CS 306 Computers in Society - Fall 2009

Instructor: Jacques Chansavang

Week_1: Calendar

Monday, Aug. 24th - Sunday, Sunday. Aug. 29th, 2009

Current_Events: Due weekly on Monday (in class for Hardcopy) or submit through Blackboard Vista by 11:59 P.M. Late assignment will be penalized or no longer accepted.

Current_Events_Assignment: Starts next week

Guideline Current_Event

Discussion Guidlines

Instroduction: Handouts_1

Group Assignment: Handouts in Class 8-26

Individual: Handouts in Class 8-26

Text Book Computer In Society:

Unit_1: Introduction

Presentation: FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TECNOLOGICAL CHANGE

Group Discussion: - (Handouts)

Reading for Discussion: Computer in Society

1. Five things you need to know about Technological Change, PDF File - Neil Postman - Read

2. Slouching Toward the Ordinary, PDF File - Susan C. Herring - Read

3.On the Nature of Computing, PDF File - Jon Crowcroft - Read

Key Terms: Reading and Digging Deeper

• The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change
• New Developments and Dramatic Impacts
• Amateur Creative Works: Blogs and Vedeo Sharing Connections
• Collaborative Efforts Among Strangers
• E-Commerce and Free Stuff
• Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Motion
• Tools for Disabled People

  Text Book Gift of Fire:

  Presentation: Chapter_1

  Read: Chapter 1 - Pages 1 - 34
  
  Chapter 1 Unwrapping the Gift
  1.1 The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change
  1.2 New Developments and Dramatic Impacts
  1.2.1 Amateur Creative Works: Blogs and Video Sharing
  1.2.2 Connections
  1.2.3 Collaborative Efforts Among Strangers
  1.2.4 E-commerce and Free Stuff
  1.2.5 Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Motion
  1.2.6 Tools for Disabled People
  1.2.7 What Next?
  1.3 An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes
  1.3.1 Issues
  1.3.2 Themes
  1.4 Ethics
  1.4.1 What Is Ethics, Anyway?
  1.4.2 A Variety of Ethical Views
  1.4.3 Some Important Distinctions
  

• What Is Ethics? Anyway? A Variety of Ethical ViewsSome important Distinctions
• 1. Unemployment, 2. Alienation and customer Service, 3. Crime, 4. Loss of Privacy and 5. errors.
  Automation
  - Identification, Tracking Systems, Give me an example, Tell me about Negative Rights
  
  Give me an example - What is TeleMedicine?  Examples?
  Health and Medicine - What impact has technology had on the environment?

How has society benefited from computers?

• Is the computer creating jobs or eliminating jobs?
• Ethical dilemmas
• Privacy
• Economic growth attributed to digital technologies
• Users can make well-informed decisions due to instant access to information from anywhere
• Students have more tools to assist them in learning process

Appriciating the Benefits

- Health and Medecine, Automation, Tools for Disabled People, Reducing Paper Use and Trash etc..