阅读unit-16--reading-4

2010 年至 2011 年 第 二 学期 第 周 星期 课题名称（含教材章节）： Unit 16 Technology 教学目的和要求： to learn about some terms of technology to learn about technology advances and the application of new technology 教学重点： technology advances and the application of new technology 教学难点： the application of new technology

教 学 内 容 （ 要 点 ） Text I: New Technologies Text II: Should you Jump on the Technology Bandwagon？

徐 州 工 程 学 院 教 案 纸

Part I: Background Information 1 Technology Technology is the making, usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purpose. The word technology comes from Greek τεχνολογία (technología); from τέχνη (téchnē), meaning \"art, skill, craft\-λογία (-logía), meaning \"study of-\".[1] The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical technology, and information technology. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons. Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms. Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, opining that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations. 2 Artificial intelligence (AI) Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as \"the study and design of intelligent agents\"[2] where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success.[3] John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1956,[4] defines it as \"the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.\"[5] The field was founded on the claim that a central property of humans, intelligence—the sapience of Homo sapiens—can be so precisely described that it can be simulated by a machine.[6] This raises philosophical issues about the nature of the mind and the ethics of creating artificial beings, issues which have been addressed by myth, fiction and philosophy since antiquity.[7] Artificial intelligence has been the subject of optimism,[8] but has also suffered setbacks[9] and, today, has become an essential part of the technology industry, providing the heavy lifting for many of the most difficult problems in computer science.[10] AI research is highly technical and specialized, and deeply divided into subfields that often fail to communicate with each other.[11] Subfields have grown up around particular institutions, the work of individual researchers, the solution of specific problems, longstanding differences of opinion about how AI should be done and the application of widely differing tools. The central problems of AI include such traits as reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects.[12] General intelligence (or \"strong AI\") is still among the field's long term goals.[13] 3 R&D The phrase research and development (also R and D or, more often, R&D), according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to \"creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications\".[1] Research and development is often scientific or towards developing particular technologies and is frequently carried out as corporate or governmental activity. 4 pilot experiment A pilot experiment, also called a pilot study, is a small scale preliminary study conducted before the main research, in order to check the feasibility or to improve the design of the research. Pilot studies, therefore, may not be appropriate for case studies. They are frequently carried out before large-scale quantitative research, in an attempt to avoid time and money being wasted on an inadequately designed project. A pilot study is usually carried out on members of the relevant population, but not on those who will form part of the final sample. This is because it may influence the later behavior of research subjects if they have already been involved in the research.[1] A pilot experiment is often used to test the design of the full-scale experiment which then can be adjusted. It is a potentially valuable insight and should anything be missing in the pilot study it can be added to the the full-scale (and more expensive) experiment to improve the chances of a clear outcome. Often in engineering applications, pilot experiments are used to sell a product and provide quantitative proof that the system has potential to succeed on a full scale basis. Pilot experiments are also used to reduce cost, as they are less expensive than full experiments. If there is not enough reason to provide full scale applications, pilots can generally provide this proof. In sociology, pilot studies can be referred to as small-scale studies that will help identify design issues before the main research is done. Although pilot experiments have a well-established tradition in public action, their usefulness as a strategy for change has been questioned, at least in the domain of environmental management. [2] It is argued that extrapolation from a pilot study to large scale environmental strategy cannot be assumed to be possible, partly due to the exceptional resources and favourable conditions that often accompanies a pilot study. Part II: Text Learning Text I: New Technologies Pre-reading questions for discussion: 1. What role did technology play in the history of human culture? 2. Do you think new technology is worth having? While-reading: Comprehension questions: 1. What technologies that the author mentions can replace the old tech and have great impact on modern society? 2. What technology advances does the author mention? 3. Why is it so difficult to make effective use of technology in the commercial world? 4. What needs to be done to speed up the process? 5. What is the problem of the American executives to utilize new technologies? 6. How to make full use of technology in the business world? 7. What changes in corporate culture will enable organizations to Topics for discussion/Questions for thought What are you suggestions on the utility of new technologies? Text II: Should you Jump on the Technology Bandwagon？ Background information Sociological factors and effects The implementation of technology influences the values of a society by changing expectations and realities. The implementation of technology is also influenced by values. There are (at least) three major, interrelated values that inform, and are informed by, technological innovations:  Mechanistic world view: Viewing the universe as a collection of parts, (like a machine), that can be individually analyzed and understood.[6] This is a form of reductionism that is rare nowadays. However, the \"neo-mechanistic world view\" holds that nothing in the universe cannot be understood by the human intellect. Also, while all things are greater than the sum of their parts (e.g., even if we consider nothing more than the information involved in their combination), in principle, even this excess must eventually be understood by human intelligence. That is, no divine or vital principle or essence is involved.  Efficiency: A value, originally applied only to machines, but now applied to all aspects of society, so that each element is expected to attain a higher and higher percentage of its maximal possible performance, output, or ability.[6]  Social progress: The belief that there is such a thing as social progress, and that, in the main, it is beneficent. Before the Industrial Revolution, and the subsequent explosion of technology, almost all societies believed in a cyclical theory of social movement and, indeed, of all history and the universe. This was, obviously, based on the cyclicity of the seasons, and an agricultural economy's and society's strong ties to that cyclicity. Since much of the world is closer to their agricultural roots, they are still much more amenable to cyclicity than progress in history. This may be seen, for example, in Prabhat rainjan sarkar's modern social cycles theory. For a more westernized version of social cyclicity, see Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (Paperback) by Neil Howe and William Strauss; Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (September 30, 1992); ISBN 0-688-11912-3, and subsequent books by these authors. Lifestyle In many ways, technology simplifies life.  The rise of a leisure class  A more informed society  Sets the stage for more complex learning tasks  Increases multi-tasking (although this may not be simplifying)  Global networking  Creates denser social circles  Cheaper prices  Greater specialization in jobs In other ways, technology complicates life.  Pollution is a serious problem in a technologically advanced society (from acid rain to Chernobyl and Bhopal)  The increase in transportation technology has brought congestion in some areas  Technicism (although this may not be complicating)  New forms of danger existing as a consequence of new forms of technology, such as the first generation of nuclear reactors  New forms of entertainment, such as video games and internet access could have possible social effects on areas such as academic performance Increased probability of some diseases and disorders, such as obesity  Social separation of singular human interaction. Technology has increased the need to talk to more people faster.  Structural unemployment  Anthropogenic climate change Institutions and groups Technology often enables organizational and bureaucratic group structures that otherwise and heretofore were simply not possible. Examples of this might include:  The rise of very large organizations: e.g., governments, the military, health and social welfare institutions, supranational corporations.  The commercialization of leisure: sports events, products, etc. (McGinn)  The almost instantaneous dispersal of information (especially news) and entertainment around the world. International Technology enables greater knowledge of international issues, values, and cultures. Due mostly to mass transportation and mass media, the world seems to be a much smaller place, due to the following, among others:  Globalization of ideas  Embeddedness of values  Population growth and control  Others To ask student to read through the passage and try to get the main idea of the whole passage. Part III: Fasting Reading To ask student to read through the passages in this section in limited time and do exercises. Part IV: Homework: to read more passages about technolo.gy 