Technology: The New Liberal Arts?

In the late 80’s while visiting colleges, I was told that a liberal arts education is valuable because it teaches us how to preserve and learn from the past, promote prosperity in the present, and prepare for the future. 

In the 21^st century, it is impossible to think about preserving the past, prospering in the present and preparing for the future without the use of technology.

 For approximately 50 years, computer science/information technology was a discipline of its own.  Only those schooled in the field were able to understand, program, design and repair computers and networks. The public knew little about how computers worked and what they were capable of doing. 

Suddenly, in the late 80s/early 90s, the veil was lifted when personal computers became widely available and the internet was introduced to the public. The mystery of the computer began to unravel and this unraveling empowered people (with an interest in technology) to incorporate technology related solutions into their disciplines, careers and work processes. 

Filled with an entrepreneurial spirit, groups of informally, technologically skilled people emerged. These people found innovative ways to use technology within their disciplines as a teaching, learning and process development tool.

Today, these uses have permeated every field of study. The undeniable truth is technology can no longer be classified as a separate skill set…it is a vital and unique component of every discipline.  

The New Liberal Arts

 In trying to clarify my thoughts….I did some research and found an interesting article entitled The New Liberal Arts.  Ironically, this article appeared in the June 24, 2008 issue of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and was written by Ted Roberts, IBM service delivery/senior location executive for Pittsburgh.

In this article, Roberts discusses technology and the global society. He talks about the work IBM is doing with Carnegie Mellon University to cultivate student technology skills and he uses the term hybrid-technology jobs. I find this term interesting because I believe that the groups of informally technologically skilled people, I mentioned above, are the founders of the hybrid-technology jobs that are emerging today.  However, what interests me most about the article is what Roberts says about IT and the liberal arts:

Excerpt from: The New Liberal Arts -Roberts.

……However, due to the larger trends of globalization, it is clear that the nature of technology jobs is changing. New "hybrid technology" jobs -- which are rooted in fields such as biology, engineering, health care, finance or mechanics but require technical proficiency -- are gaining mainstream popularity.

Meteorologists, biologists, accountants, physicians or even psychologists who understand how computer systems work and know how to make sense of the data are shooting to the top of their professions. In three to five years, these hybrid jobs will be at the epicenter of innovation and business. Increasingly, our young people will earn their paychecks as environmental engineers, urban architects and information analysts using technology to make a real difference in the world in which they live.

If success in the 21st century is being defined by collaborative training that combines computer science/engineering skills with social sciences, languages, psychology and other disciplines, then IT is emerging as the "new" liberal arts.

Just as traditional liberal arts education includes the study of theology, art, literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics and science, the new world view of Information Technology is evolving to include interdisciplinary skill sets.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08176/892059-28.stm#ixzz0YNJokoSW

 Information Technology requires us to think in new ways, to ask questions, to find answers, to create, collaborate and share in the same ways that the liberal arts core does. Information Technology binds our intellectual efforts together, aids in the creation and delivery of new thought, and enables immediate action (real world implementation and change).

I am not suggesting that we abolish the traditional liberal arts but I do believe that we should consider blending innovative and purposeful technology courses into the core. 

I believe we must abandon the idea of technology as a separate discipline, a means to an end, or just another tool and begin to think of it as a vital skill set rooted in every discipline and essential to a student’s success in the 21^st Century.  

Customer Service: Creating Positive Customer Perceptions-Part 2

You have a problem with a product or service. You know the only way to solve it is to contact the company's customer service department. How does this make you feel? Do you get that anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach? Do you groan? Think please no, I don't want to? Whisper, help me under your breath.

Yes, we all know that feeling...calling customer service can feel like preparing for battle; broken english translator...check, automated system escape kit...check, explanation of facts and speak to a manager action plan...check, stress relief candle...check, and a chunk of your valuable time that you will never, ever get back...check and double check!

Unfortunately, this bag of tricks is often necessary. Customer service experiences over the past 15 years have zapped the fight out of us all. Have you noticed, the customer is rarely ever right? We are often made to feel as if we are crazy and demanding, greedy and ever so disagreeable.



The feeling that has emerged from this era of indifference is some version of this..."Why would I waste my time calling customer service? They don't care about me. I will just pay the bill, continue as a customer until I find another solution and then cancel my account."

Sound or feel familiar?


