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Ok, just another definition on another segment, Constructivism, we are to focus on this week for our class reading. Seeing the definitions really helps me understand so much more. Hope it helps others as well.

Welll, I was looking at the 2nd definition, but Yah, after I posted this and did some more of the reading, I realized it wasn't quite the right definition either. Sorry! :) I like your link much better! Although, it doesn't seem so clear cut to me. If I understand it correctly a person/s can construct something that is controlled and by society or culture but not necessarily by nature? Like making a robot puppy instead of having a real one? THe robot is more controlled. right? So is there a difference between Constructivism and Constructionism? Or are those just two words meaning the same thing? Sorry for the questions, just kind of typing and saying outloud to make sure I got it. :)

No need to apologize. In technological terms, it means that technologies develop in response to social conditions (vs. determinism which suggests that technologies determine social conditions). That is a reductive definition of both terms but gives you an idea of how the binary operates. But as we read in the Williams piece, it is actually a complex interplay of both. Constructionism vs. Constructivism depends on the field. I admit to being a bit sloppy and probably using them interchangeably, about which I will try to be more mindful. In theories of education, there is a difference where Constructivism refers to what I'm describing above whereas Constructionism is the theory of learning through applied methods (making, or constructing, things). And then to complicate everything even further, we have social constructionism. This is a pretty good explanation of technological determinism vs. social constructivism http://www.slideshare.net/JonathanSmith122/social-constructivism-technological-determinism-technological-momentum

#6300link MT @BiellaColeman: My Technological Underworlds Syllabus (look fun, no?) http://t.co/JKD28vcVSd (image courtesy of @johncusack) - Kim Knight (@purplekimchi) January 6, 2014

#6300link MT @BiellaColeman: My Technological Underworlds Syllabus (look fun, no?) http://t.co/JKD28vcVSd (image courtesy of @johncusack) - Kim Knight (@purplekimchi) January 6, 2014

It does look fun, and aren't we reading her book for class, "Coding Freedom?" I have to admit coding is still "Greek" to me, but I'm excited to learn. :)

I thought this article was really interesting after reading "As We May Think" by Vannevar Bush as another way to show how far we are coming with science that now Google is making contact lens that will measure Glucose levels in Tears. It is amazing to see how advanced we are with technology. #emac6300

I just saw a tweet about this. #emac6300 http://mashable.com/2014/01/16/smart-contact-lenses-benefits/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

You know, I was wondering about the contact itself. I use to wear contacts and if anything got under it, it was killer. It would irritate my eye constantly till I could get it out. How can the chip not bother or be noticeable to the wearer?That chip on the fake eye in the video looked pretty big, even bigger than the photo in the article Amanda provided. How could I see past it, how transparent could it be? Also, if the wearer uses saline to water the eye, does that mess up the tear glucose readings. Man, I have a lot more questions for the manufacturers and scientists behind this. I would love to be a tester for this product. #emac6300

This is the white paper attached to a NYTimes story about pCell technology that hopes to provide mobile users for far faster cell network speeds, for such things as streaming video

Useful in upcoming discussion on privacy.....

Privacy issues and data mining student information beings down a company

BiblioTech, one of the country's first all-digital public libraries, aims to reach more readers by hosting their entire collection on the cloud. Patrons may choose from 18,000 digital titles and can check out Kindles, too. I wonder if this is what all libraries will start to look like. I also love that they have an "iPad Bar" haha

This is an awesome change. The Getty photos are groovy.

Today's tech companies hire social scientists to help them develop, or enhance, the user experience of their digital products. These kinds of gigs seem to fit with the EMAC program.

The best social media guides often come directly from the websites, especially for strategic communications endeavors.

Smartphones are going against one of the long-held rules in portable electronics, that smaller is better. Year by year, computers, storage devices and music players have shed size and weight. And for decades, it has been happening with cellphones, too.

A more nuanced approach to the social media is anti-social argument