Conference explores importance of internet

Author: Andrea M. LaRocca

On Jan. 22, Middlebury College hosted the Digital Bridges 2005 conference, which was the culmination of an annually taught January term class called Digital Bridges, which Michael Clauden, David K. Smith professor of applied economics, pioneered in January 2000. Both the class and the conference explore what it means to live in an increasingly digital world.

This year's conference, which in the past spanned two days, consisted of five panels, each of which explored a current issue in context of the theme, "Where is the internet really making a difference and driving change?" Topics ranged from digital healthcare to telecommunication, and the conference concluded with a keynote panel that focused on "Reaction and Interaction: Changes in Mainstream Media."

"I thought was made this year unique was hot tightly the five panels cohered around our central theme," said Clauden, the director of DigitalBridges2005. "There was a quite clear give and take between the panel and the audience, between the panel members and even within the audience itself that really resonated with the topics and with the people there."

The panel speakers, several of whom were Middlebury alumni or local residents, were industry professionals who regularly incorporate the internet into their business lives.

"The best part was that I got to meet people from different industries and get the full picture of what they are doing," Tina S. Dimitrova '05. "It helped me figure out what I want to do."

Although Clauden was responsible for attracting the panel speakers, each of the twelve students in Clauden's January term class were responsible for coordinating and facilitating a panel.

"This is the first year that the students presented before the panels, and that fundamentally altered the energy in the room for the better, said Clauden. "The students got the panels moving and had a fundamentally core role."

The students in Digital Bridges overwhelmingly agreed that the experience of leading a panel was very positive. "The presentation was one of the best parts," said Dimitrova. "I actually felt like a professional because I was a specialist in my area for the day."

The students conduct original research on an internet-related topic throughout January term and then distill the information down to the essential points for their presentations, which Clauden called "an impressive collaborative process."

Although the course is listed as an Economics class, Clauden and the students emphasized that because of the class' flexible, interdisciplinary aspect, it is not just for Economics majors. According to the Winter Term course catalog, "This is not a course for techies or economists only, but they are certainly welcome. The only prerequisite is that you come to the course ready for taking ownership of a collaborative learning and teaching process."

"The class isn't just for Econ majors at all," said Dustin Dolginow '05.5. "It would have been awesome to have a pre-med of a bio major to add their perspective to the healthcare panel, for instance."

The inherent indisciplinary aspect of the internet as a topic was reflected in the various topics that the panel addressed to the professions of the speakers present.

"This class is what a liberal arts education should be because it draws on a lot of different disciplines and brings them together so that you have a new outlook on something," said Dolginow. "It's J-term at its best."