This last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a picnic with graduate students from many different countries and departments. Now I realize this may not seem too special but many of these students were in the United States for the first time. My intention was to learn more about Taiwan and Malaysia however, once they heard I was from Texas it seems I was dominating the conversations answering all of their questions! Towards the end of the evening, we made s-mores. It was interesting watching someone roast a marshmallow for the first time, something I have done many times but forgotten that first time uncertainty.
A couple of days later a question one of my classmates asked me triggered my thought processes. I started thinking how the picnic and the request for help were similar in nature. No, the help had nothing to do about where I was from or roasting a marshmallow. My classmate was having difficulty with technology.
It's interesting how many of us make assumptions in our lives. Most of the people reading this entry will be affiliated in some way with the IST department here at Penn State. We all seem to know the 'I' or rather what information is and whether we have all of it when we need it. As for the 'S'; What does it refer to? Science, Skill, Society. Many would say all three. Now the 'T', Technology-The beginning of so many assumptions. These assumptions tend to wreck havoc not only in a new students life but also in the lives of many everyday users (but I'll save that for another day). Yes, we all needed to use technology to apply to the school. But, how did we use the technology? Also, what is it we know how to do? Reading and writing email is much different than creating a web page. Creating a blog with new tools is different than using a word processor when writing an essay for admission. You could say that my own frustration with technology has led me here, but also observing other people's technology assumptions have played a big part in bringing me to this point in my life. One thing I have noticed in my first week here is that all of my classmates have been kind, understanding and helpful, especially to those students who are struggling with the 'T'.
So, I think back to the picnic from this weekend. I didn't laugh when I was asked if cowboys rode cows, I told them they do ride bulls at rodeos, but they usually prefer horses...my new friend laughed realizing cow was said instead of horses. (How many of us have used the wrong term when asking for help?) Everyone around the campfire helped with the roasting process when some of the marshmallows went up in flames. These weren't tragedies, they were just learning opportunities for all of us.
A couple of days later a question one of my classmates asked me triggered my thought processes. I started thinking how the picnic and the request for help were similar in nature. No, the help had nothing to do about where I was from or roasting a marshmallow. My classmate was having difficulty with technology.
It's interesting how many of us make assumptions in our lives. Most of the people reading this entry will be affiliated in some way with the IST department here at Penn State. We all seem to know the 'I' or rather what information is and whether we have all of it when we need it. As for the 'S'; What does it refer to? Science, Skill, Society. Many would say all three. Now the 'T', Technology-The beginning of so many assumptions. These assumptions tend to wreck havoc not only in a new students life but also in the lives of many everyday users (but I'll save that for another day). Yes, we all needed to use technology to apply to the school. But, how did we use the technology? Also, what is it we know how to do? Reading and writing email is much different than creating a web page. Creating a blog with new tools is different than using a word processor when writing an essay for admission. You could say that my own frustration with technology has led me here, but also observing other people's technology assumptions have played a big part in bringing me to this point in my life. One thing I have noticed in my first week here is that all of my classmates have been kind, understanding and helpful, especially to those students who are struggling with the 'T'.
So, I think back to the picnic from this weekend. I didn't laugh when I was asked if cowboys rode cows, I told them they do ride bulls at rodeos, but they usually prefer horses...my new friend laughed realizing cow was said instead of horses. (How many of us have used the wrong term when asking for help?) Everyone around the campfire helped with the roasting process when some of the marshmallows went up in flames. These weren't tragedies, they were just learning opportunities for all of us.
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