Academic discussion practice
Activity 1
This activity involves reading and discussing four texts about the impact of new information and communication technologies on our personal, academic and professional lives.
Work in groups of four. Each member of the group should work on one of the texts below. Read the text that has been assigned to you (not the others at this stage) and then do the following:
n Identify the issue discussed in the text.
n Summarise the main idea of the text in one sentence.
n Identify the main and supporting points. Note down these points in one of the following forms: linear form, a diagrammatic skeleton or a mind map.
n Answer the questions that follow the text.
Text A
One of the central issues of the information age is that of equitable access to information technologies and services. Despite the rapid development and widespread use of information and communication technologies in recent years, scholars have drawn attention to the fact that access to these innovations is by no means even (Thomas, 2000; Wong, 2001), and this has raised concerns about an emerging information gap in society based on income and education. Although the number of families with access to the Internet and cable television has risen sharply in the past decade, what tends to be overlooked is that a significant proportion of households are unable to afford the fees for these services. This clearly places students from such households at an obvious disadvantage since (unlike children from middle and upper income families) they do not have ready access to the specialised and up-to-date information and entertainment provided by these new media. Another factor that needs to be considered is that many people not only find the new technologies (such as computers) too complicated to operate, but also lack the intellectual skills to understand and use the vast amount of information that is available. A crucial question here is that of literacy. Studies have found that, even in the most technologically advanced societies, a sizeable percentage of adults do not possess the literacy skills that are needed to function effectively in the workplace (Baker, 1999; Walsh, 2000). As might be expected, the literacy problem is even more acute in many developing countries (Ngugi, 2001).Martin, N. (2002). The information age. New York: Blackwall.
Answer these questions and then move on to Activity 2.
a) What are the main causes of the information gap?
b) Why do some people find it difficult to use information?
c) What problem does Thomas (2000) highlight?
d) What problem does Ngugi (2001) draw attention to?
Text B
As a result of the rapid development of information and communication technologies in the past few decades, more and more data about individuals are being collected, stored and retrieved electronically, particularly by government-related agencies. Some commentators (e.g. Chan, 2003) argue that this is a positive development in that it enables the government and other organisations (e.g. schools, hospitals, banks) to provide prompt and efficient services. As Kwong (2001) has demonstrated, the creation of vast centralised databases has also aided the work of law-enforcement agencies (e.g. by helping them to uncover criminal networks or illegal immigrants). There are others, however, who contend that the growth of information technology poses a serious threat to people’s privacy since key information about their personal and professional lives – e.g. their medical, educational and tax records, their activities and associations, their political and religious affiliations – may be viewed or used by people without a legitimate right to do so (see Wong, 2000). The increasing commercial use of the Internet in the past decade has intensified concerns over privacy and security. This is indicated by the findings of Wilson’s (2001, p. 65) large-scale study of Net users in the United States, which revealed that over 80% of those surveyed were ‘seriously concerned about threats to their privacy while online’. Perhaps significantly, around two-thirds of Wilson’s subjects reported that they would ‘never’ submit key personal data such as credit card numbers and contact information.Wallace, P. (2003). Privacy in the information age. In F. Davies (Ed.), The individual and society in
the information age (pp. 23-62). Edinburgh: Tartan Press.
Answer these questions and then move on to Activity 2.
a) Why should citizens be worried about the development of information technology?
b) Why are people concerned about the commercial use of the Internet?
c) What is Chan’s (2003) view on the rapid development of information technology?
d) Do Kwong (2001) and Wong (2000) have similar views on central databases?
Text C
In the past two decades, our personal and professional lives have been transformed by innovations in the fields of science and technology. There is no doubt that the pace of change has been unprecedented in history. Such is the pace of change that yesterday’s apparently revolutionary (and actually very expensive) new product quickly becomes out of date, and people are constantly forced to update their knowledge and skills in order to adapt to the new environment. Inevitably, the dramatic changes of the last twenty years have placed severe demands and strains on people and organisations. In the business world, the rapid development of information and communication technologies has meant that professionals at management level have become inundated with ever-increasing amounts of information. While there are some who welcome such a phenomenon (because, they claim, more information results in more informed decision making), there are others who believe that managers in the modern world are increasingly suffering from an information overload. Many professionals in the West complain that the new technologies generate vast quantities of irrelevant, unreliable and inaccurate data. In other words, they ‘cannot see the wood for the trees’. In a recent survey, it was found that the vast majority of managers felt that the proliferation of information in the business world hindered rather than helped their decision making. Indeed, most of those surveyed claimed that information overload was the main cause of stress in the workplace.Carr, A. (2004). Information overload in the modern workplace: A personal view. Retrieved
November 12, 2004, from http://www.tmm.org.
Answer these questions and then move on to Activity 2.
a) Why are some professionals ‘unable to see the wood for the trees’?
b) Do you think the author welcomes scientific and technological innovation?
c) What sources do you think the author used to write his passage?
d) Would you say that the passage is a reliable source?
Text D
One of the most complex issues raised by the rapid development of information and communication technologies is that of intellectual property rights. Intellectual property rights enable people to own – and thereby control and profit from – their creativity and innovation. The most commonly used protectors of intellectual property are copyright, patents, trade marks and designs. For our purposes perhaps the most important of these is copyright. This ensures that the creators of various kinds of literary, artistic and educational material (e.g. literature, films, textbooks, software) are economically rewarded for the time, effort, skill and money that they have devoted to their work. If a person or organisation wishes to use copyright material – e.g. a teacher who wants to photocopy a newspaper article for her students – it is necessary to secure the permission of the author. It will immediately be seen that the modern information infrastructure poses a threat to copyright owners because it enables information and ideas to be reproduced, distributed and published quickly and cheaply. As Moss (2002, p. 23) points out:The availability of information in digital form means that anyone hooked up to the Internet can make perfect yet inexpensive copies of all kinds of files; the transmission speeds of computer networks are such that documents can be sent around the world virtually instantaneously; and the advent of the World Wide Web means that anyone – irrespective of qualifications, ability or experience – can become a publisher with a global reach.
Watson, L. (2003). Intellectual property rights in the digital age. Internet Review, 10(2), 23-34.
Answer these questions and then move on to Activity 2.
a) Why are intellectual property rights important?
b) Why do technological advances threaten intellectual property rights?
c) Why do you think the author reproduces Moss’s exact words in her article?
d) Is Watson guilty of plagiarism?
Activity 2
This activity gives you the chance to share and discuss the ideas in Texts A-D. Each member of the group should give a short presentation to the other members of the group about the main points in the text. Doing the presentation will enable you to communicate your understanding of the text. This is important if you wish to develop effective paraphrasing skills. After each presentation, the other members of the group should ask questions about and discuss the following points:
n The issue discussed in the text
n The main idea of the text
n The details of the writer’s argument (including any examples given)
n The sources used by the writer
n The relevance of the issues to your own lives