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Information Technology and Society
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Information Technology and Society
A Reader

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December 1994 | 448 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
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The social, political and technological implications of the information revolution are the focus of this textbook. It explores the major social and technological issues surrounding the introduction of information technology (IT) into everyday life; presents historical and comparative perspectives on the social and technological processes involved in the uses of, control of and access to IT; and critically examines the assumptions underpinning technological development.

Divided into five sections, each with a detailed introduction, the book provides a comprehensive overview of information technology, and its implications for all of us. Contributors place the debates around IT in an international context, illustrating the importance of social values as well as government policy.

Information Technology and Society is a Course Reader for the new Open University Course THD204 Information Technology and Society.

Nick Heap
Introduction
 
PART ONE: DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES
Ray Thomas
Introduction
David Edge
The Social Shaping of Technology
Bruce Sterling
The Hacker Crackdown
Evolution of the US Telephone Network

 
Hugh Mackay
Theorising the IT/Society Relationship
David Lyon
The Roots of the Information Society Idea
Anne-Jorun Berg
A Gendered Socio-Technical Construction
The Smart House

 
Ray Thomas
Access and Inequality
 
PART TWO: IT IN THE WORKPLACE
Geoff Einon
Introduction
Paul Kennedy
Robotics, Automation and a New Industrial Revolution
Christel Lane
The Pursuit of Flexible Specialization in Britain and West Germany
Gert Hartmann, Ian Nicholas, Arndt Sorge and Malcolm Warner
Computerized Machine Tools, Manpower Consequences and Skill Utilization
A Study of British and West German Manufacturing Firms

 
Peter Senker
Technological Change and the Future of Work
Ian McLoughlin and Jon Clark
Technological Change at Work
 
PART THREE: IT AND LEARNING
Robin Mason
Introduction
David Hawkridge
Do Companies Need Technology-Based Training?
Anthony Kaye
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning
Robin Mason
The Educational Value of ISDN
Tom Vincent and Mary Taylor
Access to Books for Visually Impaired Learners
An Investigation into the Use of Compact Disc Technology (CD-ROM)

 
Josie Taylor and Diana Laurillard
Supporting Resource Based Learning
Ann Jones
Constructivist Learning Theories and IT
 
PART FOUR: IT AND THE HOME
Hughie Mackay
Introduction
Graham Murdock, Paul Hartmann and Peggy Gray
Conceptualizing Home Computing
Resources and Practices

 
Ann Moyal
The Feminine Culture of the Telephone
People, Patterns and Policy

 
Hughie Mackay
Patterns of Ownership of IT Devices in the Home
 
PART FIVE: IT FUTURES
Nick Heap
Introduction
Arthur C Clarke
Extra Terrestrial Relays
Can Rockets Give World-Wide Radio Coverage?

 
Lawrence W Lockwood
Iridium
A High Flying Phone System

 
Frederick P Brooks, JR
No Silver Bullet
Essence and Accidents of Software Engineering

 
Brad J Cox
There Is a Silver Bullet
Ralph Schroeder
Virtual Reality in the Real World
History, Applications and Projections

 
Leslie Haddon and Roger Silverstone
Telework and the Changing Relation of Home and Work
David B Crosbie
The New Space Race
Satellite Mobile Communications

 

`Compiled with care.... One aspect of information technology which is growing fast... is electronic mail. Professor Palme has been working on computer-mediated-communication since 1977 and is well qualified to write on the subject of e-mail which he does concisely and with clarity' - Intermedia

`Providing a complete overview of the issues that inform any discussion about the impact of information technology, this book is an invaluable resource for teaching and research' - Current Literature on Science of Science

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ISBN: 9780803979819
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