.  I can see why many think it could be disruptive overall but it seems to be more about how the internet has been disruptive than Second Life itself. 

Second life could possibly enhance classroom instruction or corporate business but so far it has not changed these things drastically. I spoke to some Clemson University students recently and asked them their opinion about Second Life in the classroom. They mentioned a few professors that have used it but they all avoided those classes if at all possible. They felt it was a waste of their time and did not benefit them enough to go to the trouble of using it. One student felt it might be beneficial to use it to demonstrate things a professor or teacher is discussing. For instance, create a medieval world that each student must have an avatar that meets the expectations of the time period and completes tasks developed by the professor. They did not feel it would be useful long term but as an enhancement to regular classwork.  The fact that these students did not like Second Life could mean the professors were not using the technology effectively but once again I see it more as an enhancement. 

Kitely and Open Sim are good replacements for Second Life as they allow for cloud structure and  information backup. Will these types of virtual environments become the norm in our society? It is hard to say but Business Weekly feels that virtual environments will never replace the effectiveness of face to face meetings. I feel the same way about the educational setting. I think it will be an important tool in the educational process but I do not think it will ever replace face to face interaction. 

http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/01/virtual_meetings_will_erase_face_to_face.html

Rhymes of History

Rhymes of history as described by Thornburg (2009) looks at technology and the repetition of its uses throughout human history.  The need to navigate is one example of how technology changes but performs the same task.  Sailors used the stars but this method was made more efficient with the development of azimuth technology. Map making became more and more skilled as technology was developed but the product was the same just more efficient. Sonar allowed us to map the bottom of the ocean until satellite technology allowed us to map more efficiently even though we have actually only SEEN about 1% of the actual bottom of the ocean.  Handheld GPS allow us now to know our exact location anywhere on the planet once again because of satellite technology. Maps were our best way to know our locations before the development of this GPS technology.  Mapping technology has moved to Google Earth and our ability to see anyplace on the globe at any given moment. In the future there is the possibility of roads that will contain GPS information which increase safety for an ever increasing driving population. 

http://www.gps.gov/applications/roads/