Amazing Lack of Understanding
In light of the recent Massacre at Virginia Tech many universities are responding with their condolences and with assurances as to the security of their campus. My college, Bloomsburg University, is no exception.
The President of the University, Jessica S. Kozloff, wrote her own letter. In this letter she expresses her condolences to those at Virginia Tech. She also goes on to answer seven questions that have been brought to her attention. Her answer to the second question worries me.
2. Do we have Instant Messaging (IM) or text messaging or a central public address system?
Our communications system is described above. We do not have instant text messaging capability at this time. This technology is very new to most university campuses, but it is certainly something that we will look at very seriously. The campus is too large for a central public address system.
Instant Messaging is a new technology? How many years must a technology be around before it considered new?
A brief Google search returns a plethora of information about IM and its history. Specifically, Wikipedia provides an excellent history.
According to that article instant messaging has been around since the 1970’s and, in its current incarnation, since 1997. So at the bare minimum IM has been around for ten years. How is it new?
I understand this is only one administrator, and this is only one example of a lack of technological understanding. But is this a sign of a bigger problem? A sign of a general lack of understanding when it comes to technology? If it is, it would be very worrisome. Although technology is not a silver bullet, it most certainly helps, especially in situations where time may be short.
In the end, I believe that we to ensure that people in power know and understand the technology that is available. They also need to be informed of its strengths and its weaknesses.
Edit 2007-04-18 - Turns out another school has the same problem understanding technology. This time it involves caller ID, a bomb threat and a case of mistaken identity.