Reflective post

Honestly, I am techno idiot. I have had no prior experience in weblogs and such things. Having said that I must point out that I do have an account in live journal or well I did, I guess.. but that’s only because one of my friends forced me to get one and I thought ‘hmm.. why not’. But I never wrote anything in there, and have never been there since the day I signed up for an account. Why? Simply because I am not interested or rather can’t force my self to go online and be part of a so called ‘virtual community’. However when I took this unit I was very much interested to see how I would deal with this whole idea of blogging and the truth is, I really loved it! It was fun and I felt that I had to at least go there every now and then just to see what others have put up and check out the comments we all made – it kind of became addictive I guess. Having to work on a weblog for this course was pretty interesting and I thought it was really helpful. This is because, you practically new each member of the that small weblogging community – everyone in your tut group (u might not know them personally but you were able to put a face to each of the webloggers name), which meant that when we were supposed to post a comment on a another’s tutorial presentation or the annotated web assignment we were sort of taught how to criticise in a constructed way. I mean we had to say what we wanted in a way that would be beneficial for that person but in a non hurtful way.

Do I consider myself as a cyborg? Well from what we have learnt if we can become a cyborg by merely wearing contact lenses or having a pacemaker and things like that, then yes, I might be a cyborg. But we all have different interpretations when it comes to ‘what makes us cyborgs’. But I don’t think we should label ourselves as such, because they become the very things that cause so many problems in this world. SO WHAT if we are cyborgs or not, it might just be another step in the evolution of humankind just like the time when we advanced from quadrepedalism to bipedal locomotion. There would not be any progress in our species if we remain stagnant as just ordinary citizens, maybe performers such as Stelarc and other like him have shown a different path that we could take – whether it is for the better or for worse – what lies ahead in the future can only be guessed at!

Hilary's reflective post

While the blogging aspect of the assessment for this unit was an interesting idea, it turned out to be not so interesting for me in practice. Given that this unit was supposed to be about the construction of identity in a digital age, I found the way the blogs were used disappointingly narrow and much more simplistic than was probably necessary. If it had been more actively taken up by members of the tute to discuss the course as it progressed, or if we had been encouraged to spend some more time using the blog, or if there had been more tasks we had to take part in online as opposed to face-to-face, then I might have found it a more useful learning tool. As it was, the blogs seemed to be used more as a chute through which one pushes an assignment, never to see again until it comes back with a grade written in red at the top. I must say it was a much more convenient assignment box than one on campus, since it meant it was actually possible to keep working up to the deadline and not have to travel to uni and run across campus with a heavy bag of library books to be returned, but an assignment box nonetheless.

Whether or not I see myself as a cyborg depends rather heavily on what definition one applies to the word "cyborg". If you want to say that any contact with technology- be it through vaccinations or driving a car or momentary engagement with a video game- is enough to make somebody a cyborg, then sure, I guess I am. I think that's a rather silly definition, since the majority of the world's population has experienced some form of technology within their lives, including very newly born babies or even fetuses, but since it's the definition the unit has spent so much time exploring, I assume it's the one I'm supposed to focus on. To look at a more traditional definition of "cyborg," since that is what most people (and I'm willing to bet this includes all those academics who seem to think they're being incredibly controversial and/or clever by saying we're all cyborgs) immediately associate with the word, I do not believe that I am a cyborg because I have not undergone any irreversible procedure which incorporates cybernetic technology into my body. Having access to modern medicine, a car, a TV, a toaster- these things do not change the fact that I am the human being just as I always have been and, short of any major organ failure leading to transplants, always will be.

As might be obvious from my above comments, what I most disliked about the course was that it had a very narrow focus. If we had perhaps looked at the construction of identity in the digital age without having to first assume that we're cyborgs (an idea which most of us seemed to think was a little naff), and if perhaps we had used a wider variety of technologies- or used the blogs in more depth than we did- then perhaps the course would have been a more valuable educational experience for me. What I liked about the course was that since I did have a little previous experience with computers and blogging, and do in fact enjoy tinkering with various technologies and analysing social trends, I found the readings and discussions (that weren't still related to being cyborgs after the first few weeks) interesting without being terribly taxing. Something else I like about the course is the irony of asking us to state our likes and dislikes about it on the blogs, when I always thought that's what the anonymous surf and spot tests were for. As ironic as I've been tempted to be in response, honesty is something I value and my response has reflected this.

