IT as a Gateway to the World

At WISE camp, a group of a few students participated in the weeklong workshop "Information Technology as a Gateway to the World". Our two teachers, Sharoda Paul and Joey Lee, were awesome! We all had so much fun.
The first day we took a quiz about inventions like the telegraph, telephone, and early computers. We also learned about computers, and some of their uses. Each of us created our own blog. The second day, we redesigned our cell phones to fit different target markets, learned about the ITP triangle (information, technology, people), discussed the positive and negative sides of technology, and looked at various aspects of IST. We also learned "culture blunders". For example, the "thumbs up" in the U.S. is not respectful in other countries. Companies sometimes mistranslate their slogans, like Pepsi. "Come alive with the Pepsi generation" translated to "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead", until the company realized their mistake. On day three we learned about tag clouds and virtual worlds.
Throughout this exciting week, we learned so much about IT, and realized how much technology impacts us, and how many opportunities it will bring!

WISE Camp 2007 IST Technology Project

IST Career Day

Two women who are assistant professors at Penn State came to our class today to talk about their careers in IST. Dr. Carleen Maitland first majored in electrical engineering, then joined the Peace Corps, and went to graduate school to teach IST. Dr. Lynette Kvansy worked in the computer science field before going to graduate school to teach IST. They talked with us about their past jobs, educational background, and about being a professor. The class was also able to ask them questions about their current job, and what it is like being a woman in a male-dominated field. Their final words of advice were to put personal freedom above salary, and to research a career that fits our own personality.

IT Careers

At the WISE camp, we will get to meet two guests who work in IST. Two questions are group came up with to ask them are: "How competetive is the field?" and "What other careers have you had?"
Today we also learned a lot about technology. We learned about the ITP triangle, which incorporates information, technology, and people. Also, we learned about current inventions using new technology, such as video games, 3D children's books, and virtual worlds.

Important Technologies

The five most important technologies in my life:

1. Cell phone: I can more easily communicate with people who are farther away. It is more convenient than a regular phone because it is portable.

2. Transport vehicles: (example: car, plane) These are much easier than walking from place to place.

3. Computers: Computers have a lot of information that is usefull for research projects, advice, shopping... Computers allow people to communicate with people in other countries.

4. Medicine: Medical technology is important because it helps people to lead longer and better lives.

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5. Shower: Although this seems trivial compared to the first four items, showers have evolved over the years to be more comfortable and allow for more privacy.

Hobbies, continued...

I love to read, and I am always looking for new books to read over the summer. So far, I like the Sophoclean tradgedies (Oedipus, Antigone, Electra) which were written in ancient Greece. What kind of books do you read at school in India?

My Hobbies

One of my favorite hobbies is going to the library. I love to read, and enjoy tell stories to people. I also like to draw and sing. Another hobby is science (of course), and I hope to learn more about technology and engineering at WISE.