What is Technology?

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What is Technology?

“Microsoft 2014 Super Bowl Commercial: Empowering”

A video “Microsoft 2014 Super Bowl Commercial: Empowering” conveys a simple and a beautiful message. It’s all about how technology can improve our lives in the most seamless and delightful ways possible. We’re solving problems we never even knew existed just five years ago. It’s about how technology making people smile how this is helping those in need by using modern technologies. Because of technology a child can walk, a man can paint, we can explore the world, and outer space and a man can see his newborn while sitting miles away. Technology can give a sound to the deaf and speech to the mute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaOvHKG0Tio

Technology in Education

Technology does have a huge impact on education. After watching the timeline video about technology in education, I believe that technology has a positive impact on education and at the same time also pose negative effects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFwWWsz_X9s

Positive Effect: It enhanced teaching and learning, technological developments like digital cameras, projectors, mind training software, computers, PowerPoint presentations, all of them are great sources for teachers to help students grasp a concept easily. Also, it can make classrooms more interactive and interesting.

Negative Effect: I have two boys 8 and 11 years old, if I compare myself to them I can see a tremendous difference in their writing skills. They have excellent typing skills and I am good in writing, because when I was in school we were not allowed to use any typing tools in the classroom. Therefore, I believe that with the technology in the classroom the writing skills of today’s young generation have declined quite enormously.

Different thoughts on Technology

Technology can and does make a real difference to people’s lives every single day. The article gives insight on how we used to utilize kitchen and other household supplies compared to now. For example, we used to wash clothes with hands and rub hard for spots/marks to remove stains and now we throw them into a machine to wash and put them in a dryer for dry whereas, earlier we spread clothes in the fresh air under the sunlight. The article depicted, that technology is a vast notion and it’s hard to explain it (Friedel, 2002). Friedel (2002), states in his article that "What is technology? There is no simple or widely accepted answer to this question, and we seem to manage just fine without one."

Technology is viewed as a tool of research to a scientist, to an engineer, it is a tool or process that can be employed to build better products or solve technical problems, to a lawyer, it is an intellectual property to be protected and guarded, to a business executive, it may be the most important company asset. Technology means state power to both developing and developed countries (Lia-Hua, 2007).

Kevin Kelly (2010), defines technology in the Ted Talk as “anything useful that a human mind makes, that can be a law or a laptop.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS1xL1qcBa4

Discussion Question

Do we really rely on technology for everything?

My Creative Aspect

I created a mindmap for the very first time, I had never done anything creative like that before. While working on it I realized that it's a beautiful visual resource to makes everything easier. Mind Mapping sparks billions of creative ideas. I believe it helps me to see things clearly and with a mind-map, there is no limit to how much information we can add. It's like a diagram that connects information around a central subject. What I like the most about being creative with the mind map is that mind map at once gives you an overview of a large subject while also holding large amounts of information.

What I thought now

After reading and watching videos, my understanding about technology is broadened and more clear. Technology may be very simple or very complex. It may be very small or very large. Technology can consist of anything new and innovated that helps humans develop further mentally and physically.

What I thought before

To me, technology is a tool to solve problems and extend human capabilities. Technology is improving and growing at a faster and more exponential rate than ever before. It addresses human needs and allows us to send signals around the world. For example, the Internet, television, satellite, GPS, cell phones. A technology makes communication much easier and keeps families connected. It enables us to contact people thousands of miles away.

References

Friedel, R. (2002). Food for thought. Technology and Culture, 43(4), 842-845. Retrieved from http://login.library.sheridanc.on.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/docview/198434211?accountid=3455 Microsoft 2014 Super Bowl Commercial: Empowering. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaOvHKG0Tio&feature=youtu.be Richard Li-Hua, (2007) "What is technology?", Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol. 2 Issue: 3, https://doi- org.library.sheridanc.on.ca/10.1108/jtmc.2007.30202caa.001 The history of technology in education. (2011, October 3). Retrieved September 14, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFwWWsz_X9s&t=18s Ted Talks - Kevin Kelly Tells Technology's Epic Story [Video file]. (2010, February 22). Retrieved September 14, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS1xL1qcBa4