e-portfolio for Aimee Caplen

Kaplan's Online University (courtesy of YouTube)




If the above video does not work, please click the following link to view video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3nHvkJSNFg&feature=player_embedded

Kaplan University introduces their online university as a new way to attend an university. They pride themselves on being a university that you can attend from anywhere. The way they do this is by placing a student's desk in different places. It is an interesting way to show that the "normal" universities are not necessarily the best option for everyone. I believe that Kaplan's advertisement will reach out to many who believe that the "old ways" to go to school is not right for them. Those who need more time than others to learn might benefit from Kaplan's online university.



ROUGH DRAFT OF PAPER 1

In this day and age everyone uses some sort of technology. Whether it is as simple as a pen and paper, or as complicated as a computer to convey a message, human beings use technology on a daily basis. Technology can be defined in various ways. However, the original Greek definition of technē, or technology, still holds true as it is the “systematic treatment of an art, craft, or technique.”[1] From this definition, anything that can be seen as a type of art is a new creation of technology. The beginnings of civilizations were intrigued by new objects even if it meant that they didn’t follow their culture’s rituals. Human beings, for the most part, allow themselves to be controlled by the new trends of technology.
David E. Nye draws attention to important questions regarding technology and how it controls us in his book, Technology Matters: Questions to Live With. The idea that consumers will buy new technology because they believe that it is inevitable[2] brings up how humans follow new trends. This idea is similar to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing”. Emerson states that “There are two laws discrete/ Law for man, and law for thing.”[3] This implies technology does control us, but as the technology “runs wild”, man is also trying to control this new technology. Nye also claims that, “people may come to feel trapped by choices others have made.” [4] This shows that new technology is inevitable for some people because the new inventions are forced upon them by past humans. Building codes, for example, require indoor plumbing, electric lighting, and heating. [5] This technology of pipes running through the walls of homes is a perfect example of how technology controls us. However, not all civilizations have allowed themselves to be controlled by new technology and its trends.
The use of technology and how it affects nature has been present since the beginning of mankind. The Japanese saw the effects of technology in 1543 when they adopted guns from the Portuguese. However, due to the culture of the samurai they abandoned the guns for their traditional weapons, the bow and the sword. The gun reappeared in the 1850’s when Commodore Perry invaded Japan. Japan was able to reject the gun for 300 years revealing that is it possible for a group to act without outside interference for a significant amount of years. [6] The Amish are an example of how a community has been able to resist powerful technology altogether. The Amish still use what we call simple, technology: farming equipment and machines that they are able to make and allow them to be self-sufficient. Instead of using cars to travel, they have continued to use the old ways of transportation through horse-drawn buggies. Their technology is considered basic compared to the technology that we have in the 21st Century. Technology is a “major form of communication that has reshaped the way people see their world, causing changes in public behavior and political institutions.”[7]
Technology has developed over the years from handwriting letters to using the internet to send an email. The use of today’s technology allows humans to connect to others faster than before. It is not necessary to use the new technology, but it is slower if you were to send a letter through the post rather than using the computer to send an email. I grew up with this technology: learning of news from a television, or checking up on friends through the use of a computer. The old ways of sending mail or going around to someone’s house to have a conversation has been lost through the use of trendy technology items.
Unfortunately, many see technology as a requirement in their life. Computers, cell phones, and other technologies are useful to have, but have taken the place of very important jobs. Computers harm the jobs of workers that were necessary before the computers were invented in 1960’s. Technology has allowed people to become lazier and less personable with the world. In an office filled with cubicles, workers are able to send a quick email to pass on information instead of having to get up and walk the extra minute to their co-worker’s desk to tell them the information. Technology has become a necessity in everyone’s life because it is so convenient. The new technology of computers that is created everyday have lead to quicker, faster service, which has taken the place of workers. Yes it is more beneficial for an employer to use computers instead of hiring employees, but the lack of employees has reduced the quality of service. Now, for example, you can enter an airport and scan a piece of paper that you printed at home after you checked in online. Eliminating the service at the counter is helpful if the customer is in a hurry, but also is an impersonal way of checking in.
Technology has now begun to shape the world in which we live in. Through trends in new technology such as the newest laptop or cell phone, human beings allow themselves to get wrapped up in the materialistic objects that they believe is necessary for them to continue on with their lives. Nye questions these ideas by reminding the 21st century that human beings have lived without these so called “necessities”. The Japanese and Amish people rejected the trendy technologies the rest of the world was distracted by. These cultures have developed a life where they continue living without the materialistic items. Eliminating these items from their lives, whereas others believe that living with the new technology is inevitable, shows strength where others show weakness. Emerson believes that though the two laws aren’t “not reconciled”[8]; they have lead to technology controlling mankind.

word count: 1001 words

Works Cited:

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing.” (1846) Early Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York, Boston, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, 1899

Nye, David E. Technology Matters: Questions to Live With. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2007.
[1] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition.
[2] Nye, David E. Technology Matters: Questions to Live With page 18.
[3] Excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing” (1846)
[4] Nye page 21.
[5] Nye page 20
[6] Nye page 18
[7] Nye page 27
[8] Emerson “Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing”