No, not a quiz! A survey about the internet. As part of the IEEE Society for Technology and Society (or something along those lines), I was invited to share my opinions and predictions on the future of the internet over the course of the next ten years. It was set up so that you could agree with, disagree with, or challenge a statement. Here are two examples, and my responses (because I think they're important and interesting issues).
Prediction on social networksBy 2014 use of the internet will increase the size of people's social networks far beyond what has traditionally been the case. This will enhance trust in society, as people have a wider range of sources from which to discover and verify information about job opportunities, personal services, common interests, and products.I challenge the prediction:
"...enhance trust in society..."
It will enhance trust in certain individuals in society who can produce the appropriate credentials, but society in general will be less ready to trust unless adequate information can be produced. Trust in people's own social network will be increased, whereas outsiders will have to work harder to gain an individual's confidence.
Prediction on formal educationEnabled by information technologies, the pace of learning in the next decade will increasingly be set by student choices. In ten years, most students will spend at least part of their "school days" in virtual classes, grouped online with others who share their interests, mastery, and skills. I agree.
The traditional role of teacher will be diminished as students find peers and other authority figures from which learning can be done. The down side of this is that traditional training for teachers will be inadequate to deal with this kind of classroom, or how to exploit this kind of learning/teaching dynamic. Only a small portion of "school time" will be devoted to this learning environment, as it has traditionally been viewed as "extra curricular." Little value can be placed on the knowledge and skills attained with this learning because there exist no standard measure of what students learn and apply outside the traditional classroom. There is potential for growth within the area of formal education, but little initiative or consensus on how to implement it.
When considering education I like to branch away from internet also consider technology as a whole. I also believe that schools probably won't keep up with technology mainly because of the way we think of this "institution." School should be a dynamic learning place but (like engineering) many of the types who are involved in school administration are rigid in both their teaching and learning styles and their seats of power. They are unwilling to bend to an external force such as the internet to replace the traditional teacher, even though students and society could both benefit from it, if taught" properly.
Similarly, with medicine, people tend to think that the more we spend on medical technology, the healthier we will be, which is a fallacy. If we were better educated in health-related issues, if consumers were forced to make healthy choices, and if medical (and pharmaceutical) corporations were more interested in the human/health benefit of medical technology as opposed to just making a buck, I think we'd be much better off as a society. When it comes to social programs, there is little room for privatized and capitalism if we want a system that works. But then again, this survey was about the internet specifically and not technology in general.
