May I dare to "go where no man has gone before"? How can I resist a Star Trek reference in light of Science Fiction being one of the six forces that drive emergence of new technologies (Laureate Education, 2009a)? Well maybe someone has challenged the Rhymes of History, but not so far that I have read.
Rhymes of History is one of the forces that drive the emergence of technology. "A new technology is a fresh emergence of the impact felt many years before from another technology." (Thornburg in Laureate Education, 2009a). This goes along with McLuhan's rekindling section of his technology tetrad(Laureate Education, 2009b). For example the Kindle is a handheld library of books, which rekindles the basic book as well as having a place (library) to store many resources.
Here is where I am taking my Star Trek venture. I certainly do not have the years of expertise of McLuhan. My grasp of educational technology must be a fraction of a percent of one percent of Thornburg's knowledge. So I feel rather naive in posing this question. But here goes: Could every piece of technology be tied to rekindling something from the past? Man has had basic needs to survive (which could be eating, making money, hunting, fighting, learning, etc.), be sheltered, provide, communicate, etc. For example, cell phones and all variations of them could be tied to the need to communicate. New, high-tech ovens can be a retrieval of fire. Any transportation vehicle can be a retrieval of man's need to get from one place to another. Cameras could be traced back to drawings on cave walls, to capture or remember. I might be stretching my point too far here, or perhaps I am just totally missing the boat of understanding of McLuhan's rekindling or Thornburg's Rhyme of History. If indeed every technology is tied to something from the past, is Rhyme of History a force?
Lisa Rodriguez made an interesting comment about McLuhan's tetrad, asking if another factor should be added concerning "the downside" or "the dangers" of the technology. I will now expand on her comment and ask if there is any value of having the unintended consequences as discussed by Rogers (2003) reside in the quadrant in place of the rekindle quadrant?
Any clarification or comments are extremely welcome!
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009a). Six forces that drive emergence of new technologies. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009b). McLuhan’s tetrad. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Koh,
I have a bit of a problem with the rekindling part of the tetrad. The words “rekindling” or “retrieving” suggest bringing back something that has gone away. But I think emerging technologies are more commonly evolutions from one incarnation of a tool created to meet a particular need to another more advanced one.
Human needs remain the same for the most part: as you said, food, water, shelter, air, and other needs for survival. So there must have been something in place to fulfill these needs all along the way. I think that, usually, there is no break in the flow – the needs that are met remain the same, the tool just changes. The example you used of the Kindle is a good example. How can books be rekindled when books still exist and people have been reading them ever since they were invented as a more portable form of writing?
I know this sounds like heresy, but I think the rekindling part can be combined with the “enhancing” part or the “obsoleting” part. I propose that the disadvantages inherent in new technologies should take the place of “rekindle” in the quadrant. My two reasons for my opinion are that:
1) I don’t think that new technologies always rekindle something. I think that the “something” already existed in different forms.
2) I believe that it’s very important to apply a systems thinking approach in order to avoid being swooped up in the novelty of a new technology. We must consider all possibilities, even the negative ones, to ensure that the emerging technology is applied in the most beneficial way to the greatest number of living creatures.
Koh,
We share a similar problem when it comes to emerging rechnology and rekindling. Everything I learned that was worth knowing and really thinking about came from Star Trek. Star Wars and Stargate SG1 came later, but they strengthened the effect. I don't fantasize about trips to other planets (anymore) or attend scifi conventions dressed as a character (ever, but it might be fun to go look), but I do think about what I've seen and what we have now and are capable of having very soon. Spock's memory cards and now used in cameras, Kirk's flip communicator is now a cell phone, and the main screen on the bridge is in livingrooms across the country. To add to that, Luke Skywalker's prosthetic hand is now being developed (in this case, a foot) and I use an interactive writing tablet with my computer and projector in my classroom, similar to the writing tablet of the Ancients in Stargate SG1.
I think that "rekindling" is applying new ideas to older, accepted concepts or customs to establish whether or not the items are compatable. So your notion of new ideas being tied to older concepts makes sense to me. I really think that this is one way we develop and remain as a society. Our culture is allowed to grow and develop while we remain fixed as a group on basic core values. Others are allowed to join the group as long as they accept these values. This explanation sounds almost tribal, but thats how it boils down for me.
What do you think?
Lisa
WOW! I like your proposal. I am going to ask Dr. T to read this and weigh in on his comments!
Koh
The idea behind rekindling is that the new innovation rekindles something from the DISTANT past. Let me give an example. Word processors introduced most people to multiple typefaces, creating a rekindling of typeface design - something of an art form in the 1500's. We didn't have multiple typefaces with most typewriters, so the ability to learn to express with different typefaces built on the pioneering work of people like Aldus Manutius. This is more than just incremental change, it is truly rekindling a highly specialized art.
The power of science fiction comes from triggering ideas that make fiction real - many of the innovations in Minority Report, for example, are either real today, or are in the labs. Cloning, the topic of Bladerunner, is now a reality for certain animals, etc.
There are many windows to the future, and I think we all benefit from looking through as many of them as possible.
Post a Comment