On June 29, 2007,
the original iPhone was released by Steve Jobs at the MacWorld
convention, marking the start of a new era in mobile computing. The
touch screen interface changed how we physically interacted with
mobile computers, the idea of apps and the App Store brought with it
a new level of modularity and customization, the intuitive controls
set a new expectation for ease-of-use, and the overall design set a
new standard for simplicity. The creation of the iPhone is as much an
artistic feat as technological, and demonstrates the wonder
achievable by individuals with specialized roles working together.
Steve Jobs releases the iPhone at MacWorld 2007
In his essay, The
Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, C.P. Snow argues that
a successful education system will focus on both the sciences and
humanities (35). Although well-rounded individuals versed in both the
sciences and humanities seems appealing, the increasing complexity of
our technology makes it prohibitively expensive. When working on
systems with millions of interacting pieces (like the iPhone), a
great deal of specialized knowledge is required across many domains;
acquiring this knowledge comes at the cost of time and money. I think
that education systems which enforce breadth requirements should be
replaced with a system that nurtures an individual's curiosities.
In his RSA talk,
Changing Education Paradigms, Sir Ken Robinson advocates for
non-standardized curricula and methods of testing, collaborative
learning environments, and equalizing the worth of all fields of
study (The RSA). As a learner, I most identify with
non-standardization and collaboration. Throughout my career at UCLA,
I have always despised paper exams; I am a tinkerer by nature and
would much rather prefer working on a team building something in the
physical world. Further, I believe that as the complexity of our
technology necessitates specialization, so does it necessitate
collaboration.
Sir Ken Robinson's Changing Education Paradigms Talk at RSA
In her article,
Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between, Victoria Vesna
echoes this sentiment of the necessity of collaboration: “The work
of artists working with technology demands interaction with scholars
from a wide variety of disciplines such as computer science , social
studies, philosophy and cultural studies (124).”
As a piece of
technology, the iPhone not only works (almost) flawlessly, but is
fun, intuitive, and artful in many ways. It was created by highly
cohesive teams composed of individuals with specialized
domain-specific knowledge. To continue to enable works of art and
technology like the iPhone, I believe our education systems should
embrace the difference between art and science, while also embodying
the collaborative spirit.
Bibliography
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third
Culture: Being in between" Leonardo 2001: 121-125. Print.
Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures and
the Scientific Revolution. New
York: The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, 1959. Print.
The RSA. “RSA ANIMATE: Changing
Education Paradigms”. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 14 Oct
2010.
