A9ScottKellerNickEmbree

A9ScottKellerNickEmbree

To-Do

please discuss / address the following issues:

1. enumerate, analyze, and discusses different "distances"
2. describe technologies for all the distances (existing ones, envisioned ones) which you identified in (1) which help to overcome and reduce these distances
3. does distance matter?
   1. yes? (under which circumstances)
   2. no? (under which circumstances)
4. describe one example based on your personal experience where distance and diversity was
   1. a positive experience
   2. a negative experience

Group Members

Scott Keller

enumerate, analyze, and discusses different "distances"

There are 4 different types of distances as discussed in the paper: physical, time, technological, and conceptual. Physical or spacial distance is the actual separation of two people. Teams of people working on collaboratory projects need to be able to communicate and work together with the aid of computer systems. Also, there are times when digital mediums are no substitution for actual face-to-face interaction such as sketching out solutions to problems or designing/brainstorming at a very early stage. Temporal distance is the time it takes to complete a project. Design and development of systems can take years. It is sometimes difficult, especially in software is poorly documented, for individuals to renew work on a new iteration of a system and understand the ideas, practices, and style of the previous developers. This is especially true on dynamic systems and instances where constant redesign work is necessary on a short time scale. Technological distance is the use of computers and other technologies to bridge gaps left by other distances. Tools such as video conferencing and email allow for collaboration at great distances. Open source development, versioning and content control systems allow for development anywhere and over any period of time (easily allowing new users to jump in and contribute). Conceptual distance is the space between concepts, ideal, or ways of thinking between various groups.

describe technologies for all the distances (existing ones, envisioned ones) which you identified in (1) which help to overcome and reduce these distances

Spacial: the internet has completely changed the way that we interact especially in regards to communication. It is not necessary to physically visit people to collaborate. Now you can just email them. Temporal: modern design methodologies focus on preparing for the future and going through iterations of development. If steps are taken to ensure future modification and ease of code understanding, time distance becomes a much more manageable factor. Technological: wikis are a great example of a technology that allows for users to collaborate and design while minimizing distances. Wikis let anyone contribute to a common information base at any time and in any place. They also aid with temporal distance by providing a repository of content so people new to the wiki can see items for possible years before and get up to speed quickly. Conceptual: programming tools such as Scratch or Agentsheets allow for the bridging of multiple theologies and groups. These applications let non-programmers create software easily allowing different ideas to be expressed.

does distance matter?

Although technologies are further narrowing the distances we have to overcome, distance still is an important part of our interactions. As far as physical distance, face-to-face communication is important still in providing formal interaction and for collaborative group designing. Temporal distance matters in almost every software development environment. Systems are adaptive and need to be designed to be changed later in their lives. Projects take a long time and can span years so time distance is an important characteristic that needs to be prepared for and taken into account during creation.

describe one example (per group member) based on your personal experience where distance and diversity was

Conceptual distance allows for multiple individuals to interact and bring various backgrounds and thoughts to the table. In my ATLAS courses, I am one of only a couple of computer scientists as most students are arts and sciences majors. This allows for me to collaborate with these individuals and receive more varied opinion and feedback.

As far as negative experiences, I had trouble once with using a wiki to write a document with someone. We didn't meet face to face and only sent an email or two so we had issues of knowing who was doing what. Also, we both were trying to work on the document at the same time and I got locked out of the page for a few hours. It was really frustrating.

My personal example where i had seen distance and diversity was when distance and diversity had mattered were in the mind of my parents. They have been completely lost distance wise, is where when i relate to them about my school work, as a computer scientist, they have really no existing experience with my field. When I voice my frustrations, all they have to say is that they could find someone to help me or I should seek help from the professor. I find that distance and diversity does hurt communication and education and finding a system that reduces distance and diversity can only benefit that field of study.