Even though smartphones were only introduced with Apple’s iPhone in 2007, many people can hardly imagine a world without them. In this activity, we will look back to technologies that came before the smartphone to answer the question: Are new technologies better than older versions?
Unfolding a smartphone activity.
There are two ways to unfold a smartphone.
Option 1: You can unfold a smartphone by closely examining the current apps on a smartphone and then examining the versions of the technology that existed prior to the smartphone. You can answer three supporting questions:
What are the benefits of the technology?
What are the drawbacks of the technology?
How does the technology affect the flow of our lives?
You can do this in-person by examining a smartphone app and then examining older versions of the technology that you can access. You can also complete this activity online by examining your own smartphone app (or watching the videos ) and then answering the questions individually or in videoconference small groups.
Option 2: You can click on the links for each smartphone technology to examine a range of sources to better understand the past and present, and developments and opinions, that help you to critically inquire into the longer history of the app. You can answer the three supporting questions:
What are the benefits of the technology?
What are the drawbacks of the technology?
How does the technology affect the flow of our lives?
This online activity will likely require more time, but you can modify the assignment to exclude some sources. We recommend discussing your findings and answers to the questions with others.
Technologies of Time.
Clocks are everywhere and they can seem to dictate our lives. However, most of human history did not have mechanical or digital clocks. We can start by asking the three questions about the “Clock” app on our smartphones:
What are the benefits of clocks?
What are the drawbacks of clocks?
How do clocks affect the flow of our lives?
We can also answer these questions for older technologies of time such as the sun dial or water clock. To what degree are current clocks better or worse than these older technologies of time for human’s quality of life?
Technologies of Wayfinding.
We often use the “maps” app on our smartphones without thinking too much about how technology changes the way we experience space through navigation and wayfinding. As you watch the video or look at the maps app on your own smartphone, consider the following questions:
What are the benefits of the maps app?
What are the drawbacks of the maps app?
How does the maps app affect the flow of my life?
You can consider these same questions as we investigate other and older technologies of navigation.
Technologies of Communication.
We often use the “messages” app on our smartphones without thinking too much about how technology changes the way we experience communication with people over long distances. As you watch the video or look at the messages app and other communication apps on your own smartphone, consider the following questions:
What are the benefits of the messages app?
What are the drawbacks of the messages app?
How does the messages app affect the flow of my life?
You can consider these same questions as we investigate other and older technologies of communication.
Which smartphone app would you like us to unfold next? Let us know on the contact page.