The truth about college

Homework: here is a concept that radically changes when a pupil goes from high-school to university. This blog itself is the example of this radical change: part of an assignment on the Information Systems course of my degree, I am supposedly required to post something on it every week. Although the purpose of this mandatory assignment cannot seem to fit into any kind of logic reasoning when analysing an Information Systems course, I still have to do it.

And so, every week, I have to twist my mind and find a topic which is interesting enough to comment about and waste around 2 hours writing something about it. The reality is that this makes no sense at all: since when are we required to imagine things and write properly about them on an Information Systems course? If the assignment were to find an interesting article on a web-site every week, or if it were to think of new ways to develop information systems, or even expose cases we have been in contact with, then yes, I could see the point in such assignment: there could be room for innovation and personal development, two of the main pillars of the University education. But no: the requirement is simply to post something on a blog every week, or have a 0 in your continuous evaluation grade. An assignment that bring no personal development whatsoever and that seems nothing but a mockery to the concept of University itself.

Ok, so some people might argue that it develops my communication skills and my reporting skills…. NO IT DOESN’T!

Don’t elude yourself: we get absolutely no feedback on these posts unless we don’t post anything on the blog (in which case we get one of those nice messages with an ultimatum to post something on it over the next day or get a 0 on the continuous evaluation).If we get no feedback and have no proficient English-speaking teaching showing us the expressions and colloquialisms we could use in one or another situation, and if we gain absolutely no knowledge by complying with this requirement, then we can only come to the conclusion that the purpose of this assignment is simply to make us look like fool puppets..

No comments…

The human condition summed-up in a picture.

Kids Do It Themselves

As I stated last week, information systems should also be mostly analysed on how they will shape our lives in the future, and how new ideas can actually increase our dependency in these systems. A friend of mine pointed out that I seemed a little bit negative and pessimistic in regards to this dependency, when reading again my post I realise that may have been the case.

As such I would like to present you this week with an example that shows that this increased dependency in information systems and their incorporation into our daily lives can actually be a good thing and improve our lives and improve our society as a whole.

This particular example was presented last month by David Merrill, an MIT graduate student, and shows how a simple idea of implementation of information systems can improve the learning experiences for the youngsters and develop the society by allowing for an increased flexibility of the mind and an incentive to creativity.

Information Mobility

Over the last month I have been posting about the importance of information systems in our lives, and the imperative their are to our current condition. Over these weeks I have been focusing mostly on the current information systems and their applicability in our current lives. But as has been pointed out to me, I am focusing maybe too much on past events and past technologies. The truth is technology is changing at an impressive speed, and is being used to keep us company in every moment of our lives: and I’m not just talking about the simple cell-phone, however sophisticated it may be. This week, instead of a long speech with my thoughts on the matter, I’d rather post a video which has been posted into an online pitch area this past Tuesday 10th of March and regards to a presentation done last month by Pattie Maes and her team from the MIT. This video reflects exactly what I mean by our dependence on future information systems and how these may become just an essential part of our lives: one single idea of a product that when inserted into the market and properly working, people just simple wont be able to live without. Enjoy…

e-University

Do you have any idea what is the room which is most used in almost any decent University? The computer lab.

University has taken a new form. Although the chalk and blackboard still prevails in the classrooms, a rising portion of classes no longer use this tool as the primary instrument to convey the graphical elements needed for a proper learning. LCD displays, touch screens, projectors and laser beams are now the primary tools used by professors. These allow for a better preparation of the session and a higher degree of interaction with students. Some companies have been taking advantage of this, and when you take the Apple example you can clearly see that a big element of its success lies on the University customers (students and teachers): it develops its products so that it becomes attractive to these students (with a high component of design and interactivity, such as the capability of controlling your presentation with your iPhone).

Although personally I’m all in  favour of implementing new technologies in the University arena, and pushing students to adopt these technologies that can help their lives, the truth is that an underlying issue seems to be forgotten when implementing these strategies: we now have a shift in competitiveness. This shift in competitiveness is given at an internal level on two approaches: the teachers and the students.

As to what the teachers are concerned, we have the issue of proper use of the technology. Let’s face it, as good a researcher as a teacher may be, he can have absolutely no skills in presenting this material to pupils. When implementing these technologies, many teachers hide behind them to mask their lack of aptitude towards the science of teaching. And as much as this camouflage may help them feel better, the reality is that these technologies are information systems that should be there to enhance a presentation and allow for more interaction with the students: the idea is not for teachers to be able to hide behind video effects and shift the attention towards the media element. The focus should always be on the teacher and on the discussion of what is being said. As much information as a PowerPoint presentation may give us, it cannot replace the art of transmitting knowledge: it cannot teach you, and you cannot discuss with a PowerPoint slide a divergence of opinion. A presentation, like a textbook, imposes information and requires you to comply with it even without understanding it and the logic behind it. Some teachers have understood this concept of supported teaching, other haven’t. If Darwin theory could be applied to Universities, the latter would soon be eliminated.

