Rhymes of History Technology
Thornburg stated that the impact of a new development rekindles something from the distant past (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). He goes on to talk about how we see it in the third quadrant of our tetrads. It is not the technology itself that is being rekindled, but the impact of the technology (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). This is how Rhymes of history is explained. People have added and subtracted since the beginning of time. The calculator has rekindled man’s ability to count on, count back, count repeatedly, and subtract repeatedly. Before written numbers existed, there was the abacus. It has evolved to the mechanical calculator that performs basic arithmetic operations. Now there are scientific calculators that include trigonometric and statistical calculations. There also algebraic and graphing calculators. But the basic calculator rekindles man’s ability to count.
Kevin Kelly discussed the concepts of embodiment, restructuring, and codependency on the web as examples of the rhymes of history (Kelly, 2007). He goes on to state that the web works much like the brain. The calculator embodies us because it is an extension of human senses. Kelly states that machines are extension of human senses and humans are the extended senses of the machine (Kelly, 2007). The machine cannot work without us. It is restructuring because it links us to pages. One of the accessories on the computer is a calculator. It causes a codependency because we depend on it for so much. There has been controversy in schools because educators believed that dependence on calculators made students lose the ability to calculate in their heads.
Resources:
Kelly, K. (2007). Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Emerging and future technology: Rhymes of history. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteCalculator is a wonderful tool. You are right about the teacher concerns that calculator may promote dependency and disable brain. Too much dependency is a big problem. It should be used as an aid and students should not become slaves of calculator.
Good comparison with abacus.
Good post.
Anwar
Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteI read your Rhymes of History Technology and you have shed light on a very important phenomenon of technology. I see a process, operational steps and principles and the numeracy invention from the beginning of mankind being rekindled in the calculator. It is important to note that technology is not an essentially a tangible piece of tool, hardware and modern communication processes. The cognitive processing of information in our brain is technology. This is where technology is invisible (like wireless) unique and psychological.
Kelly’ presentation is intriguing. The calculator is certainly not only an extension of our brain but our interpretation, for signs, symbols and language format. The calculator is our imaginary friend that we speak to with our fingers and it responds to us in a sophisticated form of digital technology. It is also able to communicate for us accurately without fear of doubt and reduction of ambiguity. But we must be in basic harmony with understanding what our robotic brain requires to act.
I certainly believe that some technology has brought us back to the beginning of time when our brain cognitive processing was more or less dormant. The calculator also makes us look stupid wondering why we travel with it so much and we cannot untapped its digital-cognitivism.
Very good post to take me back into rhymes in time and space.