This has been my experience with Comcast. Comcast is notorious for its lackluster customer service. I mean whose idea was it to implement the I've Got You My Pretties marketing plan.
Step 1: Woo them with great deals when they are new.
Step 2: Enroll them in the "screw the loyal customer plan" once we've got them.

The sorry I can't help you...it is what it is attitude does not generate a warm fuzzy feeling in the hearts of those loyal customers who are trying to figure out why their bill nearly doubled or why the "special deals" are only offered to new customers. Unfortunately, my experiences with Comcast have reflected the don't let the door hit you on the way out attitude. One thing I can say is they certainly are consistent in creating policies that make their customers feel undervalued. Maytag, HP and GM Credit are also on my Hall of Shame list. Crazy wait times, confusing support portals and less than stellar customer care are my biggest pet peeves. Please note: I am criticizing customer service policies not the agents who uphold the policies. I understand and feel for the agents who are not given the proper resources to resolve customer complaints. It is a difficult job especially when the company's policy does not allow their agents  to solve problems and satisfy customers.

In comparison there are some companies that I believe have consistently understood the value of their customers. My Hall of Fame list includes Keurig, Zappos and the Loft. I remain extremely loyal to these brands and sing their praises every chance I get.

I would love to know what companies are on your Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame lists? I invite you to share your comments here!

Thoughts in the shape of a poem...

September

A hazy half moon spies

in a translucent blue sky.

Maple trees sway

in a warm breeze.

Amidst the soft rustles

cicadas crescendo,

blissful and melancholy.

It's the final curtain call,

the withering has begun.

Jim Kalor -http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/moon.html

Customer Service - Creating Positive Customer Perceptions - Part 1

In the early 1990's, I worked as an account representative for a mail order pharmacy. In order to better understand our customers, I decided to take a part-time position within the customer service department. This helped me experience the challenges facing our agents, hear the type of questions that were being asked by our participants, and to determine the cause of our wait times. I quickly realized that our agents were doing more than just entering orders and explaining account balances, they were educating clients about their plan, answering questions about drug classes, refills and shipping dates, helping customers translate their prescriptions and listening to customer's stories about everything from a recent diagnosis to the birth of a grandchild. It was this experience that helped me realize that customer service is truly the heart of an organization. 

A customer service agent drafts the perception of your organization, its products and services that your customers carry with them and share with others.  The truth is... the customer service, management, engagement or support department is the voice of your organization. This voice is an extension of your marketing and advertising initiatives and should be regarded with the same priority and care.

I left my position as an account representative and took a team leader position in a call center that employed approximately 100 customer service agents. My new employer understood the importance of a satisfied customer. The smartest thing the company did was empower its agents and leaders to make the customer happy. I was able to offer partial refunds, full refunds and comp products. This allowed me to offer solutions that made the customer feel as if he or she had been heard, understood and valued. These positive perceptions bred customer loyalty and a trust in our products and services.

My belief is that customer service should be rooted in the ideals of the Golden Rule; provide your customers with the same service that you would expect to receive, put yourself in the customer's shoes, listen, care and by all means take some corrective action. It is simple ...provide a solution that turns a "this stinks experience" into a "I love you man" experience.

Stay tuned for more ramblings on this subject.

We know it is broken...so lets fix it!

There is no doubt in my mind that the education system is smothering the spirit of learning in our children. Teaching to the test, the denial of the need for technology in the classroom, homework overkill and the lack of critical thinking assignments that foster problem solving and creativity are just part of the problem. The real mission of education is to engage students in the process of learning. Engaging students in the process creates lifelong learners; learners who understand the value of information and know how to find, evaluate, use, share and ultimately create new information. What happened to the belief that learning should be fun not boring or nearly torturous. Unfortunately, for so many bright minds, learning has become a sentence of death by memorization and homework.

My perspective on technology:
Being a certified teacher and a technology librarian, I have strong opinions about the use of technology in the classroom . The fact is today's students, have never known a world without technology. They have grown up connected.  Information is available to them instantly anytime, anywhere. Driven by their own interests and motivations, a sense of real life need or purpose and access to the Internet,  they use search engines to find information and educate themselves. Technology is an integral part of how they learn.