Students face a very different dilemma: the knowledge of these technologies and the maximum use of their capabilities allows for better presentations to be made and for a better processing of all the information and content provided by the teachers. Thus, the deeper are the knowledge of these technologies by the students the better are the chances he has to excel in his academic performance: for instance, a management student who is able to create a highly interactive presentation platform will certainly be able to present a much more interesting case study than a student that has basic PowerPoint capabilities. Since the evaluation of students is done with a high degree of importance given to the projects developed throughout the academic year, the final grades of the students who have a better understanding of these technologies will probabilistically be higher then the ones who lack this higher understanding, even if the latter has a better understanding of the content of the course content. College students in current times are required to be authentic system information engineers and produce innovative content. Many companies have also grasped this element and created platforms in order to help students develop their skills in this matter and create stunning presentations and report, capitalising on this through advertisement or through small charges for “premium” services. To what extent should then students be prepared before entering these institutions to use these technologies and what secondary effects could surface from such education?

Portugal has adopted a highly publicised campaign with the intent to introduce students to these technologies from a very young age, providing students with the possibility of having a personal portable computer and installing digital blackboards in the classrooms. This could bring a high competitive advantage to these students were it not for the fact that most of the teachers in these schools have obsolete knowledge of these technologies and high lack of update, not being able to properly tutor these young minds to properly use these technologies. The result is obvious: pupils will use these technologies to engage in gaming activities, illegal downloads, and will bring this ideas into their adulthood as if it were taught on them by what used to be called “the wise minds” of the society. Technology is not the most important factor in these programs: the way the technology is used is what can make the difference. Technology is only the base of support that can provide the competitive advantage to these students: the competitive advantage is the knowledge itself (and taught on the proper and ethically correct way).

Networking Social Intra-Action

As I have been pointing out in my last two posts, the society we live in our days is highly dependant on information systems. When comparing the fresh generation of newly-graduated college students to our parents’ generation we conclude that their concept of fundamentals is radically different: while the latter sees human progress dependant on industry and manual labour, the youngsters seem to have understood that the progress relies rather on the fundamental networking between individuals. This networking is, however, no longer dependant on direct human contact, and with the concept of globalization now turned into reality, the networking has now shifted to a spectrum of diverse online communities.

Networks such as Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, ASmallWorld and even TheStarTracker serve as the platforms promoting this networking. Some more restrictive than others, they all promote networking between individuals at various levels and remove the need for personal and physical introductions, one of the main social barriers to the exponential increase of any individual’s social network.

Nevertheless, although some might defend that these networks are a great tool to eliminate social barriers and fight ethnic disparity, the truth is that these networks tend to promote the increase in the gap between social backgrounds. With selective membership criteria such as ASmallWorld (where only a few selected members are given the privilege of being allowed to invite a few of their friends to join the network and where any slight misconduct leads to being expelled to the ABigWorld network), even sometimes being nationality restrictive, such as TheStarTracker (exclusive for Portuguese with abroad experience). The reality is that these networks promote social contact between individuals of the same social class, and outcasts the so-called aliens. Some people might refute this examples with the particular example of Facebook… But with further analysis we come to the conclusion that Facebook has just the same effect: people are friends within their own social background, the difference is that you ate the one who defines this social group, and not the network managers. With this Facebook managed to capture a maximum number of clients and then be able to use this user database to capitalise on advertisement. The social barriers remain within its core: if you observe a matrix of connections within Facebook you could be able to see groups of “islands”: these are the different social groups within Facebook that have intra-action rather then inter-action.

Raises then the issue of establishing up to what point does the lack of access to these social networks alienate individuals from their social origins and deprives them of the value of the networking with these individuals at a global level. In my opinion the human contact still prevails in these networks and is the only one that can effectively establish the trust factor needed in any kind of relationship. And although many of these networks do help to open doors and keep in touch with people we meet throughout the World, the truth is that I have been witnessing ever more people committing Facebook Suicide and going along well and much more relaxed in their day to day social lives: nevertheless these facts still remain to be studied.

System Error: Please Reboot.

Although most of us don't realize this, we live in an era completely dependent on information systems. And although many of us argue that we could perfectly live without these systems, since all they do is facilitate our lives (and are not an imperative for our survival), if we take a closer look we can see that in fact these disposable information systems are an imperative of our survival: our social survival.

Confusing? Yes in deed... I only realized the complexity of our dependence during a trip I did to Madrid last week. You'll get my point in just a second...

