the new communication paradigm will change our Culture

The new Apple iPhone could change everything.  Well, that may be a little too strong.  But there is a good possibility that historians will look back on the introduction of this device as a landmark change for those of us who do chemistry, learn chemistry, or just use chemistry.

Culture is changing and that change is accelerating.  A half century ago when I was a student in school, history teachers noted how slowly culture changed in the past.  Nearly everything I learned in school came from my teachers, the assignments they had us do, or what they had us read in books.  But that has gradually changed so that the situation is considerably different for many of today's students.  With the introduction of the iPhone, we are about to see another dramatic change....

While teachers still encourage students to listen to their explanations and read the textbooks, a far greater portion of what a student learns comes from television and the Internet.  Instead of spending as much time finding a comfortable position to read a book, today's students (and adults) typically spend more time watching computer monitors and TV screens and interacting with keyboards and mice.

Of course teachers, textbooks, and lectures haven't disappeared.  Nor will large display screens, keyboards and mice disappear.  But cultural change involves a change in priorities, a change in where we devote our time.  Instead of turning pages, or using keyboard and mouse, we will in the future spent more time touching a small screen and doing multiple finger gestures.  The massive knowledge and information base available via the Internet won't decline in value, but it will need to be reformatted for the portable, personal iPhone display and access format.  While the iPhone really doesn't introduce all the new technology, it does introduce the first user interface which empowers the new technology to eventually supplant the old.

As outlined in my previous blog, the Internet will increasingly be used for formal education.  As traditional print and television news sources are increasingly recognized to present the interests of businesses, government, and industry, more people are individualizing their sources of information by obtaining information via the Internet.  So what we informally learn about the world is also increasingly obtained via the Internet.  In the future it is possible that many people will obtain the majority of of knowledge and understanding of the world via their iPhone type device.

I envision that single device will be used to pick a restaurant based on its menu available on the Internet, make dinner reservations, and provide maps and directions to get there.  Perhaps we will use it to watch a recorded TV show while we wait for dinner to be served and then use its built in camera to take photos during dinner.  And while we travel, our personal collection of music will speed the passage of time.  The world of available information will be at our fingertips whether we are in the chemistry lab, in a lecture, or even during a test! (Of course as some parts of history repeat, such a device will first be banned from testing situations before later becoming incorporated into testing our skillful use of it.)

So those of us who wish to be teachers in the new age will need to start thinking of how to optimally used the Internet and the iPhone to convey our lessons and best help our students prepare themselves for the new world.

13 January 2007
dave trapp
www.SequimScience.com
(I do own a few shares of Apple stock... and wish I could afford more.)