The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Computer Technology, Annotated Bibliography Example

Biagi, S. (2006.) Media/Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Shirley Biagi’s book is a comprehensive and carefully layered examination of both the tools of modern technology and their impact on society. While Biagi by no means focuses on the computer as the chief element in her survey of mass media, she fully acknowledges its role in shaping today’s culture. Combining data with researched reflections, Biagi notes the vast influence of computer technology on levels both industrial and personal.

Browne, P. (2001.) The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

This book from Pat Browne was selected for two primary reasons: its date, and its extraordinary and encyclopedic breadth. This guide, assembled from contributions by literally thousands of researchers and authors, finds itself referring to computer technology perhaps more than might be anticipated, as the real impact of computers in pop culture was, in 2001, just beginning to be realized. Browne’s book obliquely reinforces the paper’s comment that computers only sold explosively to individual consumers when the Internet became a component, and pop culture could be, then, accessed and created through computer use.

Dunnigan, J. F. (2003.) The Next War Zone: Confronting the Global Threat of Cyberterrorism. New York, NY: Citadel Press Books.

James Dunnigan’s study of cyberterrorism had as timely a release as such a book could have; by 2003, the aftermath of 9/11 had shifted into a global acceptance of the need for greater computer protections, and his book touches upon this specific and vastly influential application of computer technology. As warfare is a computerized affair these days, his work reinforces how computers are far from limited to mere business and social purposes.

Salomon, D. (2006.) Foundations of Computer Security. New York, NY: Springer.

As may be safely assumed, David Salomon’s Foundations of Computer Security was turned to because it addresses an increasing concern with the technology: safety of personal identity, as well as national security. Salomon does not differentiate between the two a great deal; rather his book is a complex and structured analysis of viruses and systems vulnerable to them. He does, however, speak to precautionary measures, as well as providing valuable insights into this “technology” within the technology.

Vrasidas, C., and Glass, G. V. (2005.) Preparing Teachers to Teach with Technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

The Vrasidas and Glass work is an excellent and informative treatment on a subject only recently properly acknowledged, that of the need for educational systems to utilize computer technology to its best advantage. This is an aspect of computer use of vast importance, yet one largely taken for granted, and no examination of computer technology can afford to overlook it. Much of the book is necessarily speculative in nature, as the results of systems only recently put into educational work are only beginning to appear. Nonetheless, the issue is vital, and the authors approach it with scholarly credentials and an appropriate sense of its magnitude.