A Web site for students and friends of journalism
© 2010 William A. Mulligan, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
Professor of Journalism, former department chairman
California State University, Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif. (December 2009) — John Richards, a psychology major at Cal State Long Beach, was headed to class when he reached into his pocket and came out empty handed.
He stopped at a nearby table to ramble through his backpack,
Richards realized how irresponsible he had been as he rushed out of his house
earlier that morning.
Later
that day Richards realized how valuable technology has become even during the
fall of the economy.
“I left
my laptop and cell phone in another bag last week and headed to school, and I
couldn’t function in class,” Richards said. “Technology has brainwashed me.”
Mike
Randal, a Best Buy Geek Squad expert, said cell phones are used for numerous
things aside from calling, especially across the world. The Internet has become
the nation’s lounge for comfort.
Technology
has been expanded due to limitless usage. And, even though the economy has
failed technology seems to continue to climb.
The
cell phone has been updated with so many features that humans cannot live
without this simple device, even those struggling and trying to make ends meet
seem to still be able to get to a cell phone or check the internet, Randall
said.
“The Internet
has limitless opportunities, whatever you need is now at the click of a button,”
Randall said. “The craze of wireless Internet has given everyone the power to
connect wherever and whenever.”
“Everything
seems to get done a lot better with digital media, my laptop can travel
wherever I go and thanks to WIFI I can receive free internet just about
anywhere,” Richards said. This makes my life so much more convenient.”
Digital
Technology makes life simple, Richards said. The media have been expanded due
to the limitless usage of our amazing technology. The simple use of a cell
phone has been updated with features that surpasses the simple call and text
button.
“Although digital media has taken a hold of every single brain, it has done so with the magic of basic technology such as the cell phone and internet,” Randall said.
“The features have been updated and upgraded beyond our possible imagination,” Randall said. “Anything can be accomplished or created with the touch of a button.”
Cellular phones have been obtained by homeless as well, who have no means of transportation or a house to go home to every night. In front of a local grocery store in Long Beach a homeless man, Scio Hammer, was on his cell phone conveniently ordering a pizza.
Hammer was covered in dirt and rags lying head first in a box covered with dust and ants.
Hammer charges his mobile phone in the outlet walls of the nearby grocery store, he said. He has no other access to electricity.
“Sometimes I have been kicked out of the store because they know I’m trying to charge my phone,” Hammer said. “Others think I’m a fake because I have a cell phone.”
“With all the money I saved up this is the first thing I thought to buy, Hammer said. “I still cannot believe I bought a cell phone over something to eat.”
“Mobile phone technology is so powerful, and costs so little per unit of data transmission, that it has proved possible to sell mobile phoneaccess to the poor,” Randall said. “There are now more than 3.3 billion subscribers in the world, roughly one for every two people on the planet.”
Students use a wireless handheld device that allows them to vote for an answer by clicking on the appropriate button. An instructor “receiver” plugged into the faculty computer collects the votes from the student clickers and displays the voting results in a graph to the audience.
“Long Beach instructors can determine clicker results with Beachboard, the university’s [Web-based] course management system,” Schaffhauser said.
The initial demand for Clicker technology at Cal State Long Beach came from students who found themselves spending more money on unnecessary and multiple devices, Schaffhauser said.
“Associated Students Inc. met with Paul Boyd-Batstone, chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee on Technology, asking for help,” Schaffhauser said.
Technology has not been extremely affected by the economy. If anything universities are at a higher demand for the newest and most improved technology, Kennedy said. The economy has affected budgets which fault the ability to be able to retrieve certain means of technology.
Joe Magaddino, professor and department chairman of economics, said he believes that the economy will fail without the linking support of technology.
“Technology matters a great deal,” Magaddino said. “As far as the long term hope for the economy, technology has to bring productivity for the economy to ever have a chance.”
Magaddino has been the department chairman of economics since 1982.
He said that the economic crisis trends flare from the rapid increase in modern technology. Technology has been a relief of the economy thus far and technology is vital for the economy to ever breathe again.
“Technology has changed my everyday life subconsciously, whether it is my cell phone or laptop, I am always on edge with the new face of technology,” Richards said.
INTERNET CRAZE
Though cell phones have been a huge technology intake, the biggest technology fast forward during this economic dilemma has been the Internet.
Many businesses, including print journalism, are realizing that their new competitor is now the Internet. Jobs are being lost and money is nowhere to be made with the increase of computer technology.
“The newspaper is being transformed and heading to the Internet world, for good,” Peter Larsen, a writer for the Orange County Register, said.
Digital newspapers are shortly becoming the standard for online users, Larsen said. Not to mention newspapers are going bankrupted and are competing with online sources and digital media.
“Those that are Internet illiterate are losing their jobs, and not to mention print is losing business as we speak,” Larsen said.
Jonathan Rosenberg, a chief technology strategist and also a Long Beach resident, says another Internet craze that’s become very popular is Skype. Skype is a virtual webcam service that allows one to communicate with anyone around the world or even locally via the Internet. A simple webcam is all that is needed, computer and quality internet service, he said.
Rosenberg has contributed innovatively for telecommunication industry and his participation as an industry leader has received raving reviews.
Internet can be used on a daily basis to talk to friends and family all across the world or locally.
“Cell phones have created video share that works almost the same as Skype,” Richards said.
“A phone call can be made and a detailed conversation via video with the other person can also be combined,” he said.
LIMITLESS TECHNOLOGY
Randal said, at this rate of technology the skies are the limits. It is believed soon video will become the new technology craze that will take the nation by storm.
Some teachers, such as Raul Reis, the journalism department chairman and professor at Cal State Long Beach, have created Internet ITunes portals so that their students can upload lectures on their iPod or MP3 player. Reis teaches Web site based classes that pushes for digital technology.
In about 10 to 15 years classes will be all video or webcam based, Randall said. Technology will become a huge topic and maybe even be added upon the curriculum.
CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY
Dian Schaffhauser, a media specialist at CSULB’s Campus Technology, said coming this fall Cal State Long Beach will be usingiClicker as its recommended student response system. Clickers were previously used at Cal State Long Beach, the Associated Students Inc. government representing 38,000 students. The Academic Senate voted to encourage faculty to incorporate iClickers in the instruction, mostly because of the instant feedback.
“Simplicity and reliability were central to our faculty's decision to standardize with iClickers,” said Leslie Kennedy, director of instructional technology support services.
“We all liked that iClicker's response system was about minimizing the technology and keeping students focused instead on the course material,” Kennedy said.