A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift1 PowerPoint ® Slides to Accompany A Gift of Fire : Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 1

PowerPoint® Slides to Accompany

A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers

and the Internet(2nd Edition)

by Sara Baase

San Diego State University

PowerPoint slides created by Sherry Clark

Copyright 2003 Prentice Hall


A Gift of Fire

Unwrapping the Gift

The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change

Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and

Themes

Appreciating the Benefits


The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change

Have you used a computer today?You have if you used…

• an ATM,• a CD-player,• a cell phone,• a modern appliance, or• an electronic device.


Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes

IssuesSome Negative Impacts of New Technology:

• Unemployment.• Alienation.• Poor Customer Service.• Crime.• Loss of Privacy.• Errors.

Q: Which negative aspects of new technology have you experienced?



IssuesSome Positive Impacts of New Technology:

• Convenience.• New types of jobs.• More options for transactions.• Improvements in crime-fighting.• Small error rate.

Q: Which positive aspects of new technology have you experienced?



IssuesSources for Solutions to Problems:

• Technology.• Management.• Law.• Education.• The market.

Q: Describe how one of the above provides a solution to a problem created by new technology.



ThemesOld Problems in a New Context

• Look for solutions learned in older technologies.

Adapting to New Technology• New activities may require a new set of rules to follow.

The Global Reach of the Net• Social behavior and laws vary from country to country.

Trade-offs and Controversy• Consider both sides of an argument.



Themes (cont’d)

Differences Between Personal Choices, Business Policies, and Law

• Arguments for personal choice or organizational policy are not sufficient for enforcing decisions [laws] against others.

Negative Rights• Liberties; rights to act without interference.

Positive Rights• Claim-rights; rights that impose obligation on others to

provide certain things.



Benefits of Computer Applications• Development of better peripheral devices.• Time-saving.• Cost-saving.• Less effort than older technologies.• Development of better sound quality.• Creation of computer-generated art and special effects.• Improved accuracy.• Improved customer service/satisfaction.• Entertainment/fun.

Q: How have these benefits aided your peers?



Benefits Computers Bring to Communication

• Non-invasive; read at recipient’s convenience.• Time-saving.• Access to vast amounts of information.• Text, graphics, and sound can be combined.• Much information on WWW is free.• Public forums not limited to geographic boundaries.• More independence.• More options for communicating.• Remote access available.• Traditional boundaries are no obstacle.

Q: How have these benefits aided small business?



Benefits Computers Bring to Transportation

• Navigation.• Diagnostics.• Safety.• Hybrid engines.• Efficiency of fuel-burning.• Traffic pattern studies.

Q: How have these benefits aided your community?



Benefits Computers Bring to Education and Training

• Language acquisition.• Spelling.• Literacy.• Distance learning.• Modeling.• Simulations.• Speech recognition.• Speech synthesis.

Q: How have these benefits aided local schools?



Benefits of Computers in Fighting Crime• Improved crime reporting.• Faster search of arrest records and fingerprint files.• Remote access to records and reports, e.g. from patrol cars.• Enhancement of records (fingerprints and photos).• Access to numerous databases.• Improved sensoring, monitoring, and surveillance equipment.

Q: How are computers used to fight crime in your community?



Benefits Computers Bring to Medicine• Sophisticated imaging.• Reduced surgery time.• Patient monitoring.• Early ambulation.• Improved treatments.• Fewer errors.

Q: How does your doctor make use of computers?



Patient Records• More legible.• Better organized.• Accessible by many sites, simultaneously.• Available immediately.• Improved statistical research.

Q: How does your medical clinic use computers?



Medical Diagnosing• Streamlined diagnosis.• Improved accuracy.• Reduced need for biopsy.• Improved screening and predictions.

Q: How might the chronically ill benefit from computer-aided diagnosing?



Telemedicine• Broad access to medical help.• Less expensive.• Expands consultations beyond rural/remote sites.

Q: How might the military use telemedicine?



Benefits Computers Bring to the Disabled• Disability-specific computer applications (e.g., a braille

printer).• Control of household and workplace appliances.• Mobility.• Control of artificial limbs.• Improved vision.• Access to adaptive educational equipment.• Improved communication.• Opportunity to return to work.

Q: How are computers benefiting the disabled in your school or workplace?



Benefits Computers Bring to Automation• Organize and access large inventories.• Improved customer satisfaction.• Cost-saving.• Time-saving.• Tedious, monotonous work done by machine.• Improved workplace safety.

Q: What task would you like replaced by an automated system?



Benefits Computers Bring to Identification

• Time-saving.• Accuracy.• Ease-of-use.• Cost-saving.• More secure.• Customizable.• Reliable.

Q: How are computers used to identify you at school or work?



Computers Monitor Environment and Materials

• Temperature.• Acceleration.• Stress in materials.• Emissions.• Dangerous substances in the air.• Moisture.• Acidity.

Q: How might tree farmers use computers to monitor their crops?



Applications of Computers in Tracking• Rare plants and animals.• Migration habits.• Stolen goods.• Lost pets or people.

Q: How might scientists track Antarctic ice floes?



Benefits of Computers in Reducing Paper Use and Trash

• Send/receive digital documents instead of hardcopy.• Read, write, and edit online.• Cost-saving; smaller storage needed.• Creation of toxic wastes at paper mills reduced.

Q: Have computers reduced paper use in your school or workplace?

Documents

A Gift of Fire, 2edChapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift1 PowerPoint ® Slides to Accompany A Gift of Fire : Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and