Surfing the information highway
continued from previous page
powerful c omputer1-, students .ire .title to ilissci t
,i cadaver, become immersed in .1 foreign lan
guage, or tompo'-e .1 nil pl.r, li.uk music on .1
l.iptop.
“We’ll use the tnultimcdi.1 PC technology lo
create new tv]Hs of learning environments lh.il
make sou. the student, more the center of
things, that create tor sou uncrossorlds or that
immerse sou m learning environments," says
William (liases, associate provost for informa
tion technology at the l of North ( arolina
(1 rases is also a fclloss at I 1)1 ( OM, a consor
tium ot ncarls 600 colleges in Washington,
l)( , that promotes technology m higher edu
cation.
\t lames Madison l in Virginia, students
can take Psychology 160 in the Blackwell
Xuditorium, a S2(K).(HH) attempt at creating the
classroom of the 21st century I he auditorium
has tsso large screens, which the professor con
trols with computers to provide a visual repre
sentation of the lecture Students use keylxiards,
toeated at each seat, to answer questions and the
results are tallied /anr (,onnettn>n-\l\le and dts
played on screen.
“It was a little hit awkward when I first went,
hut 1 got used to it," saysJ.Wl' tumor Cheyenne
Surlier. “I wouldn’t desenlie the class as more
personal, but you had more interaction ”
Interactive programs arc used to study foreign
languages at (icorgetown l , Cornell l and
l \( , physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute and the l of Maryland, medicine at
the V ot Iowa and l ( 1 A, and chemistry at the
l of Illinois.
“W e can now capture, store, retrieve and ana
lyze more and more of the human experience in
digital form,” Craves saw “You can use that
technology to submerse yourself m a learning
context where you have control Instead ot
teaching at you, it puts you in a learning cnvi
linli Made. i gi aduatc student .it I’urduc l
saw Ik- is concerned about tin future of the
Internet “( ompantes util try to pain control
ami limit act css m i inlet to pain profit and u ield
control," he says
Hut (,\\’l"s Maltese uould rather see private
interests running the network “ I ethnology \
not something the po\eminent is ver\ comfort
able with,” she saw “I don t like the idea of
somebody who doesn't like the Internet running
the Internet."
I he computer lab is another area where your
pocket connects with the information super
highway ( >nl\ alxiut JO percent of college stu
dents on n computers, so many schools arc
charging for access
\t the l of \ri/ona an increase in tuition
covered institutional computing costs, and the
L of l tali recently charged a $s0 computing
fee per quarter. I he tec hike has helped
improve a dismally loss cnmpulcr/studcnt ratio;
l tali now has one computer lor every JO stu
dents.
THE HUMAN COSTS
Any discussion over the price of technology
must examine the human costs Some have
speculated that high technology will make out
society more divisive Will the information
superhighway tie open to everyone' l )r yyill
these adyanies only create a wider gap between
those yy ho can afford access and those who can
not?
“ I here arc many social issues that are difficult
to overcome," (iraves says. “ 1 here's still an
equity issue, that technology does not separate
us It’s the obligation of our institutions that
those questions arc addressed
And, in the end, the greatest danger is that
multimedia presentations and electronic com
munication will completely remote human
interac tion from the college cx[>cricncc
“Sometimes it's tool to have the huge screens
and key pads, hut sometimes it kind of dehuman
izes the whole process," says JMV. sophomore
ronment am! n giv es tacul
t\ marc wavs o! being
effective w uh you.”
WHO 8 FOOTING THE MU?
When the state huilds a
highway, somebody gets
the shaft Whether the)
pave some poor sap's trout
yard or hike your taxes,
tile a\ comes down I he
construction ot the infor
mation superhighw a\ is no
ditterent, and the costs are
human as well as financial.
Currently, many stu
dents get free access to the
Internet through their uni
versities, which receive
subsidies indirectly from
the National Science
foundation.
But the NSf- has pro
posed privatization ot the
Internet within four years.
\ccess to the network
would then l>c provided by
the private sector — most
likely the phone compa
nies which are salivat
ing at the thought of get
ting in on the action.