Take for instance Valentine's day. Along with the birthday of your girlfriend and your anniversary, this is probably one of the most crucial dates for someone in the couple not to forget (although personally I believe it to simply be one the most successful marketing campaigns ever imagined, along with Coca-Cola's Santa...). And this is one of the days where information systems are an imperative and need to work for the day to end in happiness instead of a big nasty fight.

First comes the actual reminder of the day. Lets be realistic: most of us do need a small alarm a week before to remind us of what's coming and start preparing things. Here took place the first information system: your alarm.

Then you need to book the restaurant: a phone call to the maître de cérémonies and he'll take care of the rest. Here come in a few more information systems: your phone call, the register of the reservation by the maître de cérémonies, the communication of this reservation to the rest of the employees so that they can allocate a table, and the transfer of the proper reservation list to whoever will be welcoming the customers at the door. All these are information systems.

Ok, so now that the restaurant is booked you can start thinking about the gift: for the sake of this example we'll take the typical package: a rose and chocolates. You get to the store and order those: you pay with your card because everyone those it like that in our days. But you want to spice things up, and it's a week day so you have to work, so you have those gifts delivered to your loved one in the morning at the workplace. Ok, the package is transfered from hands and everyone along the way needs to know where it's going, when, and what thy need to be careful about (not melting the chocolates or ruining the flowers). And since we're in a work-day, you'll be sending a few messages and making a few phone calls to your loved one during the day.

Ok, let's stop things here, so we don't turn this into a messy day.

Now imagine that all these information systems fail.

• Your alarm didn't ring, so your could be reminded to book the restaurant beforehand and have the best rose picked. You don't get the best restaurant or the best rose by the time you remember this, but it's ok because you love each other.


• Then when you try calling the restaurant the phone is not working: so you go there personally to book the table and spend a few hours of your day on this.


• Then, on the 14th the package isn't delivered to your loved one and was sent to the other side of the world. You don't know this because it was suposed to be a surprise.


• You send her messages during the morning that never get delivered because the network hadn´t properly calculated valentine´s day sms traffic on their information systems.


• You try calling her, and finally get to speak to her after one hour of busy lines. Ok, at least you still have dinner.


• When you get to the restaurant the waiter tells you that your name is not on the reservation list, that there must have been some problem on the reservation system, that he is sorry but that there is nothing he can do since they're fully booked.


• Every other decent place in town is full so you end up eating leftovers or Chinese at home after an exhausting day where everything went wrong.

I personally don't mind this outcome, since what's important is that you're together. But now imagine this was a business meeting where millions were involved... get my point?

Disinformation Systems

As yet another year has started, technology keeps developing. With ever faster processors and advanced displaying methods, we now live in a world where a constant paradox of information is present: do we have too much information?

Democratic governments brag themselves for having a free press and facilitating access to the information with sounding statements such as the Freedom of Information Act, but the truth is the gun seems to have back-fired. Be careful not to misinterpret me: I’m all in favour of democracy and freedom of information!

Web 2.0… boy, do teachers LOOOOVE to talk about this: the revolutionary capability of people posting information themselves accessible to anyone in the world.. or almost. I doubt most people in China can access this post. But the truth is, this boost of information freedom has actually created an overload on the general public. Take the example of news broadcasters: most of them now use the public to obtain information and pictures from all over the world… for free. They get to chose what information they will then convey on their news programs. And lets be realistic: no one has the time to read every single piece of information available out there, so people usually turn towards these news broadcasters to get a compilation of the relevant information available out there.

The issue here is that, in order to cope with this excess information, people rely on a system that is highly biased: news broadcaster are companies, and as such depend on profits to survive. With the economy in current conditions, the power of such incomes rely on one institution: the Government. The Government and its projects to boost the economy are the ones that currently distribute the real money that funds these news broadcasters’ clients, and as such, if a news broadcaster starts saying things the government doesn’t like, then its clients will move away with fears of loosing this precious government support. The outcome is clear: do we rely get unbiased information? Who actually has the unbiased information and where can we get it? Who has the more “realistic version”?

With the amount of information available online, we should theoretically be able to access any information and to better understand the truth about any given event. But the reality contains two hard to beat issues: First the amount of information available is too huge for one person to have the time to evaluate by himself the reality of the facts: how can we be sure that the information provided is truthful and that the facts have not been duped? And even if one were to say that if many sources have the same information, then this information must be true, the second-hand of the problem blows this theory out the window: most of the information providers rely on the information one-another publishes and act accordingly. If in the end the source comes from the same place, it would be natural to see the same information repeated by the various channels of information.

And then again, here comes the irony of it all… I myself am, through this post, a source of this “information”.

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