Internet, computers, distance education and people failure: Research on technology

The Internet computer system is estimated to have over 20 million users world-wide and a growth of one million per month. Internet can also improve communications around the world (Eddy, 1994). Millions of persons are taking distance education television courses-no accurate number is known. Computer programs help find valuable funding sources (Eddy, Nicklas and McLeod, 1995). Having computers in schools and in homes can be a real asset for students (Spaulding and Eddy, 1996). The authors are not against this technology but support its use as we have Internet and have presented on television for years, but there are some basic problems. These difficulties range from psychological addiction to unethical behavior and inappropriate actions of technology producers and users.

Internet Issues

Research on Internet issues (Arden-Smith, October, 1995) may be summarized as follows:

1) Some persons are so addicted to its use to the extent they have actually flunked out of college, lost their marriage partners, become mentally sick, given up their jobs, and decreased their human contacts.

2) Some persons have become psychologically stressed and ill trying to handle 40 to over 100 random E-Mail messages a day.

3) Some persons avoid personal contacts by overusing Internet so to decrease their personal communications with persons.

4) Some persons have gone into Internet seclusion, while still taking care of daily routines, so failing to learn to work and deal with people.

Some persons misuse Internet as a kind of opportunity to do the following:

1) Tell jokes better not told;

2) Advertise everything from old furniture for sale to tickets a buy for various affairs.

3) Unload their "ego games" on the world as a confessional catharsis;

4) Giving advice on everything from how to attend sporting events to office parties; and

5) Unethical behavior from reading private messages to spreading rumors.

Other persons mess up their use of Internet by giving a message one minute and then come back in a minute later with the rest of the message. They sound like the old radio show star, Paul Harvey, who said, "Now for the rest of the story." This reveals how they haven't thought through their message and want the message receiver to bear with their composition confusions.

Other persons are so in love with their computers that when you come to visit them at their office, this happens:

1) They give you the impression you are invading their territory, turf and time when they are into their love affair with their computer.

2) You are secondary to their "machine god" that they daily worship.

3) You are to go away as soon a possible so they can return to their "worship altar key board and screen" to do what they feel is more important than you.

4) You are less than adequate if you are not addictive to the computer and do not have the splendid skills they pretend to possess to have on the computer. Other troublesome issues with "computer freaks" are:

1) Some are always angry at their computers and this bad attitude transcends to persons around them in "psychological projections

2) Some seem "stressed out" because they work so many hours at a computer without taking breaks or doing exercises.

3) Some convey a superiority complex against less interested computer buffs.

Distance Education Issues

Research into distance education television (Bangpipob, 1995) reveals some interesting problems such as:

1) Students in college credit computer classes doing homework for other classes or other things on their computers during the actual class time. This shows a lack of attention to the material in the course by the students and a lack or respect of the professor's presentation in the course. Of course, critics will say, what is new for students still write letters during lectures in the traditional classroom setting.

2) Faculty who have run both the cameras and still do all the teaching have tremendous stress problems doing what is essentially two jobs. This lack of technical support, the extra time it takes to teach these courses and the inadequate reward systems discourage some faculty from teaching distance education computer courses.

Conclusion

This article presents some of the selective issues that Internet computer systems and distant education television have today. New York City's New School for Social Research now has 38 courses on line world-wide to illustrate Internet usage (Arden-Smith, 1995). While technology has its useful place in our changing society, it needs to be part into proper perspective in that persons come before machines. The attitudes and actions of students and faculty using computers and television should always be examined.

By borrowing or renting a computer, some of us have saved thousands of dollars less psychological stress and constant replacement miseries, while putting persons before machines.

Some persons today are "computer literate" but not "person literate yet they possess doctoral degrees. This is not to degrade their computer abilities but to question their lack of people skills".

For example, key questions (Eddy, 1993) like this need to be raised about the disease of "computeritis."

1) Does the faculty member or student present a friendly or a hostile personality in personal interactions?

2) Does the computer or television help or hinder personal relationships?

3) Does the faculty member or student improve in their ability to work and deal with people daily?

References

Arden-Smith, Tara H. (October, 1995). Technically speaking. U. the National College Magazine, 25-27.

Bangpipod, Savanee (1995). Graduate students' perceptions of the effectiveness of a two-way audio/video distance learning session and of its effects on graduate students' comfort level. Denton, Texas: Unpublished doctoral dissertation at University of North Texas Department of Counseling, Development and Higher Education.

Eddy, J.P. (1993). Higher education perspectives for leaders. Edina, Minnesota: Burgess International Publishers.

Eddy, J.P. (1994). International higher education systems. Denton, Texas: Ron Jon Publishing, Inc.

Eddy, J.P. (1995). Grant resources: From Theory to Writing to Funding. Denton, Texas: Ron Jon Publishing, Inc.

Spaulding, D. and Eddy, J.P. (1996). New High Tech School: Opens in Texas. Journal of Reading Improvement. (To be published)

About the Authors

John Paul Eddy is Professor of Counseling, Development and Higher Education at the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas and he is a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Donald S. Spaulding is former Professor of Military Science and chair of the Department of Military Science at Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico. He is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Counseling, Development and Higher Education at he University of North Texas, Denton, texas and a U.S. Army (Ret.) Lieutenant Colonel.

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