Digital Information Systems Challenge

Digital Information Systems Challenge

Whether or not you think about them often, digital information systems surround your daily life. Prior to this type of technology existing, there were analog systems, or systems that had physical pieces and movement that created information. A concrete example of this difference is photography: before, when you wanted to take a photo, you had to capture information onto a plastic filmstrip and then develop the photo onto paper; whereas today you can take a photo with a digital camera and the photo/information exists digitally and you can email or send it as a text/data message.

Today, you are going to take part in a digital information systems challenge. First, you will spend some time writing down your own thoughts, then you will take some time to write and answer some questions.

What You’ll Do

Think and Write: Two Lists or two Paragraphs (approx. 10 minutes)

• Challenge 1: List the top 5 digital information system you interact with on a daily basis
• Challenge 2: List non-digital information systems (analog) you interact with on a daily basis

Yes, complete both challenges.

Hint: think back to lectures and course materials so far. Online banking is a type of digital info system. Fabricated signs in a grocery store is a type of non-digital info system.

Answer These Questions: 2-3 Sentences Per Question (or 20-30 minutes of writing)

Discuss the implications of these information systems.

• Which are essential to your everyday life?
• Why do you use the information systems you do?
• What is it that they give you?
• Do they always give you the information you need?
• Why or why not?

Consider, Reflect, Discuss This Last Question: 1 Paragraph (or 5-10 minutes of writing)

If you had to choose one digital information system and one analog information system that you could not live without (as an individual or as a society) what would it be and why?