Technological Literacy From A Technology Perspective example essay topic

Defining Technological Literacy Given the current state of technology, a researcher should have little difficulty in finding relevant definitions that embody a spirited understanding of underlying technical and societal interactions that craft a view of the technically literate person. As an exercise, extracting the common elements from various experts' definitions of technological literacy should result in a generalized perspective that would provide a foundation supporting further literacy definitions for aspects of technology such as computers or genetics. However, this is easier than it sounds. As Gagel (1997) confirms, "defining technological literacy has proven to be an unexpectedly complex and difficult task". The difficulty in defining technological literacy is exposed by a number of factors.

One factor relates to understanding perspective and determining whether the term is best defined by putting the emphasis on "technology" or "literacy" or whether the subject is best approached laterally. Indeed, Gagel describes the technological literacy from a technology perspective as opposed to defining literacy and then establishing parameters supporting technological literacy. Perhaps this approach contributed to the author's difficulty in defining the term. As technology is so diverse and crosses many boundaries, perhaps the definition of technological literacy should do likewise, and not be restricted to either a "technology" or "literacy" perspective.

Another factor contributing to the difficulty in defining technological literacy involves the improperly weighting of computer influence on the term's definition. In a speech given by former President, Bill Clinton, this misunderstanding is propagated further. He states, "Today, technological literacy - computer skills and the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity and performance - is a new basic that our students must master". (Clinton, n. d.) Clearly, this mindset is remiss and precludes the contribution of myriad other technologies affecting our daily lives. According to Harrison, "Computer literacy is but a subset of technological literacy, but if this mindset is not encouraged, then the richness of technological literacy will not be passed on to next generations. As technologists, we have the daunting task of reversing this rapidly flowing river".

(Harrison, 2000) So, the question is how to define "technological literacy" without being trapped in too narrow a perspective and without utilizing a specific technology to add meaning to the term. It is important that society controls technology for it to serve us purposefully in our daily lives and lifestyle in general. For us to control technology, an understanding and knowledge is required to allow us to make informative decisions on how it will affect our lives. To develop this understanding and knowledge requires a societal decision to enable and support "technological literacy" within the culture and, at a personal level, a daily commitment to understand technology relevant to the individual's life. The International Technology Education Association asserts, "A person that understands - with increasing sophistication - what technology is, how it is created, how it shapes society, and in turn is shaped by society is technologically literate.

(ITEM, 2000) The implication here is that the informed individual defines technological literacy within a personal context and understands the societal interactions. Technological literacy consists of the knowledge, understanding and ability to interact with technology independently and to make informed decisions regarding technological relevance. Characteristics of a Technologically Literate Person If a survey were taken asking for characteristics of the technologically literate person, agreement for certain qualities would emerge. Some of these qualities would include: "problem solvers", "understand technical interactions", "seekers of knowledge", and "able to identify solutions". At the basic level, the technologically literate person understands and appreciates the interrelationships between technology and themselves, society, and the environment.

Technically Speaking (2001) has compiled a comprehensive listing of qualities exhibited by the technically literate person. The qualities and characteristics are categorized based on knowledge, ways of thinking and acting, and capabilities. These qualities include: Knowledge. Recognizes the pervasiveness of technology in everyday life...

Understands basic engineering concepts and terms, such as systems, constraints, and trade-offs... Is familiar with the nature and limitations of the engineering design process... Knows some of the ways technology shapes human history and people shape technology... Knows that all technologies entail risk, some that can be anticipated and some that cannot... Appreciates that the development and use of technology involve trade-offs and a balance of costs and benefits... Understands that technology reflects the values and culture of society.

Ways of Thinking and Acting. Asks pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the benefits and risks of technologies... Seeks information about new technologies... Participates, when appropriate, in decisions about the development and use of technology. Capabilities. Has a range of hands-on skills, such as using a computer for word processing and surfing the Internet and operating a variety of home and office appliances...

