Week 13, our last TWC lesson

Today marks the end of our TWC journey. It is the last lesson that we will be having for the whole semester. This module has indeed opened my eyes to the many things on earth that has a relationship with technology. In fact, i can confidently say that technology has shaped our lives and will continue doing so, seeing the vast influences that it has on our everyday life. This module has introduced to me many new and fresh ideas and takeaways that was never made known to me. I am actually quite excited to know what the future technology holds for us and how our lives will be affected due to these changes. Whether is it in the area of entertainment, transportations and especially education. Considering the fact that we will be spending at least 15 years studying, i'm excited to see how the future technology will affect the way education is received by the students.


Of course, to embrace the change as well or we'll be left behind, just like the 3 ways that prof shared with us on how to cope with change: Make it happen; be proactive, Respond when it happens and Be surprised when it happens; blurr.  However, i also feel that we have to ensure that we do not become slaves to technology and do not be overly dependent on technology. 


For this week's class, we were introduced to 4 more different websites. The first one was on technology and identity. They talked about the social aspect of technology on identity. It was stated that the time people have spent on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter increased by 82% in 2009. The group has also explained that Social networking sites are gaining increasing importance in people’s everyday lives and this is only set to increase as more people join and there are more activities to do on these sites. With more people online, it also makes it more viable for others to stay online as well, creating a self-perpetuating cycle. Is virtual reality the new reality? 


The above networks mentioned has indeed helped communications to be more efficient and effective. You are now able to get updates of your friend through FaceBook and Twitter, etc. However, I felt that this is actually quite bad as we now lose the personal touch towards each other. After-all, there is a limit to what the internet can do when it comes to communicating online. It only involves the sense of sight and hearing. It has lost the sense of touch and also, people may feel distant to the opposite party as we have already lost the personal touch. 


Also, i feel that people will get so engrossed using the Internet that they may lose their EQ skills. They may lose the skills to actually communicate with people in reality as they are constantly stuck in the virtual reality. Hence, the humans to humans communication skills is affected.


In addition, the future will be a world of uncertainty. The problem that arise from fake identity will continue to persist well into the future. In addition with the advancement in technology, identity may change on a whole new different level. It may be much easier in the future to hide our identity. Like what was stated; all solutions provided are only a form of prevention, as in reality it all boils down to the individual’s respond. It is still up to an individual whether or not to be honest with his or her identity. This also makes us worry as it will be even more dangerous in the future. 


It was stated that in 2040, Neuro-chip will be implanted in people's brain all over the world. Creating a neuro connection web-based system that connects all neuro-chips around the planet, and people can interact directly and global conscience is achieved. I find this really amazing and it is really accessible for people all around to communicate. But then again, what happens if something happens to the Neuro-chip?? What will happen to the people using it? 


Throughout all the presentations that were done within the past weeks, it is clearly seen how technology has an impact in our lives. It is prevalent in almost every aspect of our life. And we will be able to expect even more new and "weird" technology in the future.


Overall, I enjoyed this TWC module as i really feel that it has brought many new perspective to me as well as many technology related issues.


Class Rating: 9/10

Group Presentations' Week (:

This week, we moved on to the group presentations. We were introduced to different topics that had been affected, changed or evolved due to technology. This has once again reminded me of the wonders of technology and the important role it has played in today's society. It is also due to technology that we are able to create these websites. 4 groups presented this week, with topics like animations, biology warfare and how technology affects the social networking, gaming and media industry. It really made me ponder once again, what will happen if there was no technology? How will how society be like? 

I felt that the first website, which was on sports and technology, was really fresh to me, as how technology influenced sports has not been discussed in class before. Never had I really consider how technology has caused the evolution of sports as well. The group brought us through the stages at which how technology has influenced the training phase of the different sports. For instance, under the sport, swimming, there’s a main change in the swimsuit, which allows the swimmer 5% less effort to swim at the same speed as before. The suit has also undergone plasma treatment to create water repellency and also minimize water absorption. I found it amazing at how technology can actually cause such an innovation to even the most common thing. 

Also, the website also mentioned that in the 2008 Olympic Games alone, 23 out of 25 of the World Records (92%) were won by athletes wearing the ‘Speedo LZR Racer’ swimsuit. This leads me to question, with such innovations, does that mean that it’s a form of cheating? Or is there a form of biasness when it comes to competition?

The last website talks about how technology affects the social networking, gaming and media industry. I believe it is important to educate youths on the cause and effect of using technology recklessly. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”. Hence, we should start off first by educating the youths so that they will be more aware and precautious when using the Internet. This can help to minimize the danger that it brings. Especially when the gaming industry is thriving as more youths will get affected. 

I enjoyed this week's lesson as i feel that it's something different from the usual class as we get to explore the different topics that is affected by the advancement of technology. 

Class Rating: 8/10