* Tap into the "wisdom of the crowd." If you're still
technophobic, reach out to savvy peers on industry web forums such as ProducersWeb.com.
To put this review in a little context, as a teacher in her late twenties, I am not the most
technophobic member of the department by virtue of the fact I have been known to use PowerPoint, Word, and the interactive whiteboard.
We chose participants who are either technology savvy or
technophobic to give us a full perspective.
Nils Jensen, senior litigator with the British Columbia Prosecution Service in Victoria, British Columbia, recently posed the question: "Are Technophobes Negligent?" (4) Nils makes a persuasive argument that the
technophobic litigator who refuses to incorporate modern courtroom technology is as guilty of negligence as the doctor who refuses to use modern technology, should they lose the case or the patient.
Both authors build on arguments made in 1985 by Perry Nodelman, who identified
technophobic and dystopian attitudes in stories set in future worlds: "Nodelman concludes [that] sf for teens and children is very like general fiction for teens and children.
As one generally
technophobic friend of mine put it: "It's a totally different kind of reading!"
The essays map out the history of rhetoric that binds women with nature and legitimates their exploitation; explore the difference between confrontational and invitational rhetoric in feminist struggle; consider the moral and ethical status of human control over the sexual reproduction of dogs; critique how primatologists (in this case studying orangutans) naturalize sexist notions, thereby grounding the idea that certain sexual identities, practices and expectations are inevitable; and finally look at the
technophobic tendencies of ecofeminism, and the gendered assumptions behind computer interface design at Microsoft.
Finally, a Canadian-sponsored community IT centre has trained the first batch of Lao to operate the Internet network - critical for all but the most
technophobic of tourists.
Even so, by the year 2000, even the most
technophobic EA professional was coming to terms with the fact that being able to draft an e-mail and write a Word document was essential to one's EAP career.
Of concern is the portrayal of a "peculiarly
technophobic future," and that "the insistence on thematic 'lessons' shies away from one of the core values of science fiction, which is an interest not so much in the future, but how humans adapt to the future" (174).
It is not always intuitive however, which intimidates
technophobic teachers.
Yes, the Internet is great for looking stuff up and we are by no means
technophobic. Still, there are times when going old-school feels better.