Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Technology Becomes Us: The Age of Human-Computer Interaction
Online social networks. Internet of Things. Augmented Reality. Artificial Intelligence. Technology is becoming more of our life and work than ever. We depend on it to communicate, make friends and stay in touch, do our work and even shop. With the IoT, we are even letting technology control our cars and homes.
Now, technology is becoming us and we are becoming technology in this age of human-computer interaction (HCI). However, despite all the technological advancements, many people still think that what has been created in terms of computers and devices are still not as user-friendly as they should be, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of human cognitive capabilities in relation to machines like computers.
This interaction has been studied and exploited since the 1980s when personal computers started to emerge. Now, this segment of computer science is being delved into through university research centers like Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. Even companies like IBM are puttingsignificant investments into HCI to see how it can enhance work in other areas like visualization, cognitive and user modeling, usable mobile security, mobile collaboration and learning, and smarter cities.
The Evolution of HCI
The concept has gone from studying the concept of usability in which technology and computers were studied for their ability to offer useful ways for people to work and, now more recently, to live. As understanding has progressed, HCI has expanded as a science that now integrates and draws on a number of areas, including “psychology, design, communication studies, cognitive science, information science, science and technology studies, geographical sciences, management information systems, and industrial, manufacturing, and systems engineering.”
The study of HCI has been progressing along with the disruptive changes occurring within society in terms of the impact that the Internet has had on societies. The changes have incorporated people using computers to interact with others beyond just interacting with the computer. Now, with the Internet of Things, computing has integrated into human habits associated with their homes, shopping patterns, vehicles, appliances, moving beyond computers and into other types of devices like the smartphone and tablet.
The science and application of HCI continues to evolve with more practitioners, scientists, researchers and developers seek to further what it means to human society and how it can be leveraged to address social and economic issues as well as to determine how people can think and work smarter. It’s become such a relevant area of study that university programs and degrees are now available for HCI as a way of furthering the understanding and application for this segment of computer science. At the same time, new jobs are emerging to use these degrees related to furthering areas like those being studied by IBM or as new companies develop applications for artificial intelligence and connected devices that bring us further into the world of computers.
Upcoming HCI Industry Conference
To further the understanding of HCI, a number of conferences and seminars have been developed. If you are interested in learning more about HCI, check out ACM CHI 2016. It’s a conference on Human-Computer Interaction that will be held May 7-12 in San Jose, California at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center located at 150 W San Carlos Street. The conference will bring together some of the best minds working in HCI to exchange ideas and share new insights through ongoing research.
Bottom Line
Now that we rely so heavily on technology, it’s clear that HCI is here to stay and will only become a larger part of our work, life, and social networks. We can all add to the body of knowledge by participating in research studies or working towards a degree or within an industry related to HCI, helping shape how we let technology interact with us.
3 Signs Online Learning Isn't Right for You
When I first decided to enroll in an online bachelor's degree program three years ago, almost every person I told had a different reaction. These ranged from "Good for you!" to "Are you sure you can handle that while working full time?" and the ever-present "I could never do that."
Now, as I approach the completion of my program, every time this topic comes up in conversation it seems like many friends, family and co-workers who are already living busy lives feel that online learning is something that might work well for others but not for them personally.
This reaction always seemed odd to me. In my experience, the online learning environment has allowed me to thrive in ways I was never able to in a traditional classroom. I will concede, however, that online learning is definitely quite a departure from the educational experience most students are used to.
From my experience and the conversations I've had with others, here are three signs that online education might not be right for you.
1. You aren't self-disciplined. For me, the flexibility that online education offers has been a huge factor in my success, but it also requires greater self-motivation. There isn't a professor at the front of the class to keep you enthused about what you're learning.
[Learn why to develop self-motivation skills before starting an online course.]
Balancing a full-time job with an education, I wouldn't have been able to stick to a strict schedule of showing up at a lecture hall multiple times each week. Online education forces you to decide on your own when and where you do your work, within the general structure of the course. For some, this lack of a regimented schedule could be a negative, but it allowed me to thrive given my other obligations.
2. Time management isn't your strength. Most of the online courses I've enrolled in have very clear and strict schedules provided the first week of the course, but these usually just outline due dates for assignments. To be successful on a weekly basis, you have to carve out time to complete assignments and stick to your plan.
Every Sunday night, I would look at the assignments due for the upcoming week in each of my online classes. The sheer volume of work can be intimidating, especially as discussion boards and other assignments might replace participation credits you would receive for simply showing up to a traditional course. The only way to manage this effectively is with strong time management.
3. Face-to-face time with instructors is crucial to your learning. In online courses, most of your learning will come from textbooks, articles, videos and online labs, among other materials that have been curated by an instructor but are self-directed.
For me, this meant that if I didn't understand a concept, I would either have to start a back-and-forth email chain with my instructor or, more often, extend my search to the internet. These methods are definitely a departure from the immediate responses and face-to-face conversations afforded by on-campus education. If you’re not able to be self-directed at least some of the time, and you consistently need a professor’s direct guidance in person, online learning may not be the right path.
The takeaway: Online learning places a tremendous amount of responsibility on a student. If you thrive in an environment of personal responsibility, can stay organized and can juggle multiple assignments at once, then online learning might be a great fit.
Goodbye Apollo: The geeky, charming Richard Hatch I knew
When I heard the sad news Tuesday that actor Richard Hatch died, my heart sank.
As Captain Apollo on the 1978 TV series "Battlestar Galactica," he wasn't just my first space crush (sorry Han Solo). The pilot he brought to life embodied the kind of passion and stubbornness that made the popular sci-fi series more than what some critics called a "Star Wars wannabe."
Apollo was a stand-out character to many of us space geeks who loved the short-lived '70s original series. But Hatch wasn't just Apollo. He returned to the "Galactica" franchise during its wildly successful 2004 reboot, playingTom Zarek, a terrorist who becomes a politician.
He also had roles in "All My Children," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Hotel," "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island," and in one of my favorite guest appearances: He played a dubious boyfriend and possible suspect in "Murder, She Wrote."
I didn't get to know Hatch personally until we both appeared in "The Guild" -- actress Felicia Day's webseries about video gamers and their awkward adventures.Season 5 was all about the sudden pitfalls of internet fame and how to survive being a hard-core fan at a comic book convention.
Hatch plays himself as an actor looking for social media tips at a comic book convention. He also invites one of the main characters to a celeb-infested after-party. I was cast as a friend of "Agents of SHIELD" actress Dichen Lachman, and we're attending the party Hatch mentions.
It wasn't much later that I ran into Hatch at the first annual "The Geekie Awards Show" and we finally got to chat about having fun on "The Guild." It was then I realized Hatch was just as big a fan of all things geeky as the rest of us.
He not only loved sci-fi, but even wrote his own space opera and comic book series called "The Great War of Magellan."
Hatch enjoyed his cameo on "The Guild" so much he later starred in the webseries "The Silicon Assassin Project" and played the Klingon Commander Kharn in the Star Trek fan film "Prelude To Axanar."
I loved how Hatch enjoyed chatting with "Battlestar Galactica," fans but also became part of the Star Trek and The Guild fan communities. Whenever I later ran into Hatch at comic book conventions and parties, he always looked like he was having fun among his fellow geeks.
That's what I remember most -- not just Hatch's iconic role as Apollo, but his big smile whenever he was around fans who wanted to know more about his next big sci-fi project. Hatch's positive energy will be missed. So say we all.
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