This week's topic in #edcmooc is about utopia or distopia created by technology. We were to watch a series of short videos on technology taking over the world, connecting people or allowing a distopia of disconnect. Movies that come to mind when thinking of this topic include the most recent Hunger Games and Divergent series. Thinking farther back, the Matrix series and Tron.
My son just finished a book in his class called City of Ember - where the "builders" provided an underground city with supplies and a generator as a safe haven for a select group of the population to start a new community when disaster struck in the world above. This essentially void of technology, save the generator, community knew nothing of even the simplest tools such as a match providing fire. Utopia or distopia....
I find myself personally agreeing with the Bendito Machine III video, where humans are essentially forced to accept the newest technology, bend to it's own whims, then bow to the next technology in line, while pushing that which you just worshipped yesterday out to pasture. Think about our progression from VHS to DVD to BluRay. From desktop to laptop to tablet to smartphone. Every operating system update, app update... Utopia or distopia caused by technology, or did we create this malay ourselves?
My son just finished a book in his class called City of Ember - where the "builders" provided an underground city with supplies and a generator as a safe haven for a select group of the population to start a new community when disaster struck in the world above. This essentially void of technology, save the generator, community knew nothing of even the simplest tools such as a match providing fire. Utopia or distopia....
I find myself personally agreeing with the Bendito Machine III video, where humans are essentially forced to accept the newest technology, bend to it's own whims, then bow to the next technology in line, while pushing that which you just worshipped yesterday out to pasture. Think about our progression from VHS to DVD to BluRay. From desktop to laptop to tablet to smartphone. Every operating system update, app update... Utopia or distopia caused by technology, or did we create this malay ourselves?