Return-Path: <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j6IJ68G19488; Mon, 18 Jul 2005 15:06:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 15:06:08 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <7CE49E0C-5BFC-40B4-B046-C43C5CD90E3B@comcast.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: David Rosen <djrosen@comcast.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3656] RE: How do you learn about technology X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.730) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 2523 Lines: 67 NIFL-Technology Colleagues, Thanks Erik. But surely others on the NIFL-Technology list continue to learn about technology. How do you do it? I have a counter-intuitive hypothesis. "Techies", as the stereotype goes, are focused on machines and software, not people. They play with machines, they read manuals, tech magazines (and e-zines) and blogs and go to tech conferences. Here's my hypothesis: the world of computer technology (and other electronic technologies, too) is changing so fast that no one can keep up just by reading. The faster things change the more we need -- each other -- to point us toward the solutions to tech problems. Huypothesis: techies -- and others who want to learn about technology -- need people. Self study is no longer enough. This e-list (whether you're a techie or not) and other e-lists may be one way to see if anyone else has faced a problem you are facing and has a tip for you. I would add this list, in any case, as a strategy for learning about technology. What can you add to this discussion about how to learn about technology? David David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net On Jul 13, 2005, at 3:12 PM, Jacobson, Erik wrote: > "How do you learn about technology? > > That is, how do you learn about new applications, how do you keep up > with change, how do you actually learn how to use new applications > (or learn to use old ones better) and to make them comfortable tools?" > > ---- > 1. I learn about new technology from reading as many newspapers as > I can > get my hands on and from non-technical magazines (e.g., punk zines > devoted to the DIY ethic). > > 2. I learn about new technology from talking to people who are not in > the field of adult basic education (e.g., university librarians). > > 3. I tend to wait until people have started to apply technology to > solve > some problem, and don't pay attention to stuff still being beta > tested. > > 4. I am usually interested in thinking about the use of technology, > and > don't have too much interest in the nuts and bolts. For this reason my > technological literacy is very context dependent. I am comfortable in > the wiki space and using blogs, but I still have a hard time with some > Word functions. Part of it is being a Mac user - I want plug and play > usability, and anything less than that seems like a nuisance to me. If > it takes too much work for it to be comfortable, I think there is > probably something wrong with the tool. > > Erik Jacobson > > >
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