To anybody who is reading this, I would like to echo Anna's thanks for interesting tutorial discussions. It's been fun :)

Reflective Post

When i first started this unit, i wasn't really clued in as to what it was all about. However, i liked the fact that i had a unit which solely revolved around computers and digital culture. i wouldn't say that i am the most computer literate person in the world, but this unit has helped me to understand more about vitual worlds and in particular cyborgs.

While i would not consider myself a 'cyborg' in the true sense of the word, i think this unit has helped me understand the whole the concept, and maybe pushed me a little more towards becoming one. i particularly enjoyed the week about online communities. i found this fascinating in reading about individuals connecting to each other from all over the world via digital technology.

Reflective Post

I think the use of weblogs is useful for those who are new to the topics which are discussed in the units. For example, if you did not have much prior exposure to discussion of ‘cyborgs’ and other digital culture ideas then weblogs enable you access to an arena where these ideas are discussed and explored and thus contribute to a better understanding. They are also a useful tool to get to know your classmates as people often find it easier to write their opinions rather than to say them aloud. I personally found they worked well for me as I didn’t have much understanding prior to the unit of the realms of digital culture and the complications and ideas that arise from digital culture, so the weblogs helped me to further my understanding.
I don’t believe my self to be a cyborg, as I still feel as though cyborg is a term, which is more closely related to a robot, a computer simulation or something highly technical. Although I do live in a world completely surrounded by technology and I heavily rely on technology, I don’t feel as though technology as consumed me to the point that I believe myself to be a cyborg.
In this unit, i didnt like much the focus on the weblogs and the compulsary weblog postings, though I did find them beneficial at times, I would have enjoyed the unit much more without them as I often found it difficult to have access to the internet and etc etc. On the upside I enjoyed exploring areas which I previously knew little about and there were several readings which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Reflective Post

I think the use of weblogs is useful for those who are new to the topics which are discussed in the units. For example, if you did not have much prior exposure to discussion of ‘cyborgs’ and other digital culture ideas then weblogs enable you access to an arena where these ideas are discussed and explored and thus contribute to a better understanding. They are also a useful tool to get to know your classmates as people often find it easier to write their opinions rather than to say them aloud. I personally found they worked well for me as I didn’t have much understanding prior to the unit of the realms of digital culture and the complications and ideas that arise from digital culture, so the weblogs helped me to further my understanding.
I don’t believe my self to be a cyborg, as I still feel as though cyborg is a term, which is more closely related to a robot, a computer simulation or something highly technical. Although I do live in a world completely surrounded by technology and I heavily rely on technology, I don’t feel as though technology as consumed me to the point that I believe myself to be a cyborg.
In this unit, i didnt like much the focus on the weblogs and the compulsary weblog postings, though I did find them beneficial at times, I would have enjoyed the unit much more without them as I often found it difficult to have access to the internet and etc etc. On the upside I enjoyed exploring areas which I previously knew little about and there were several readings which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Evana's reflective post

At the start of this unit I was intrigued by the thought of incorporating weblogs into the course. In other units online communication has been facilitated by mediums such as WebCT, but to my mind blogs hold a far greater potential for promoting useful discussion.

To that end, the use of blogs in this unit has been interesting, but I'm not altogether convinced that the potential of blogs has been taken advantage of in full. My main qualm was with Blogger. I'm not a big fan of Blogger and found it a little tedious to use, particularly when it came to creating a new post.

I think that the blogging part of the unit could have been reined in a little, with perhaps weekly suggestions for topics of discussion. Having set questions to answer or a very specific topic to discuss centralizes the debate as opposed to seeing dozens of different posts and not knowing which to reply to or whether a discussion will be fired up if you even comment.

