In Packer and Wiley's article on materiality, I thought it
was interesting how they categorized the human body as a form of communication
technology and considered how this mindset would alter the view of assistive
devices used by people with disabilities. People with speech impediments and
other such disabilities use assistive devices as an extensions of their bodies,
similar to how media is an extension of the body.
Given how technology has
advanced over time, this has completely changed how people with disability
communicate thus changing both our and their image of disability in society. Now,
for example, assistive devices help with the academic and social education of
children with autism, allowing them to engage with the world around them in new
ways that did not exist before. Bluebee Pals are stuffed toys that are programmed
with software allowing them to be a tool for speech therapy, a comfort for
children in social situations and offer them various forms of media as both
entertainment and education. This has changed how parents and teachers raise
and work with autistic children, giving voice to a whole group of people that
would not have had as many opportunities before.
This is the link to the BlueBee Pals website:
https://bluebeepals.com/
and other forms of autism assistive technology:
https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/assistive-technology
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ReplyDeleteAssistive technologies are a great way to illustrate the body and its connection to the materiality of communication! Another theorist whose ideas parallel McLuhan's can be seen in David Rothenberg's book, "Hand's End: Technology and the Limits of Nature". His theory is situated on the belief that technology is an extension of humanity which can be characterized into two classes: faculties of action and faculties of thought.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing BlueBee Pals website I found that this theory could also be applied to your example as the educational technology is a part of the faculty of thought. The device extends an autistic child's cognitive abilities by aiding the child's problem solving, memory and communication skills. Additionally, an assistive device apart of the faculty of action could include a prosthetic leg for someone who has lost a limb.
One question that I have for you as well our fellow classmates is that although assistive technologies like BlueBee Pals are beneficial for children with disabilities do you think that other technologies that are extensions of our bodies have the opposite effects? For example, a cellphone extends our voices but as a result does this weaken our linguistic and communication skills?
Here is the link to David Rothenberg's ebook.
https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BKV0na-v2wMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=david+rothenberg+hands+end&ots=zVKWce_y2p&sig=8
I really like this question! I think that cellphones and other technologies that have become extensions of our bodies are affecting our ability to communicate face to face. However, I also think that we have picked up on a new way of communicating virtually in exchange. Using emojis and acronyms, as well as being able to read someone's tone through textual communication is complicated without voice or facial expression as indicators, but it is still possible. I think that communication has simply shifted to accommodate for the convenience of mobile devices. This has happened in the past as well. For example, reading was considered a specialized skill, but once the printing press made texts more accessible, more people learned how. As reading became more of a common practice, people no longer placed importance on memory. Memorization is still a skill in the present, but its significance has been reduced over time.
DeleteMuch of the purpose behind any type of technology is that they act as devices that allow people to do more with less effort, as they extend abilities. Especially in the case of people with disabilities, it allows for an enhancement of what people are capable of and aids in processes that would be difficult on their own.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this post, I thought of a more extreme case of assistive devices as an extension of the body - cyborgs. Rather than just wearable technology that enhances abilities, some people have started to implant devices into their bodies. Neil Harbisson, born with complete colour-blindness, is considered a real life cyborg, as he has an antenna implanted into his skull that converts colours into sounds so that he can "hear colours" and get an enhanced idea of his visual view though he can not physically see it.
In regards to Megan's question posed earlier about whether technologies create adverse effects, I think it does as well. Largely due to society's over-reliance on technological devices, such as cell phones, they have hindered some people's communication abilities. As many people much rather talk to people through online outlets, some forget how to maintain conversations with others in a real-life context. In the article I read on cyborgs, I found an interesting paragraph that I felt really related to this post, as it compares assistive devices for people with disabilities vs. technologies that enhance the abilities of healthy individuals:
"“The fascination with ‘enhancement’ is a way to convince healthy people that they are in need of treatment,” says Dr David Albert Jones, director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford. “It is a wasteful distraction when we are failing to meet the basic needs of people with real health problems.”
