Final Reflections: Rachelle Elbert

"Truths, are more likely to have been discovered by one man than by a nation."

- Descartes

My Self-Directed Learning

One major source of learning for this course was 'The Discoverers' by Daniel Boorstin. I discovered that thedevelopment of science and mathematics changed the world. I typically began my research on Wikipedia, and felt that it led me to different sources of learning. I reviewed theses by Isaac Newton, Descartes, and Mersenne. These fathers of mathematics and language helped create what we know as the Digital Age. I also enjoyed talking to older generations: my grandma, parents, and fellow cast-mates, and they helped describe the kind of world they grew up in, in comparison to today's society. As science and technology has evolved, so has society. There are types and shadows within history: consequences for the actions of people dabbling in new technology and power. More about that topic can be found in this blog post by Nathan Lambert. This blog post also goes in depth of how we can learn from history.
 I wish I had studied more in depth, each time period and everything that happened. It takes a lifetime of learning to understand the evolution of society. I felt that through this class, and how it was organized (groups assigned certain topics), I was able to get a glimpse into history. My favorite time period was the Enlightenment. It was the beginning of the French Revolution, Scientific Revolution, and progress. The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the church, and paved the way for the revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. As said by Jolene Kirk in a Digital Dialogue post, "The Enlightenment is a time for people learning to continue to change their ideas of “truths of the universe” because their “truths” are always changing with the discovery of new truths." When society emerged as a unit outside the reigns of the church, individualism and humanism blossomed. I am so grateful for the Renaissance.
 Besides art and festivals, I knew little about the Renaissance. Through this course I learned more about the government side of things, as well as who was leading technological development. I struggled with knowing what to say on blog posts and on Digital Dialogue, because I was so enthralled by my classmates thoughts. I was way busy this semester, and regret not participating in more discussion. What we learned in this class is vital for the development of our future. We must learn from the mistakes of the past. And we must take what we have learn and build upon it, so we can unite our society and continue to progress.

My Evolving Project
At the beginning of the group project, I knew I wanted to talk about the effects of Social Media on society. I knew it effected our emotions, and slowly required us to rebuild a new identity online. With Bryce's topic of "Security vs. Privacy" I knew that there was a connection. Bryce Romney's Post. I was impressed by his passion and knowledge of today's security breaches and privacy rights. It encouraged me to do my own research into our human rights. We eventually combined our efforts into a final blog post about how our security and privacy is being controlled by our emotional efforts. I enjoyed using video in our blogs. I really liked this groups blogpost about how technology is deteriorating our communication today. We have a tendency to put ourselves online, that it becomes our new identity. Sometimes this identity gets in the way of outside communication. Also, by communicating online, everything we say is forever on the cloud, in our service providers records, and our information can be hacked. There is a greater need for security than ever, and I believe that Bryce and I brought up a very important and relevant topic.


Communication and History
Ways of communicating has evolved drastically over history. With the invention of vernacular languages and the translation of them, and especially the advancement of technology, has communicating between countries become easier. In Ancient Rome, people communicated by way of writing on tablets that were posted in the town square. Government and political figures would give speeches in that town square, and society bonded over community events like the Olympics. Many countries tried to reciprocate what the Romans had, because communication in that country was successful and people flourished. With the development of written language did communication become man's search to improve upon shouting.
What used to be 'pigeon post' that began in oriental countries and Germany, became letters and what now is the postal service. This helped communication between countries, and the start of international affairs. In Europe leaders were heavily influenced by the Catholic church, who help historical records in Latin. Latin became a dead language, and the church had a monopoly on the language. When the Royal Society formed in the 16th century, scientists collaborated their ideas about math and science and developed a universal way of thinking. Mathematics became the universal language, and helped monetary systems. Technology really developed during the Industrial era. Between the 18th and 21st century, technology development accelerated with the invention of cars, computers, and especially the internet. When the interstate was built in the 1900's, postal service could reach different parts of the country much quicker. Letters and packages could be sent overseas with the invention of airplanes. Before that, mail could take weeks, even months, to reach other countries because ships were slow moving across choppy waters.
We are finally at the Digital Age, where communicating is fast, simple, and dumbed down. We have changed the way we speak, to be precise, quick to the point, and less eloquent. We talked differently 100 years ago, but now we speak more casually. The internet allowed for fast communication to any part of the world, through AIM Instant Messaging, Email, and now Facebook Messaging. Cellphones allowed for calls at any time, anywhere, and now with text messaging, you have no excuse for not communicating.
Communication is vital for keeping peace among countries and society. We have come so far, and we are now in an age where communicating should be easiest. Yet, we hide behind our devices, and our casual way of speaking can make it harder to say what you want to say. There needs to be a balance in all things, and today's technology allows for instant communication, as well as enhancing personal communication.