In terms of whether I think that I'm a cyborg... the answer would have to be no. While I interact with technology on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis, I don't feel that it has made me any less human. I don't think that mere psychological connectedness to computerized technology qualifies a person as a cyborg.

To consider the definition of a cyborg, I think that the word 'cybernetic' is essential to the concept. I think that to be a cyborg, you would need to have some sort of robotic implant which you utterly depend on or which would cripple your functioning if you were to be without it. A theoretical and fun way of thinking about it, or testing for "cyborgness" would be to set off an electro-magnetic pulse in a room filled with people. Whoever was affected by the pulse adversely could then be considered a cyborg. I'm not totally sure how pacemakers work, but I think that the EMP would probably make it malfunction. So by that reasoning, the person would be a cyborg because they have a robotic device implanted in them that aids their functioning, or is central to it.

Overall, I enjoyed this unit and the sorts of issues it made us consider. I found it interesting to discuss and explore the various facets of information and communication technology and our mutual relationship with it - how we have shaped its development and how it has shaped us.

Reflective Post

I think the weblogs have complimented the course nicely. Participating in the weblogs is probably that most effective way of demonstrating how blogs function and what it is like to take part in them. Aside from this I felt that the blogs fit well with the tutorial. I liked having the chance to read everyone’s webliography and see how others’ ideas resembled or differed from my own. Also I enjoyed reading the interesting side notes that were posted. All in all I think that the weblogs were a good experience. We may not have used the weblog to its full potential, but I certainly think it was worthwhile and useful to the course.

After taking this course I still don’t think that I am a cyborg, at least in the sense that the terminator or Stelarc can be seen as cyborgs. I may spend hours in front of my computer and have my phone close by at all times, but I don’t see these things as part of myself. I could live with out them if I had to. If I lost my phone it wouldn’t be the same as losing a limb. The technology I depend upon is to an extent replaceable and expendable. Maybe we become cyborgs when technology stops being expendable to us. Or maybe we become cyborgs when the body starts becoming replaceable. While this course has demonstrated how the self can be constructed through technology, I agree with theorists like Sherry Turkle and Martti Lahti that remind us that identity continues to remain very much embodied.

This course was, for the most part, an interesting and enjoyable one. In particular I thought the workshops were a fun way to expand upon the ideas that were talked about in the lectures. I liked that the workshops broadened the mediums through which the course material was communicated and I don’t think that the unit would have been as successful or enjoyable if they had been excluded. It’s also great to take a course that diverges from the usual lecture-tutorial format.

Rae's Reflective Post

I think weblogs have a great deal of potential as tools for learning, though I am not convinced that this potential was particularly well-used in this instance. I was disappointed with the lack of general involvement of the tutorial blogs in the unit, and feel that a greater focus in online interaction would be preferable, increasing the usefulness of the weblogs and allowing a greater exploration of some of the topics covered in the unit.

I do not believe I am a cyborg. I found the arguments of various theorists that engagement with the modern, technological world makes a human into a cyborg unconvincing; if we are cyborgs now, then we were, equally, cyborgs a century ago, when we started using telephones to enhance our ability to communicate, or three hundred years ago, when we had learnt to inoculate ourselves against disease, or three thousand years ago, when the lame took up using crutches to replace damaged or missing limbs, or thirty thousand years ago, when we took up wearing clothes to enhance our surviveability in adverse conditions. If interaction with technology shifts us from the human to the posthuman, then we have never been human; since I find the idea that the concept of humanity which has sufficed throughout our history is somehow entirely negated ridiculous, I conclude that I am not a cyborg.

I found the exploration of concepts of identity and the social and political consequences of the digital revolution interesting, but I was frustrated by many theorists; it seems that many academics work in this field despite having a poor comprehension of computers, the internet, and what seem to me to be the foundation concepts on which the study is based. The course readings were consequently quite difficult to take seriously, containing as they did many fundamental factual errors and inadequacies.