When students enter a classroom where technology is not being used as a tool for learning they feel disengaged and disconnected. They begin to devalue what happens in the classroom because it seems foreign and archaic to them. They assume that the teacher is disconnected and that his/her methods are stale and therefore, their perception is that the content must also be stale.  It is like taking a child who grew up in the 70s watching their favorite shows on a color TV and forcing them to watch these shows in black and white or making them listen to their favorite shows on the radio. If you are a child of the 70s like me you probably just rolled your eyes and thought "That would stink, why would anybody do that when color TVs are available and a part of our everyday lives?" That is exactly the way our students feel when we force them to learn in a disconnected, technology-less environment.

Administrators must realize that the "technology boom" has forever changed the way students learn. We no longer need to teach our children to memorize facts and dates. Technology has made these skills, which were important in the past, nearly obsolete. Technology has also made it possible for us to teach students content in context, inspire them a with a purpose greater than a test score, homework points or a passing grade, give them the opportunity to reach across the globe or into their communities, to create, design, code, make a difference and change the world.

Today, school administrators and funders must commit to implementing the networks and infrastructures that support the technologies that enable our students to engage in becoming self-directed learners, to think critically and to be creative. We must adapt our curriculum and train our teachers to use and incorporate the tools of the 21st century into their lesson plans.  We must stop debating the importance of the use of technology in the classroom. Ask any student...there is no debate. Technology exists and is accessible so therefore, it should be used as a tool for teaching and learning.

Our lack of commitment to implementing technology in our classrooms, current philosophy of teaching-to-the-test, and our lackluster funding initiatives are slowly crushing our ability as educators to create a nation of engaged, lifelong learners and my hopes for a brighter educational future for our children.

Links to others whose thoughts support my ramblings. 

Blog Post: 
Mrsmomblog: How Common Core is Slowly Changing My Child

Article: 
The Atlantic. My Daughter's Homework is Killing me.

When the world gets in your way...

Accoustic #3 is a hauntingly, beautiful song by the Goo Goo Dolls that makes me think about how sad it is that we so often allow the world, our inexperience and our fears to lead and tether us to a lonely and oppressive place that we obligingly call home.  I bet that makes you want to run right out and download the song...my apologies to the Dolls.   Although, there are many prolific lines in the song there is one that has echoed in my head since I first heard it in the late 90's. The line is "when the world gets in your way." It does get in our way sometimes and we often blame ourselves or others for the decisions that we have made that enable it to do so.

INKS has been silent for a long time because I have been working hard on peeling back the layers of oppression, clearing away the cobwebs and the sorrow (another great line from a song sung by a little redhead named Annie) and freeing myself from the chains of a place that I obligingly called home. Fear is a horrible thing, causing others pain is a heavy burden and letting go and beginning anew requires as much mental strength as running a marathon or climbing a mountain. But it is in our struggles that we find faith, in faith that we find gratitude, in gratitude that we find freedom and in freedom that we find happiness. INKS is back and better than ever!


Accoustic #3 lyrics 

We don't need no noise pollution.

THEY...whomever they may be are drilling a gas well just a few hundred feet from my home. THEY started last Wednesday and a week later the incessant hum of the diesel engines and the grinding sounds of the drill are still keeping me awake at night. Yes, I said at night because this is a 24/7 operation. From what I have read, although it seems to me like THEY are drilling the infamous hole to China...THEY usually drill about 9,000 feet into the earth. To provide some perspective that is about the depth of the Grand Canyon. The goal is to reach the shale line and remove the natural gas (methane). In order to extract the fuel from the rock THEY force water laced with chemicals into the hole to break up the shale. This procedure, called fracking releases the gas. 

The noise pollution and air pollution (diesel fumes) are obvious issues but it seems that there is still some debate over the water pollution issue. Really? Last time I checked my water wasn't flammable....I hope it stays that way. 

In elementary school we learned about the layers of the earth. Some are solid, some are gas and some are liquid. I'm thinking those layers exist for a reason and serve a purpose. If we are siphoning gas from the earth are we removing a vital layer? Is it possible that we are causing an environmental imbalance beneath the earth's surface? Is this what is causing the rise in earthquakes? Does anyone really know? 


Some say the drilling enables jobs, progress and sustainability. I believe it does but I can't help feeling like we are raping the earth. Is this the best way to solve our energy problems? How will this affect the earth and our environment over the next 50 years and finally, how can I silence the sinister voice in my head that keeps whispering GREED over and over again.