Information Ecologies

This chapter gives a very interesting view of places people use everyday. I would never have thought of a hospital as an information ecology before reading this. There are so many places around us today where technology plays a large role and requires people to contribute their own parts as well.
Wiki travel could be considered its own information ecology because it is dependent on people having a computer with internet, and it also needs knowledgeable people to fill in the site. People from around the world can come together in this one place to create web pages. If someone makes a mistake, there is always someone that comes along in a matter of minutes to fix the error. It's a system.
I can also see ways where Wikitravel may not be considered an information ecology. the website does not need more than one person in order for it to work. One person could fill out entries on their own without help from anyone meaning there was no collaboration involved. Also, some people add things to Wikipedia and Wikipedia as a joke. They are not helping the cause, they are creating a distraction from it.

The first thought that popped into my mind before it was even mentioned in the chapter was school. School is definitely an information ecology, especially today. Students are constantly learning about integrating technology into classrooms and that it is "the way of the future". Just last semester one of my classes had a guest speaker through video chat. It is true that schools worked just fine before technology entered the classroom but today, I'm not sure how schools would go on without it. The technology like computers, projectors, smart boards, email, etc, keeps everyone at the school connected. We can get text message alerts when school is canceled. It seems a bit crazy but it makes things convenient.
The author's mention of Kinko's reminded me of my latest trip to the copy center at Staples. They have a self serve station with paper, pens, staplers, and tape among other things but they also have the counter you can go to for help if you are having trouble. What I see in this chapter is that everyone in a local information ecology, which we find ourselves in everyday, comes together for a similar cause and work together with the now integrated use of technology.