1. I would say that the things I've learned in this class did change my view of technology. Specifically, it has changed how I view policies and procedures. I've never thought about these things as a type of non-mechanical technology that evolves and grows with a society while influencing that society before and I think that idea is really interesting when considered in society at large and in the scope of the so called "Mcdonaldization" of our society as mentioned in our textbook. I would say that the ideas of non-mechanical technology as a means of control would be the most engaging ideas that I encountered in this class mostly because I work in a food manufacturing plant. We have so many policies and procedures in place to satisfy the requirements of the USDA, the FDA, the CFIA (Canadian regulations), etc.; we have audits from regulatory bodies, other companies, prospective customers and more. We need all of our employees to follow the same procedures to keep our product compliant with regulations and safe for people to consume. I'm not sure that I found any of the modules particularly challenging. However, I did find the three video blogs we were assigned challenging and very time consuming. The things that I learned in this class, especially about non-mechanical technology, have already helped me in my professional life. I was having a discussion today with some of my coworkers about the employees who work on the manufacturing production lines, in which I applied some of the things about policies as control and how we've made things easier so that humans behave more like robots. It was a really interesting idea that I would not have known about if it weren't for this class and it made for very interesting discussion.
2. I think this class has helped me to look at technology in a more in-depth way. I tend to think of technology as electronic devices (computers, cell phones, tablets, etc). However, technology can basically be any improvement of an existing product. For example, most athletic apparel now advertises "moisture wicking technology". The fabric is not a type of electronic, but the way the new fabric is created, is an advanced form of technology from how it was previously made. So, I believe that my knowledge of technology has broadened, thanks to this class. I think one of the most interesting topics for me was on how technology can control human behavior. I've always thought that we, as humans, dictate technology and what it does for us. And that's still true, but I never thought about the ways that people could use technology to control other people. It can be kind of scary when you think about all the ways that technology influences us and the way we do things. Everything from surveillance and online banking, to laws and medical records kept electronically. I wouldn't say that there was any particular topic that was difficult for me in this class. But another thing that was neat for me was to think about how technology influences me in my profession; HR. Besides using a computer at work every day, there are so many other aspects of technology that influence me in my role. Everything we do is based around technology. Even signing up for benefits or managing your 401K, relies on technology. Payroll and performance review, and employment applications are all handled online now.