Hey Everyone!

i.

My name is Ethan Way, and I am a Canadian born in Dublin, Ireland and raised in Toronto. I am currently a third-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, pursuing a Co-op Specialist in International Development Studies and a Major in Political Science. After university, I may pursue a career in academia, development or politics, all of which excite me. In terms of my interests, I love to travel, and this past summer returned from a two-month backpacking trip in Southeast Asia. Sports, music, reading and new experiences are also important to me. Recent volunteer positions have awakened an interest in food security.

ii.

This course is of interest to me for a number of reasons, but chief among them is my desire to gain knowledge about newly-developed technologies which may shape development processes both now and in the future. I feel that this course is extremely relevant today, and would benefit students in many areas of study. The pace of technological advancement since the introduction of the Worldwide Web in 1993 has been astounding, and I believe it is of great importance for people to become more knowledgeable about these developments so that they can harness them in more positive and efficient ways.

iii.

Embracing the ‘active learner’ role that will undoubtedly be available to all students in this course will, in my opinion, be of great importance to anyone wishing to get maximum value from this course. Too often in university courses, students play a passive role in the learning experience, simply writing down notes and then regurgitating that information on exams. I envision active learning to be not only contributing to course material, but also actively and critically engaging with the opinions of peers. As students at the University of Toronto Scarborough, we are fortunate to be surrounded by people from all walks of life, people who have grown up in dramatically differing cultures, and who possess unique ways of thinking which may challenge our personal views in a positive way. I hope to gain knowledge from all of those involved in this course by hearing their insights about how new communication technologies will potentially impact development. I also hope to further develop my computer skills and get a better understanding of websites such as Wikipedia, all in the pursuit of becoming more technologically savvy. Having travelled a fair amount throughout the world, having been exposed to a variety of cultures, and having studied development and political science for two years, I believe my specific experiences can offer an interesting perspective to this course. I believe myself to be a critical and creative thinker, which I hope to demonstrate this semester. To conclude, in a sense I hope this class will become a small, close-knit ‘knowledge community’, in which ideas are discussed and debated inside and outside of lectures, with all students feeling comfortable, but also excited to contribute to the conversation.