August 21, 2008
TECHNOS PRESS PRESENTS...
Taming
the Beast: Choice & Control in the Electronic Jungle
by Jason Ohler
Taming the Beast is a rare blend of philosophical reflection, earnest wit,
and hard-nosed guide. It casts a discerning eye on our love-hate affair with
technology; reveals 27 ways to see, evaluate, and gain control over the electronic
and mechanical extensions that have become such vital parts of our lives;
and shows how we can choose new machines wisely for educational, business,
and community use.
The author, Jason Ohler, was profoundly influenced by the lectures of media guru Marshall McLuhan at the University of Toronto during the 1970s. He teaches technology assessment at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, where he is director of the Educational Technology Program.
Taming the Beast is essential reading and understanding for educators at all levels, administrators, parents, policy and decision makers, the media, and all citizens who recognize the extraordinary potential-and impact-of technology on education and society.
Featuring an introduction by Paul Levinson, author of Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millennium.
Visit the Taming the Beast Web site at http://http://www.jasonohler.com/publications/taming.cfm.
Read about the writing of Taming the Beast in the Fall 1999 issue of TECHNOS Quarterly, “A Primer on Taming the Beast.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Ohler, Ph.D., has been an author, presenter, speaker, and teacher in the field of educational technology since 1985. He teaches technology assessment at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) in Juneau and is director of that university's Educational Technology Program. Ohler created and instructs the Thinking About Technology graduate course for educators, which addresses competencies in the area of responsible and ethical use of technology. He is a playwright and musician whose compositions have been performed live and on radio and TV. Educated at the University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University, and UAS, he now lives in Juneau.
“Jason Ohler gets it. Twenty years and 100 billion dollars into the computer and information revolution, most people are still consumed with cards and cables, hardware and software, input and output, RAM and ROM. In Taming the Beast, Ohler moves well beyond technolust and technodrool to take a hard look at the critical issues that confront us. He shows us that only by getting beyond the tool to the context of the tool and its application to the task can we ever hope to understand and control the beast. This book is an absolute required read for anyone and everyone who wants to really understand what technology is and how we can and must use it.”
—Ian Jukes, Associate Director, Thornburg Center for Professional Development and author of Net Savvy
“Of all the books now appearing on what to do about media in the education of our youth, Jason Ohler's is, in my opinion, the best. It is the best because he knows what questions need to be addressed, puts them in a meaningful context, and does not presume to know all the answers.”
—Neil Postman, New York University, author of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Technology, and The End of Education
“In a world dominated by technology, we desperately need what Jason Ohler provides—practical ways to learn, teach, and think about technology literacy. We need to get beyond the sound-bite, black-and-white view of technological impacts. Ohler gives us a clear view of the landscape, complete with shades of gray, practicalities, and complexities. If it were up to me, every teacher in the world would receive a copy.”
—Howard Rheingold, author of Tools for Thought, Virtual Reality, and Virtual Communities
“With so many pundits praising or excoriating the new technologies, it is timely to have a book that presents the pros and cons of various media and stimulates readers to reach their own conclusions.”
—Howard Gardner, Harvard University Graduate School, author of The Disciplined Mind and Intelligence Reframed
We know that many animals use technology; people are the only ones who can talk about it. The level of that discussion still needs improvement, and Taming the Beast is a significant contribution, a readable text for high school students, a great resource for teachers, and a provocative survey for all. Taming the Beast shows how technology assessment can and should be everybody's business.”
—Edward Tenner, author of Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences
For more information, contact:
TECHNOS Press at AIT
Box A
Bloomington, IN 47402-0120
Tel: 812-339-2203 ext 257 or 220 Fax: 812-333-4218