It is a shock to me when I read the news about the death of Professor Kling. Professor Kling was our external reviewer for the Information and Communication Management Programme, at the National University of Singapore, Singapore. We benefited from many of his constructive comments for the development of this new program. With his passing, we not only lose an excellent scholar, but a dear friend. --- air-l-request@aoir.org wrote:

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Today's Topics:

1. Re: Internet information sources (Denise Carter) 2. impressions? (Charles Ess) 3. Re: impressions? (Nathaniel Poor) 4. Re: impressions? (DJ Smith) 5. Re: impressions? (Karim R. Lakhani) 6. Rob Kling, rest in peace (Steve Jones) 7. Re: Rob Kling, rest in peace (elijah wright) 8. Re: Rob Kling, rest in peace (jeremy hunsinger) 9. Positive Aspects of Spam (Art McGee) 10. Re: Rob Kling, rest in peace (Guillaume Latzko-Toth) 11. Re: impressions? (Frank Schaap) 12. Re: Positive Aspects of Spam (Christian Nelson)

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Message: 1 From: "Denise Carter" <denisecarter@denisecarter.net> To: <air-l@aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-l] Internet information sources Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 17:52:24 +0100 Reply-To: air-l@aoir.org

...

Jenny said Another side benefit is that I started small dialogues with a number of the people who sent me recommendations after the request went out to the list. From a social network/social capital perspective, it is beneficial to query and start these conversations. I "met" some people I didn't know, and a few asked me to keep in touch . . . . The social net widens.

like jenny i have also benefitted enormously from the social network/social capital perspective of asking questions on different lists. Since many of the subsequent conversations take place off list then perhaps this side of it is not immediately apparent.

...

Marj said Today for example there was an 'urgent' request on a list for info on Terrence Malick's use of Walt Whitman, from a Cultural Studies professor. A web search on the two names brought up a number of good articles.

even though a web search brings up a number of good articles I like to ask colleagues and list members just in case I miss the 'perfect' article. I also feel that it is valuable because not all articles are reviewed, so it is beneficial to ask the opinion of someone who has read it

regards denise

Denise Maia Carter, CASS, University of Hull, Hull , HU6 7RX Email:denisecarter@denisecarter.net Web: http://www.denisecarter.net

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Message: 2 Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 12:29:38 -0500 From: Charles Ess <cmess@lib.drury.edu> To: <air-l@aoir.org> Subject: [Air-l] impressions? Reply-To: air-l@aoir.org

Dear aoir-ists (like the Greek...)

We're in the midst of finals grading, but I had a rather extraordinary experience with a class that has raised a question for me - or, rather, you (I hope).

I teach a "Global Futures" course, the capstone of our general education curriculum (Global Perspectives) which restructures liberal arts education to focus squarely on becoming "liberated persons who participate meaningfully in a global community." We look at a lot of texts, ranging from Biblical and Islamic utopias to Plato's Republic to Erich Fromm's _To Have or To Be_ - all of which, somewhat to my surprise, the students really like. (These are largely critical of consumer society - but the students see the criticisms and agree with them in varying degrees.) In that context, I've also been using an anthology by Erik Bucy, _Living in the Information Age: A Media Reader_ which offers a terrific selection of essays from a range of perspectives on a range of topics, including the role of the Internet in catalyzing a new revolution that would help realize Enlightenment dreams of greater democracy, freedom, and prosperity.

My assumption was - in keeping with a lot of the common wisdom of higher education specialists, sociologists, etc. - that my students, as having grown up with the Internet and being deeply immersed in electronic media, would find these readings directly relevant to their lives.

Imagine my surprise when my sections this year (fall '02 and spring '03) with near unaninimity (sp) agreed that this selection of readings could be dropped with no loss to the class!

Their summary judgment: especially the more radical visions of the Internet and the Web (ala Barlow and many others) leading to a new Renaissance, etc. just seemed "so '90s"!

For them, it appears that these technologies are utilitarian in the most boring of senses; precisely because they have grown up with them, they seem no more "revolutionary" than cars or telephones - even cellphones. Rather, these technologies are really, merely tools for them. While as a researcher and ethicist, I think there are all sorts of questions to be asked as to impacts of using these technologies - for them, these questions are far less pressing than examining the impacts of globalization on economies and the environment, for example. (And, FWIW, these are not, as a group, especially "liberal" students.)

I've no idea if my students are representative of anything. But I was _stunned_ by this - especially as it so sharply contrasts with the buzz and excitement about all of these things in other quarters.. At the same time, it fits with a comment Phil Agre passed on a couple of years ago as we were discussing the apparent death of postmodernism. I asked him why he thought it had passed, and his simple comment was: because the art students aren't interested in it anymore.

This may just be an excuse to avoid grading papers and === message truncated ===

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