There has been increasing interest in the way that technology and communication affect environments at home, at school, and at work. In fact, the psychological and sociological factors involving the quality of the work and educational environment impact significantly on the demands placed on students, administrators, and teachers in the school systems, and on workers and managers in the corporate world. Psychologists tell us that there is a unifying theme between the qualitative aspects in both environments called the hierarchical cognitive paradigm. Within this model, the organizational and perceptual well being of the individual must be balanced between the demands placed upon them by their environment. Results of research studies show that, in fact, there is a significant amount of stress placed upon the individual directly due to the quality of the work environment, and in particular the way the individual believes that communication is handled (Repetti, 1987).
Other research substantiates these claims, and also points out that there are many effects in reconceptualizing the links between home and work in urban geography. Using the tools of the sociologist, anthropologist, and psychologist, it was found that the basal levels of stress could be significantly lowered in the workplace simply by using measures that would increase communication between workers and between workers and management. These measures included new and innovative ways of placing office space, the use of inter office computers for mail and messages, and the ability to use modem technology to contact other offices, as well as new innovations from the phone lines and fax machines (Hansen and Pratt, 1988).
Under the general heading of the importance of technology on communication in the work environment, this paper will begin with a general overview of the systematization of the work and educational environment. One might ask how the work and school en...