Can identify and fix simple mechanical or technological problems at home or work... Can apply basic mathematical concepts related to probability, scale, and estimation to make informed judgments about technological risks and benefits. What I find most appealing about Technically Speaking's contribution are the application of the three categories and the applicability of the criteria to a variety of technologies. Specifically, by focusing on the acquisition of knowledge, integrating that knowledge into productive technological thought processes, and developing technical capabilities, the individual's role as a technology user is reinforced within the context of technological societal interactions. Additionally, these criteria establish a frame of reference that validates the significance of technology and its effects on daily lives while recognizing that people employ and interface with technology in different ways and at different levels of immersion.

Finally, the criterion comes at technology from a generalized perspective without overemphasizing the most prevalent and widely acknowledged technological components such as computers, cell phones, consumer electronics, and other devices. Key capabilities of technologically literate people involve concept integration and rely on interaction with science, mathematics, social studies, language arts, and other content areas. Technologically literate people use a strong systems-oriented, creative, and productive approach to thinking about and solving technological problems. Technologically literate people can identify appropriate solutions with awareness that forecasting results of implementing the chosen solution is vitally important. Most importantly, technically literate people understand that technology has a human side that is just as important as the problem the technology is designed to solve.

Government Promotion of Technology Government promotion of technology takes on a variety of forms. An obvious contribution is the application of a particular governments financial resource that support beneficial development of technological artifacts. The problem stems from the perception of beneficial when viewed within the convergence of individual interests, university interests, business interests, and governmental interests themselves. Governments walk a precarious tightrope when balancing these forces competing for research and development resources. In a report crafted by the Congressional Research Service, the report 'calls for a transformation in the way science and technology policymaking is organized in all branches of government in order to meet the challenges of the human future encouraging long-term economic growth; sustaining the environment; and creating and maintaining peaceful relations among nations in the post-Cold War world".

(CRS, 1997) Specifically, the report highlights the role of government (US) in regards to the promotion of science and technology based on goal development, funding allocations, reshaping graduate education, competitiveness policy, R&D policy, and innovation investing. One of the key conclusions provided by the report specifically addresses the government's role in the promotion of technology from a funding perspective. Defining this role, the report states, "The federal government should 'encourage' the development of commercial technologies by the private sector, but it should fund them directly only in pursuit of government missions such as defense or new enabling, or broadly applicable, technologies for which government is the only source of funding available". (CRS, 1997, p. 21) Another obvious opportunity for governmental technology promotion would be the support and encouragement of programs designed to address technological literacy.

As a recommendation, Technically Speaking (2001) proposes the following: "Federal and state government agencies with a role in guiding or supporting the nation's scientific and technological enterprise, and private foundations concerned about good governance, should support executive education programs intended to increase the technological literacy of government and industry leaders". Additionally, further government involvement is evidenced by the "Technology Literacy Challenge" with the following major goals: Training of all teachers to assist students using the information superhighway, Multimedia computers in all classrooms, All classrooms connected to the Internet Superhighway, and Effective software and on-line learning will be an integral part of every school's curriculum. [Selfe, 1999, p 62]. In my opinion, government plays an obvious and necessary role in the promotion of technology and technological literacy. From a societal perspective, a mitigating force is needed to "encourage" beneficial technologies among competing interests. From an educational perspective, society needs an organized effort to establish direction and support technological literacy.

Government provides a vehicle, controlled by the "will of the people", that can be used effectively to reach both ends. On the beneficial side, a governmental role in the promotion of technology supports the advancement of the individual, the business and educational institutions, and society itself. Ultimately, all parties' benefit, and government further validates its usefulness by providing direction via research spending and educational programs. Society and Technology Technological determinism attempts to accurately describe technology as constructing society. (Winner, p. 11) Obviously, social constructivists would disagree with this premise.

