The Victorian Internet, by Tom Standage, tells the fascinating story of the invention of the telegraph. Samuel Morse began working on his version of the telegraph in 1832, developed Morse Code and became the first to receive political backing. This amazing new piece of technology revolutionized communications that previously relied on much slower methods. But with all technology there is The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
THE GOOD: Because communication was now as easy as sending a telegraph, there were numerous positive effects. Many people believed that the fact that heads of government could readily communicate directly contributed to world peace. Also, this ease of communication caused many a romance to flourish, both openly and secretly. The Victorian Internet tells the story of a marriage that took place completely over the telegraph system. No one could argue that improving communication, advancing diplomatic relations and boosting social relationships are all good consequences of the technology of the telegraphy.
THE BAD: Perhaps Samuel Morse and other inventors who paved the way for this amazing piece of technology did not foresee the potentially unwelcome chain reaction that the telegraph caused. First and foremost, the telegraph caused information overload. Businessmen in the 1800s were now required to be constantly on the jump. The development of the stock ticker created a time sensitive situation and most likely subsequent stress. The plethora of information during the Crimean War possibly gave the enemy a decided advantage.
THE UGLY: And lastly, this impressive technology that brought with life changing effects, also had it’s unpleasant side. No sooner was the telegraph heralded as an invention to change the world, did people begin to try to cheat the system. The stock market, horse racing and even espionage were all arenas for people trying to benefit illegally from the telegraph. And, as soon as the telegraph companies tried to make rules to limit codes, people found a way around it.
There is no doubt that the good of the telegraph greatly outweighs the bad and the ugly. But rather than take a pessimistic look at the negative impacts of a new piece of technology, it is far better to be aware and adapt. All of these effects can be seen in our world today… romances blossom via Match.com, world communication exists via Twitter, obsessively checking email at the dinner table, and hackers. Can we take the lessons learned from history and the era of the telegraph and apply them to our 21st century lives with the internet? Can we , as educators, emphasize the good of technology, all while bringing awareness to the bad and the ugly? That is the lofty goal that we all seek.
Kim, I agree with you. It's so important that we take some time to analyze the "good, bad and ugly" of any technology before we wholeheartedly adopt it for classroom use. So many schools think that throwing technology around will be a cure-all, especially for failing schools. I've seen plenty of teachers with classroom carts full of laptops gathering dust. I think what I've learned this week is that, as far as classroom technology is concerned, it's important to do an "affordance analysis" to determine a specific use for a tool before we pull the trigger and make potentially wasteful purchases with the hopes that they'll solve all our problems.
ReplyDeleteHaha I like your Good, Bad, and Ugly system. It can be applied to literally everything we encounter on a daily basis. That being said, it is important to handle the bad and the ugly with grace. Analyzing it is the first step - we know what technology entails and we know the possibilities (both negative and positive). It's our job to decide what we are going to do about it. Will we restrict student access and say "nope there are too many risks for bad things to happen" or will we say "I can find a way to teach students how to use this for good, positive, learning"?
ReplyDeleteHey, I only check facebook at the dinner table! ;) Yes there is a good, bad, and ugly to any technology that comes out. It's interesting to see how the inventors/developers saw their inventions one way and suddenly the masses are using these new technologies 100's of ways. Thankfully none of the inventors we read about were so tied to one defined way that their invention should work they fought against people using it a different way. Makes me think of the creator of Mother's Day who saw her 'invention' being abused in her eyes (commercialization of Mother's Day) and not being observed how she intended it, that she ended up fighting for it to no longer being recognized nationally. At my school we would say she wasn't being flexible. It is interesting to think of inventions being used in so many different ways than their inventors thought of.
ReplyDeleteAs your post mentions, all technology comes with both positive and negative outcomes. Technology has advantages and consequences in our physical, social, political, economic and cognitive world. We have to stop and think about the consequences that using the technology has and in what way it could it be advantageous to use it. Regardless, choices about use will always reflect human nature- good, bad, or indifferent. That means our practice has to include empathy, ethical decision-making, values discussions including personal and interpersonal relations.
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