For my paradigm shift essay I am considering several possible topics. The issue I am currently working through is figuring out whether or not the things I choose will constitute an actual change from one way of thinking to another. It has to be a revolution, a transformation, or a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather it is driven by agents of change.
Currently my options for shifts are
- Renting videos from video stores such as Blockbuster transforming into the use of Netflix
- Buying records to listen to music, then becoming portable by CD, slowly transforming into the use of Itunes and Spotify for music
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Education is no longer defined in terms of what a teacher will teach but rather in terms of what a student will be able to demonstrate.
Obviously the two first choices are a bit more important to the audience I will be trying to talk to however the education topic holds the potential to be a very interesting and compelling paper. My main concern over the video to netflix and the record to Itunes topics would be attaining enough background and history information to correctly portray these paradigm shifts. I am hoping that as we learn more about the paradigm shifts I can make a better more informed decision on which topic would be able to be talked about the most easily.
These ideas sound pretty solid. Though the music one seems very gradual and not so much an abrupt shift at first, there are definitely multile opportunities to describe changes in public perception toward music. I think this would be a strong topic from your perspective because we are a part of a very digitized generation, and our experience with music has been dynamic given that CDs were the norm when we were children and now it has become Internet streaming. You could also talk about the significance of different mediums of music — e.g. many people still make mix CDs for their friends despite the ´obsolescence´ of CDs, etc. The education topic is also very strong due to the advent of standardized testing and the changes in the education system we discussed in class. I think you have a lot to work with here and with some good research you´ll have a solid paper.