Comm Tech in the Workplace

This course focuses on how communication, collaboration, and social networking technologies influence knowledge flows within and across organizations. Emerging technologies have given rise to new organizational forms such as the virtual organization, the network organization, and the global organization engaging in innovative practices such as "open sourcing" and outsourcing. The course will focus special attention on the role of technologies in organizing within a range of communities including non-profit, for-profit, government, and non-governmental entities. The course will review how technologies are being used to organize more effectively in contexts such as activism, advocacy, commerce, manufacturing, politics, research and surveillance.

The course will begin with an overview of theories used to conceptualize the adoption and use of technologies in the workplace. Next it will explore the extent and implications of convergence among digital technologies. Special attention will be given to the manner in which the design, adoption and use of the technologies are shaped by social, historical, economic, organizational, and marketplace considerations.

The remainder of the course examines how recent technological developments such as (i) wikis, (ii) blogs, (iii) tagging (e.g., Flickr), (iv) instant messaging (e.g. AIM), (v) P2P file sharing (BitTorrent), (v) gaming technologies (e.g., World of Warcraft), (vi) social networking technologies (e.g., MySpace), (vii) Voice over IP (e.g., Skype), (viii) grid computing (e.g. SETI@Home), (ix) tele-immersive environments (e.g. CUBE), (x) smart environments (e.g. RFIDs), (xi) mobile technologies (e.g. WiMax), and (xii) extensions of open source approaches beyond software development, are changing the very fabric of our work experience within the 21st century cyberinfrastructure. Discussion will focus on the relationships between these Web 2.0 technologies and social practices.

The course will require students to use and critique many of the technologies discussed in class.