Annual Editions, Technologies, Social Media

Readings -

DePalma Units 3 and 4

Annual Editions, Technologies, Social Media

and Society, 12/13 18th ed,

DePalma, Editor McGraw-Hill,

ISBN 978-0-07-352873-1

2. List each reading with the number and title as shown below with each written summary.

Unit 3 Work and the Workplace

______ De Palma - Reading #7 - Automation on the Job

This article was written to show how the feelings of our society viewed how automation would eventually be the demise of our economy, to show why it never came to fruition, and where we will be in the future. The author begins by introducing to the early ideas that automation would not only create job loss, but also would drive us to work less hours a week. Next, it was explained that even if jobs are lost to automation and computer technologies, our economy thrives on finding new vocations to stay gainfully employed, thus driving our economy in the right direction. Finally, the author offers his predictions on where we will end up. He suggests that future computer technologies will lead us to automated medicine, automated cars, and finally automated wars.

______ De Palma - Reading #8 - Computer Software Engineers and Computer Programmers

This article backs up the previous idea that as new technologies drive new vocations, computer software engineers and computer programmers are careers that are current benefactors to this shift in employment. The article defines computer software engineer's nature of work as applying the theories and principles of computer science and mathematical analysis to create, test, and evaluate the software applications and systems that make computers work. Additionally, computer programmers convert the designs of the software engineers into logical sets of instructions that the computer will follow. The article continues to explain these career's work environments, required training/qualifications, and the job outlook for these careers. The main point to take away from this article is that both of these career fields not only projected to be one of the fastest growing career fields in the next ten years, but also some of the most lucrative.

______ De Palma - Reading #9 - Computer Scientists

Similar to the previous article, this article explains the details of a career in computer science. This career calls for designers, creators, and inventors of new technology. They create new technology, or find alternate uses for existing technologies to solve complex business, scientific, and/or general computing problems. The big difference I noticed between the previously mentioned careers is computer scientist often require a PhD, not just a bachelor's degree. With that, computer scientists will enjoy more employment opportunities and higher earnings.

______ De Palma - Reading #10 - Women, Mathematics, and Computing

This article attempts to shed light on why women are not degree seeking in the field of computer science. The author hypothesizes that although mathematics is a precise subject which appeals to women, but the science of computing is immature and messy which in fact has driven away from the field. The support for this hypothesis is threefold: the field of computer science does not have licensing barriers so students don't need to earn a degree to work in the field, the tinker factor of computer science male students more than female, and since the outset of the field computer science has been a male dominated field. The course of action to fix this issue is suggested as teaching computer science as we teach