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 j6KD2YG16763; Wed, 20 Jul 2005 09:02:34 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 09:02:34 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <4CD93796-D227-4ED1-8DE2-D129CA03A410@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:3682] 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: 5404 Lines: 158 Hello Marian, Thanks for these insights. I think many on this list nodded in agreement as they read your posting. I would like to hear from those whose approach is different. For example, for those who read first, what do you read? Blogs? Which ones? Tech magazines? Which ones? Does anyone watch tech programs on TV? Which ones? How about newspapers -- are there particularly good columns (for example, I like Hiawatha Bray's columns in the Boston Globe) Does anyone listen to podcast tech updates? Which ones? Also, how do you learn about technology when you have a problem to solve? Particularly, when it isn't clear if its a software or hardware problem or, if its hardware, what piece is causing the problem (the cable modem? The wireless router? your computer? software? the connections? the ISP?) David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net On Jul 20, 2005, at 8:38 AM, Marian Thacher wrote: > How do I learn about technology? Mostly from other people. I will > read an > article on something I'm already thinking about, but I probably > started > thinking about it because somebody mentioned it. > > I learned about wikis at TESOL a few years ago. I pursued the idea but > didn't get too far at the time. Now wikis are more widely used and > we have > the adult ed and research wiki. Since getting involved with that > project > I've read a few articles about wikis, but the learning came first, the > reading came second. I learned by experimenting and seeing what other > people were doing and reading the list. > > The latest thing I learned was about Internet telephone calls. I > learned > this by a couple of people in my life telling me I had to try it. So I > did. When I got stuck, I asked someone what to do. Once I > understood how > to use the technology and what I could do with it, then I was > interested > in reading articles about it, but not before. > > I've also learned about new technologies from these lists, which to > me is > the same as a friend telling me. > > What does this say? I'm a socially-dependent learner? Maybe I'm a > kinesthetic learner and I have to do it before I can study it. > > I'm definitely not a hardware person. I can never remember how big > my hard > drive is or what brand my digital camera is. > > It seems to me this is how the average non-techie person learns. My > observation of students is that they learn new technologies from each > other. One day one person had a graphic pasted into their email, > the next > day everyone did. How did they learn how to do it? They asked the > person > who did it! > > Marian Thacher > OTAN > www.otan.us > > nifl-technology@nifl.gov writes: > >> 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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