Video - Information Revolution

First, the video its self demonstrates where we are in technology. Its creative, it makes you think and its a learning tool that my parents would never have seen in school. It brings visual learning to a new level. I absolutely enjoyed it.

The video didnt show me anything new. There were no new tricks, no alternative ways for research and no back door to finding information. The video merely tried to explain the complexity, the extent we as humans have reached to expand. Expand our thoughts and ideas. Expand our knowedge and research. Expand our world of technology.

Today's technology helps us find more resources faster. Helps us expand our knowledge in a time that would have taken Einstein years to write, publish and be read. And its all at our fingertips.

I remember my first reserach paper in grade school. I was required to find 5 books and 1 website to support my thesis that was to be four pages long. The amount of time I spent learning the Dewey Decimal system was a headache. I spent endless hours in the library photocopying resources and checking out books. I wasnt supposed to highlight in the books so I was forced to hand copy and sort all my supporting arguments on notecards and file them in a systematic way. Today I can imagine grade school students saying, "Dewey what?"

Today, I can scan my resources if they were books for highligting or go online and find the book electronically and copy and paste to a notecard. Students have the freedom to use both books and internet with limited constrictions as long as they are credible.

The information highway does have its draw backs as the video shows. Anyone can post information, anyone can alter information which can be misleading to the reader. Facts can be skewed, "buttered up", lost in rumors which requires the reader to be more responsible. We are required to do more research to get the facts; read multiple publications to get the truth. However, we as readers can do that from the comfort of our home and on our own time as the internet never closes.

Its goodbye to library hours for those fortunate to have a computer and internet at home. A downside is thanks to the information revolution students spend far more hours in school and much more on homework. School may start at 8 am (maybe earlier for some), but it doesnt end at the traditional 3:00pm. There's more work to be done and thats after club meetings, sport practices and lets not forget dinner.

I will end with a quote from my Southern Culture Lit professor from North Carolina,
 "Ever wonder why school started at 8 am and ended at 3pm? Ever wonder why we have a bell for school? Who thought of that idea? I have a theory - the factories started at 8, and a bell rang. The factories ended or changed shifts at 3pm and a bell rang. It was a training tool. It allowed parents to get a full days work in while the children were gone and it acclimated children to what would soon be their schedule as an adult."

Thanks to the information highway and our expansion of technology school can start at anytime and I personally dont hear any bells.

There's freedom with technology but with freedom comes responsibility!