Cyberglossary
■ Electronic mail (e mail): e man
allows users to send messages across
their office or across the country
Correspondence can be sent through local
area networks i LANs i. such as connected
computers in one office, or through a
modem to other computers around the
world
■ Internet: An electronic network that
provides users around the world with
e-mail. news, file trading, games and other
services
• Multimedia: Computergeneraled
text, audio and video Multimedia has
unlimited possibilities lor education, cspe
cially tor presentations which allow stu
dents to interact with the subject matter
■ Information Superhighway: The
Clinton administration has proposed the
construction ot an electronic communica
tion network as the key to global competi
tiveness.
Andrew Miller, about the
classroom of the 21 st ccntti
ry “You walk into the clasc
and plug into a keypad ."
But Graves argues that
the relationship between
student and professor will
be improved by introduc
ing high technology.
"We want to protect a
vcr\ basic component of
higher education, which is
human interaction,”
Graves savs. “ I here’s no
replacement for that.
(Professors) provide the
glue that tics together sub
ject matter. That's what
faculty do that you can't
get from a Iki.x.”
Ultimately, Graves says,
colleges must answer these
questions to give students
what they paid for. “I think
students will lie entering a
work place that is already
technology-dependent,” he
says. “ The obligation for
universities is to include
technology so students
won't be entering the work
place blind.” 0
INFOTAINMENT
oontbuMd from pravfout page
«—i^ltp (12" VMm CO)
mNK: Laserdiscs otter a picture 60 percent sharper than
VHS and the same sound quality as CDs. Plus, when you watch
Young Guns 20 years from now it will look as good as the first
time you savored it.
MtfVUKtt TO imoom: This one is mostly for the hard-core
movie fans, but you can't argue with the picture quality and
sound. And you won't have to screw around with that ''tracking
button anymore Laserdiscs also play conventional CDs, so it
won't be the next 8-track, but proceed with caution. Remember
Beta? Me either
atnuunuiY: Last time you were at Blockbuster, did you see a
lot of movies on laserdisc? There you go.
COST: Players range from $400 to $1000 and the discs range
from $25 to $70
mn ITT A good CD player costs more than $200, so if you
rationalize enough, you might be able to swallow the laserdisc.
Wait until your local video store starts carrying them. If they
don't, pass.
Faraonal Orgminrt/ltowtM
HWPOIL Most personal organizers, up until recently, were lit
tle more than computerized address books. Apple's Newton is
the first handheld computer to at least try to translate your
handwriting. You can send faxes (with an add-on modem) of
anything you scriDDie on its screen with a stylus
or communicate without wires by ‘‘beaming’'
information to another Newton up to a meter
away, tt also has the capacity to receive wire
less paging messages.
HtWilt to moon* The Newton is
really better suited to the tasks and
expense accounts of corporate America.
The organizer i$ a lot of fun to play with,
but are you prepared to skip your next
two spring breaks to pay for it?
: About 2,000 computer and
electronic stores nave earned tne Newton since
September.
Mb Ouch Apple sells Newton organizers for $699 to $949
based on the number of bells and whistles you add.
•Nil ITT You’re better off with a laptop. The ability to write
with a pen is attractive, but you can type a lot faster and. for
now. the Newton is basically a computerized Day Runner.
IlitiMhrt Patnaurrt
The Recordable CO is available but used mainly for commer
cial purposes and is out of the price range of the deepest stu
dent pocket. Buy a Honda instead.
300 promises to be to Nintendo what Nintendo was to Atari.
(Remember Asteroids?) 3D0 is a CO-ROM format that provides
video games with richer colors, better graphics and blinding
speed. The multimedia player may also play movies in the
future. Panasonic has a model out now and they’re selling
briskly —at about $700.
Interactive IV: Cable operators and phone companies are rac
ing to be the first with a TV that you can bond with. You'll be
able to select movies, shows or educational programs from an
extensive video library. Some day. you may even be able to go
shopping in a way that's more interactive and less annoying
than the Home Shopping Network. You can also expect an
increase in channels, from the paltry 50 or so you're receiving
now to 500.
Virtual reality: Hey! is that me beating up
elves and saving the fiefdom? Put on
a virtual reality helmet and it is.
VF