He’s not against what he terms “human-technology interfaces” but, he says, they “should be developed to address the needs of people with disabilities, not to create a market for the self-regarding and the worried-well.” Many medical professionals would agree."
Here is the article about real life cyborgs: http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/the-future-is-android/
Great points, I particularly liked how you discussed the plush toy geared for speech impediments.
ReplyDeleteThis probes original ideas of communication from the primal stages of life. Originally, language was not yet discovered. This caused people to use their bodies to communicate, such as using hand signals. Even in today's society I find we often can communicate with someone just by making a facial expression. The human body is a vital tool in communication.
Addressing Megan's question, I do believe cellphones and other technologies can hinder communications. Just the other day, I was hand writing a midterm and found myself paying more attention to my spelling than ever. This is because cellphones and laptops autocorrect your spelling. Thus, take away from the original forms of communication we have learned.
I really enjoyed reading this discussion on how assistive devices are now used as an extension of the human body. I do think assistive technologies as extensions of the human body are extremely beneficial to anyone whom has a disability. Not only this, but I also think technologies as an extension of human body can be beneficial to anyone.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Hollys comment, I also agree that society has an over-reliance on technological devices that have hindered some people’s communication abilities. What I had instantly thought of was the film “Man with a Movie Camera” by Dziga Vertov. This film seeks to capture the reality of the everyday man watching life as it goes by. Upon doing so, the man carries around a camera tripod and video tapes all that he see’s. The film in itself shows the common theme of machinery and man forming a union with one another. The film emphasizes, “… to his Society viewers the belief that they are all interdependent on each other and all equally owners of the means of production” (Turvey). The film nonetheless shows the growing importance and value of machinery at this time, and the new potentials of image consumption. In this way, The camera as an assistive technology allowed viewers see the reality of everyday life in a completely new perspective.
Today, I think to how far along technologies have advanced and in this sense, the assistive device of the camera is now a literal extension of the human body. People have come attached to technologies such as a cellphones camera lens in order to perceive a new the world through a new lens. Using the cellphone lens distances us from witnessing what is occurring right in front of us and allows us to see the world in a different matter. For example, use of the zoom, the panoramic image and even so far as applying a filter. I think we undermine our human senses, and now are constantly using technology to extend our abilities.
Here is the link to the trailer of “Man with a Movie Camera” by Dziga Vertov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtTlgxtoqhg
I found an article by Malcolm Turvey called “Vertov: Between the Organism and the Machine”. This article offers an interesting discussion of Vertov’s use of “organic” and “mechanical” material in his film. I referenced it in my first paragraph and here is the full link to his work if you are interested in reading further: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/octo.2007.121.1.5
I found your post of great interest. The BlueBee pals was something I was not aware of before. I think the concept is super interesting and beneficial to those who need it. This changes the course of how others will learn and benefit from new amazing technologies. This allows for a fair chance for those to learn in their own way. Using these technologies earlier on such as when they are younger could be very beneficial to those who need it. I found an article that I thought was of interest. It is about paralyzed patients learning how to walk again by using virtual reality and training their brains.
ReplyDeleteLink is below:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3734320/Could-paralysis-reversed-using-virtual-reality-Spinal-injury-victims-regain-feeling-legs-brain-training-exercises.html
Great post! I’ve never thought of assistive devices as an extension to the body but this makes sense. The use of these devices helps millions of people with disabilities and allows them to live an easier and almost normal life. My HR prof has a hearing aid that he relies on, sometimes in class he is unable to hear high pitch noises so he would read lips instead. However, he needs his hearing aids to properly be able to function as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Megan’s question, I believe that yes technology does hinder us. My phone broke a while ago but that really messed me up because I didn’t have an alarm clock since I would use my phone for everything. So that week I wasn’t able to sleep properly because I was afraid that I would miss my classes and I kept on waking up every so often.