Blog #2
Thoughts...McLuhan’s Tetrad on Educational Technologies

What is a community? Abstracted from the ecological definition, a community consists of biota such as flora and fauna interacting with abiotic or non-living factors. The biotic components survival is affected by availability of nutrients, water, shelter and space. Over eons the organisms that comprise the living compliment in the community have developed adaptations in attempt to utilize the nonliving influences. Those with beneficial adaptations, those that encourage survival, have flourished. Organisms with inappropriate adaptations or those with the inability to adapt behaviors to changing circumstances quickly become obsolete in their community thus move to extinction.

Communities change as the abiotic factors are altered, whether through natural influence or manipulation. Through the development of adaptations such as the Internet, communication/collaboration tools, tutorial and simulation software, videogames, and productivity tools educators and software developers have again changed the community. Many within the community had relinquished former adaptations thought to be of bygone days. These analytical thinking and questioning tools are again becoming critical for survival in our fast-paced information, rich-environment. Planning for present and future uses of technology are absolutely necessary to prevent inundation of negative applications and to keep progress directed in a line to promote thought and literate citizens.

The “new” abiotic factors that have become integral in the “community infrastructure,” as we know it, provide extensions that expand the reach of nearly all human activities, both positive and negative. Communications are no longer bound by proximity, mobility of though between different populations as Sayed stated in his Wiki entry. “…with cars people {literally] move less but their cars move them a lot so their mobility is extended.” If used correctly these tools enable students to contact and experience cultures and events from which they would have previously been isolated. Accessibility to new thoughts and opposing viewpoints fosters development of analytical thinking skills which include the ability to not only question others perspective but evaluation and confrontation of one’s own thought and misconceptions.
Access to expertise is an outstanding benefit of the technological changes to the abiotic component in our community. In both the video shown and class discussion on February 8 reference was made about conducting brain surgery long distance. Although the technology is still developing we see great steps being taken in that very direction. For example in the field of dermatology as with many others, training had jumped Online through the use of real-time video and time zone independent communications such as store-and forward. Benefits include easy access to second opinions, something that can be critical in the case of aggressive cancers, and also diagnostic training for identification and treatment “exotic” conditions such as parasitic infestations (Burg, et al., 2005).
Acknowledging warnings and predictions presented by our classmates in the sections “What becomes oblsolete?” and “What does technology revert to if it is overextended?” I counter that we now have opportunity as a community to once again develop our critical thinking tools (adaptations) that became atrophied well before the advent of television and the Internet. Members of the community can now use the masses of information to hone and strengthen our questioning of choices and information that have been provided. Options for information are now at our fingertips available at the blink of an eye. It’s time for “Alternative news and Views” to borrow from the title of a Berks County cable program produced by Robert Millar, a good friend and political science professor. Of course dangers do lurk in our “community” however if skilled and literate our students and citizens will be able to successfully wade through the mire and find additional relevant and beneficial abiotic factors which will aid in their survival.

Reference

Burg, G., Hasse, U., Cipolat, C., Kropf, R.; Djamei, V., Soyer, H. P., Chimenti, S. (2005). Teledermatology: Just Cool or a Real Tool? Dermatology, 210(2), 169-173. Retrieved
February 15, 2006, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 796791381).