Kathryn's Reflective Blogging Post

Blogging as a part of this unit I think has been quite important. If it hadn’t been involved in the course, some people would never have made a post in their lives on anything, making me think it would have been difficult for them to fully engage with the webblogging topics we covered.
For my part, blogger and I shall never be friends. Give me livejournal, deadjournal, anything but blogger. Having to validate your humanity with every post gets irritating (the word verification to make sure you’re not a spamming-advertising-machine). The layout is uncomfortable (small writing) and uncustomiseable. Additionally, there is only a temporally descending display of posts, while posting on a messageboard for example would allow some categorization of the different sorts of posts.

Am I a cyborg? I would meet all the criteria by the majority this unit’s readings. And unlike many others in this unit, my dependence on technology is at the level where (for medical reasons) I would not function without it. However, despite all this, I feel the biological, material aspect of my identity dominates and is so demanding (wanting feeding, causing pain, etc) that it sidelines the mechanical. If I am a cyborg, it is not enough! The constant physical limitations are too distracting to embrace a functional cyborg identity – perhaps in the future further cyborgization will solve this? I’m reminded of dog-identity, where its commonly thought that a cross-breeding often results in offspring having the best qualities of both parents. Or the philosophy behind the Borg, where incorporating as much of everything into their culture is the Borg way to achieve perfection. Or the Mesoamerican incorporation of the Christian god as another element into the supernatural pantheon already populated by foreign deities (“The devil and the saints in the conquest of Mexico”, by Fernando Cervantes). I think part of my response is best expressed through an understanding of the anime Lain (1998), where Lain creates an identity for herself with no basis on anything material. Eventually, finding this identity preferable, she changes to exist only in The Wired (the internet) and as a cyborg with equal distribution between machine and biological identity, she deletes her physical identity (in both its machine and biological forms). So you can’t have a cyborg where you just keep adding machine to human, there needs to be some loss of humanity accompanying the process. As I have always known myself to act at the same level of humanity, cyborg conceptuality is difficult to accept. If all people are like this, shouldn't "cyborg" be assimilated into the umbrella of "human"?

One thing I particularly liked about this course was its overlap with science fiction, and the understandings that can be reached through use of pop culture.

Anna's Reflective Post

I thought the weblogs provided a useful practical component to the unit. We are in a unique position to be able to compare a real life and virtual community where we had the same people and discussions. Which was more effective? I found our real life community more productive because I can never discount the importance of face-to-face contact and the benefits of communicating in synchronous time. I do have an interesting observation to make though: this is the only tutorial that I’ve ever had where I was never able to learn peoples’ names. This is very unusual for me and I wonder if I have perhaps underestimated the impact the weblog’s virtual community had on my real life community of the tutorial.

I believe there is a distinction we need to make between ‘living in a technological age’ and ‘being a cyborg’. I would argue that we all are likely to rely on the technological trappings that shape our day to day lives, but this doesn’t necessarily mean we become a cyborg. Therefore, unless we have undergone an irreversible procedure to our physical body, I would argue that we’re not cyborgs.

Thanks for the interesting discussions over the semester.

Reflective Post

Reflecting back on this course I am still unsure as to whether or not I believe myself to be a cyborg. To be quite honest, the thought of being a cyborg still scares me! Ultimately, I think that to be a cyborg one must be implanted with cybernetic technology, simply using a mobile phone for example, does not constitute being a cyborg in my opinion.

Before this course I had never used a weblog before and therefore found the new experience interesting. I must admit it was a little daunting having to post up my webliography for peer comment but it proved useful as I gained a great deal of insight from reading other people’s submissions. Overall, I enjoyed the online workshops the most and the incorporation of media throughout various lectures. Having no previous knowledge in most of the topics covered in this course, I enjoyed the content and found it to be a great learning experience.

Brendan's Reflective Post

I thought weblogs were a brilliant inclusion in the course, and very relevant to the material covered in terms of virtual communities and blogging enterprises. I like the interactive nature of weblogs, and how you can comment on other people's posts. In some ways weblogs are like a utopian online tutorial discussion, it would be interesting to see an anonymous tutorial weblog where the participants don't know the identity of the other users. Even more interesting would be to hold a live tutorial discussion online through blogging software, although maybe that would begin to resemble a chat room. I found weblogs to be a very useful learning tool, though they are certainly different to lectures and tutorials!

