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From: thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (Thom Gillespie)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Use of network news in Social Implications Course
Keywords: implications, newsgroups, courses
Message-ID: <38790@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 21 Sep 90 23:11:36 GMT
References: <40553@unix.cis.pitt.edu>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: thom@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu.UUCP (Thom Gillespie)
Organization: School of Education, UC-Berkeley
Lines: 46

In article <40553@unix.cis.pitt.edu> slimick@unix.cis.pitt.edu (John C Slimick) writes:
>
>This year, for the first time, we are offering
>a course on social implications of computing.
>Part of the assigned work is to read the newsgroups
>comp.edu, comp.risks, comp.society, and comp.society.futures.
>Each Friday I have set aside for discussion of what has
>been happening on these news groups. The problem is
>that the response is meagre--today we had 20% absences
>and the other 80% had something to say, but little
>enthusiasm. Previous Fridays have been even quieter.
>
>I am shopping for suggestions on what to do to make
>the network news more interesting. Can anyone help?
>
>Please post responses to the comp.edu since my class
>will (hopefully) still be reading the group.
>
>john slimick

I don't think that you can 'make' network news more interesting. The is no
interest 'in' the news. The interest is 'in' the readers. I've used postings
from netnews printed out for things like software piracy, computers in war,
etc., but they have been print outs so people can read them in their leisure.
It is easier to read 'anything' in print rather than on screen, particularly
net news. Netnews assumes a certain obsession with the medium. soc.china was
amazing during the uprising awhile back, but if you aren't interested, you
aren't interested -- even if it is going to be on an exam. 

A few years back there was a book called "Hooked on Books" by Daniel Fader. His
premise was that if you wanted kids to read, you had to give them what they
wanted to read. There are hundreds of disscusion groups, why not let your
students decide what is important for themselves. I think the groups you've
limited them to are the most boring groups going -- nice titles but no
substance. The best discussion of software piracy was in comp.sys.mac.misc. It
did not pop up in comp.society or where you would expect. Give 'em room and
they'll grow.

Marshall McLuhan (and Alan Kay)  talk about the communication effect of a
medium, you have to become like the medium to use the medium: speech, print,
software. The real question with the social implications of computing is what
is do to us when we use the medium, not what is discussed, that's a left over
print thought.

--Some thoughts
	Thom Gillespie