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November 30, 1999
EVALUATING TECHNOLOGYÍS IMPACTS IS BOOK TOPIC BY UAS AUTHOR

"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," according to Neil Postman, writer and media theorist from New York University.

"Taming the Beast: Choice & Control in the Electronic Jungle," is OhlerÍs recently published book. Ohler is an Associate Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Alaska Southeast.

The book is a blend of philosophical reflection, wit, and a hard-nosed guide, according to publisher TECHNOS Press. In the book, Ohler explores 27 key issues about technology, "In order," he says, "to understand the impact of technology on ourselves, our social structures, and the environment."

Current books on technology tend to predict either a rosy or pessimistic future. OhlerÍs book takes a middle ground. "I donÍt have the answers," he says, "but I can help frame the questions that people need to ask to help them make personal decisions about technology and its impacts."

He believes society needs to teach children at an early age how to evaluate these impacts. "ThereÍs no such thing as adopting technology and getting only something good out of it. Every technology connects and disconnects, but the disconnections are often hard to see. We buy a technology for what it does FOR us. It takes a special effort to see what it does TO us."

Ohler presently teaches the teachers who teach technology to Alaska students. "Our motto," he says of his University of Alaska Southeast students, "is the effective, creative and wise use of technology."

Ohler has taught educational technology at the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus for nearly two decades. He has a Ph.D. in communications from Simon Frazier University in Vancouver. He became interested in the impacts of technology as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto where he attended classes taught by media guru Marshall McLuhan.

OhlerÍs book web site is http:www2.jun.alaska.edu/edtech/taming.
He may be contacted at jason.ohler@uas.alaska.edu.

For information contact:
Dr. Jason Ohler, 465-6427

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