Assignment 27: Reading: The attack on ISD

http://www.nwlink.com/%7Edonclark/history_isd/attack.html

This week's readings could just as well be called IT hangover. :)



Perrsonally, all of the articles in this week's reading, just seem like an expected backlash. Before people change a habit (or way of doing something) there is often a big flurry of regression/nostalgia for the old way. I think that is completely true with what is happening with technology. There is a psychological term for this, but I am odds to remember.



Basically, this article discusses how the ISD module is outdated and that the harder you try to describe how it should be done, the further you get from the realilty. Kind of like if you try to describe infinity...the more words you put on it the further you get from the reality of it. There will never be enough words to describe it.



Anyhow, back to the article. Sorry, I know I am rambling. I really am very tired.

Four major charges are brought against the model:

• ISD is too slow and clumsy to meet today's training challenges.
• There no 'there' there.
• Used as directed, it produces bad solutions.
• It clings to the wrong world view.

This kind of reminds me of what I do, or at least one component of what I do in my daily work. On the surface cataloging seems like a very easy thing to do, you take an item, determine it's "aboutness" based upon a certain criteria and add those keywords in. Sounds simple enough, hmm? Well, there's many wrong ways to do as well as many right ways to do it. Sometimes, it is a matter of determining which is the best way, but perhaps, not the right way. One can learn cataloging relatively quickly; however, to understand it, to be able to synthesize the rules, standards, and practices requires many years of experience. Even the best cataloger can make a bad decision.



To add to that analogy, Cataloging is often seen as an outdated practice. With keywords and metadata who needs cataloging? Well, those are forms of the cataloging concept as is any organizational structure. While the ISD module may need some tweaking, the concepts inherent to it will continue to remain valuable. It's taking the fundamentals of the critical thinking and applying it to new concepts.