Also, according to Winner (2001), scholars supporting social constructivism "use seemingly cogent demonstrations to argue that technological devices, systems, and methods are socially shaped and thoroughly contingent products of human interaction". (p. 13) Whether either of these beliefs are shared or not, the implication of technology determining social outcomes or society affecting technological evolution cannot be mitigated. Within an esoteric context, technology is often viewed from an evolutionary perspective and attributed with neo-biological characteristics. (See, for example, Kelly, 1994). This evolutionary concept, in itself, is evidence of both deterministic and constructivist affects contributing to future direction of science and technology.

The relationship between society and technology is best understood by observing how technologies develop, find a following, and eventually are assimilated by a population. Technology offers opportunities, some very persuasive, but not everyone takes them up or participates in deployment. The relationship is made more complex because technology does not just happen; it is made to happen as the result of human need, decision, and action. Certain groups within society influence the development and deployment of technology through the funding of R&D, marketing, and manufacturing. Society's relationship with its technology is a complex one of interacting influences made more difficult because technology is often used in surprising ways not anticipated by its originators or developers.

As an example, consider the Internet. It began as a communications system for the US military in the event of nuclear conflict and as a convenient way for university researchers to share information. The supporting infrastructure had to be invented from scratch, planned and designed, tested, and finally implemented to enable communications. Now, consider the result. The Internet is the realm of shared secrets. Information is available in vast quantities for a variety of dangerous technologies.

Also, "whistle blowers" frequently expunge their guilty conscious by publishing information to the web. Lastly, the secrets so zealously guarded by nations can be exposed to global scrutiny with a simple transmission from a personal computer to a web server somewhere. Obviously, these are legitimate concerns for governments and, from a national security perspective, dangerous acts of espionage. It is highly unlikely that the US military anticipated the anarchy of the Internet and had they done so, I suspect Internet access would not be what we experience today. The relationship between society and technology can further be understood by asking technology to answer the following questions: (Harrison, 2000). Who controls the technology?

What is it used to do? Whose needs and interests does it serve? Whose life does it enhance? Who decides where and what technology is used?

What can technology NOT do? What do people need to know to use a technology? How does technology affect the nature and quantity of work? How does technology relate to power and control - across, the globe, within the state, and in the workplace? Science discovers the knowledge that creates the technology that affects society. Society integrates the technology, engaging a feedback mechanism with the higher goal of improving life and enabling even better technologies.

Biotechnology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) divide biotechnology into four primary groupings: (1) DNA Technologies; (2) Bioprocess Engineering; (3) Structural Biology; and (4) Biomolecular Materials. In addition, Bioinformatics is also addressed via a program independent from the other group efforts. DNA Technologies focuses on research efforts to meet goals and objectives in areas of measurement science, standards and data dissemination. Projects include the measurement of DNA damage and DNA repair, the characterization of DNA including mutation detection and genetic toxicology, human identity profiling, and the development of DNA Standard Reference Materials (Sms). Bioprocess Engineering is involved with developing measurement methods, databases, and generic technologies related to bio molecules and bio materials in manufacturing. Structural Biology develops and applies measurement methods, databases, and state-of-the-art modeling methods to advance the understanding of protein structure / function relationships.

Biomolecular Materials is involved with research designed to characterize, design, and adapt bio molecular molecules. (NIST, 2003) Several factors have accelerated Biotechnologies emergence. First, technological development, specifically computer processing power, and scientific advancements in processes and equipment have enabled Biotechnological research unavailable in the past. Second, a large portion of Biotechnology growth concerns the healthcare industry. A significant aspect of this concerns the completion of the genome-sequencing project and is allowing companies to focus on next phase of product development.

Third, increased government and private sector spending in all aspects of Biotechnologies continue to provide a steady infusion of investment capital and encourage further research and development. Finally, an escalating elderly population, especially the large segment of "baby-boomers" will hasten the demand for continued scientific advancements and additional Biotechnology discoveries. According to the Bio newsletter, "Biotechnology is no longer defined by its applications in the healthcare industry, rather, the advances made by Biotechnology will begin to enter all facets of life and makes Biotechnology and its subsequent applications an increasingly important and integral component of everyday life". (Bio, 2001) Controlling the growth and utilization of bio technical solutions is a concern of most people.

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