Since the beginning of the course I have been trying to work out if I am a cyborg. On the one hand, I rely greatly on technology to go about my daily life. But on the other, I don't have any artifical components such as a pacemaker or hip replacement. Therefore, I feel that I am a pseudo-cyborg, still within the realms of humankind but also on the fringes of a world inhabited by Robocops and Mosquitors.

I thought the weblogs were the best part of the course - as far as I know it is the only unit which has weblogs in it and I found them to be quite interesting. Interacting online with class members was an enjoyable experience and the online workshops were fun - particularly the one on games!

Shan-Chun’s Reflective post

I really enjoyed our weblogs in this course, especially to experience the technology as part of our learning. As the old said “actions speaks louder than words.” We had been discussing the relationship between technology and bodies in the areas of cyberculture, cyberpunk, cyberbodies, cybertypes, technological embodiment, virtual ethics, online communities, online games and flash mobs. By attending online workshop I have experienced the political simulation games, it gives me deeper understanding of what is political simulation games. We were formed in ‘Wednesday midday tutorial blog’ group as an online community, it brings me more sense of what is and how virtual community functions operations. By switching from ‘real’ (in class) to ‘virtual’ (weblog), we are experiencing the fantasy of cyberspace!

By participating and responding to each other’s works online, it is different compared to in-class discussion. As I found that it makes me to be more daring to voice my opinion online rather than in class. As reason being, English as my second language, I think slower and speak slower than others. Sometimes, I do have comments to make but it is hard for me to translate it to English by the time words comes to my mind the topic just passed. Therefore is kind of hard for me to express my opinions in class. In another words, without this weblog maybe I cannot survive through this course. Therefore, I think I am a cyborg! As the weblog is a part of my mouth!

In point of fact, I love this course’s contents so much. However, to be honest evaluate what I disliked about the course, is the in class tutorial discussion. I bring my mind, I bring my heart, I bring myself, I bring my soul, I bring my ears, I bring my brand, I bring all my organ, but did not bring my mouth. I hardly say something in class. I still think that I am a cyborg, without the computer, without the internet, I am like losing my mouth.

reflective post

At the end of this course, i am still pretty apprehensive about using weblogs. personally, i would never create, keep or use a weblog. However, this is a unit based on the use of techonology and weblogs are inherently part of the course.So, in the view of using a weblog for this unit, i must say it has been an eye-opener. tutorial weblogs have been a useful part for this unit and i have found the process of using a weblog much much more easier after the initial workshop. I do not see any problem in using weblogs as part of the university course as being in university is all about learning.

With regards to what defines a cyborg, i am a firm believer that a cyborg is one that has been implanted with artificial technology such as metal arms/legs, bionic ears/eyes -to keep one alive or to make one's life easier. So, i am definately not a cyborg and my answer is the same as it was at the beginning of the unit.

At the end of this course, at least, i possess the know-how of the blogging sensation that is overtaking the world.

reflective post

In evaluating the use of the weblogs for learning purposes I would say that posting comments online was an easy and interesting way to communicate with other memebers of the tutorial. I think that the weblog provides an environment in which most would feel safe and confident in sharing their opinions. In some ways, weblogging is almost not as confronting as direct physical contact with a person but on the other hand not as final as words on paper either. Remembering to post all six of the required posts was sometimes difficult and admmitingly I didn't really use the blog to comment on anything outside of these, but I still considered it to work well for me as I enjoyed posting them.

Do I see myself a cyborg? I dont really know. Im still sitting on the fence with this one. I agree in part with the point raised today that in order to be a cyborg one must inherently possess some sort of computer mediated technology but then I also see how this definition of a cyborg is increasingly becoming more problematic with the evolution of external technology/objects becoming addictive or pyhsologically embeddded within society (ie a mobile phones) but I still dont really know to what extent I consider myself a cyborg...not much I guess, I dont really fit either of the above definitions!

Overall I thought the course was well organized and interesting and enjoyed the contemplative discussion that arose from our tutorial.