What role should technology play our lives?
I guess to begin to answer that question, we first need to ask what should we define as technology?
Technology has invaded every part of our lives; so much so that what was once unbelievable, ceases to even be thought of as technology. Do you think about turning on a light switch or starting the dishwasher as using technology? There was a time not too long ago that those items were thought of as state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology. People gathered around to watch a single light bulb flicker on, and a dishwasher was the unfortunate sibling that drew the short straw after dinner, at least that’s the way it was at my house growing up.
Today, what do we consider to be technology? Cell phones… computers… the Internet? Those items are becoming more and more like the light switch. A free flip-phone, not so much… but an iPhone? Yes, definitely.
So it seems to be that over time what used to be considered “high tech” and cool becomes “low tech” once something better is made available. Is a VCR still considered to be technology – not so much. Basically we consider technology to be something new, not necessarily something that is simply electronic or a “gadget”.
Webster defines technology as “the practical application of knowledge”. Initially that is not how I would have defined technology. However, we wouldn’t have the iPhone without the perceived need for it, nor would it exist without what was learned in building and using its predecessor, the flip-phone, and the rotory phone before it, and the radio… – not just on the engineering side but on what is possible and expected from the human side. This is also why we have the concept of “new” things being implicitly considered technology but the concept is sort of lost once something has become common place. We continually apply “the next practical application” principle to what we see and use every day.
So back to my initial question – what role should technology play in our lives and in the case of ALL In Learning specifically, what role should technology play in education?
Technology and Us
What role should technology play our lives?
I guess to begin to answer that question, we first need to ask what should we define as technology?
Technology has invaded every part of our lives; so much so that what was once unbelievable, ceases to even be thought of as technology. Do you think about turning on a light switch or starting the dishwasher as using technology? There was a time not too long ago that those items were thought of as state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology. People gathered around to watch a single light bulb flicker on, and a dishwasher was the unfortunate sibling that drew the short straw after dinner, at least that’s the way it was at my house growing up.
Today, what do we consider to be technology? Cell phones… computers… the Internet? Those items are becoming more and more like the light switch. A free flip-phone, not so much… but an iPhone? Yes, definitely.
So it seems to be that over time what used to be considered “high tech” and cool becomes “low tech” once something better is made available. Is a VCR still considered to be technology – not so much. Basically we consider technology to be something new, not necessarily something that is simply electronic or a “gadget”.
Webster defines technology as “the practical application of knowledge”. Initially that is not how I would have defined technology. However, we wouldn’t have the iPhone without the perceived need for it, nor would it exist without what was learned in building and using its predecessor, the flip-phone, and the rotory phone before it, and the radio… – not just on the engineering side but on what is possible and expected from the human side. This is also why we have the concept of “new” things being implicitly considered technology but the concept is sort of lost once something has become common place. We continually apply “the next practical application” principle to what we see and use every day.
So back to my initial question – what role should technology play in our lives and in the case of ALL In Learning specifically, what role should technology play in education?