Technology has brought in many benefits to human life like enhancing the productivity, improving the quality of work, saving time and effort and so on. However, it has also caused some serious issues like addiction to gadgets, less interaction with people in real-life, etc. Hence, it is important to know the right ways to use technology in order to streamline your everyday tasks and help you reach your goals in a hassle-free manner.
In broad terms, the word “technology” refers to any tools or machines that may be used to solve real-world problems. These can be as simple as a wooden spoon or a crowbar or as complex as a particle accelerator. The term can also encompass virtual technologies, such as computer software and business methods.
It is important to understand the role of technology in global change and to examine the complexities that abound with different technological advancements. This requires scholars to dig deeper into a technology’s specific aims and constraints, its embeddedness in the larger context of society and its relationship with other technologies in a given context.
Technology is a complicated and nuanced concept that cannot be captured by any one discipline, and scholars across many disciplines are encouraged to join in the efforts to untangle its complexities. Technology: A Critical History of a Concept by Eric Schatzberg is a helpful contribution to this effort and will serve as an invaluable resource for those who are interested in understanding how various technologies have created global change.
He explains that “technology is a difficult subject to study because it involves understanding the complexity of both the technologies themselves and the global processes that they have created.” He points out that two “sharply diverging traditions” of talking about technology have emerged over the course of two millennia. One camp “portrays technology as a narrow technical rationality that is inherently noncreative and devoid of values.” The other camp, he writes, views technology as an intrinsically creative process of transforming materials into useful products.
Both views are flawed because they focus on the wrong aspects of technology, he writes. In a broader sense, technology is a tool-making endeavor that is driven by human curiosity and foresight. Technology’s dazzling innovations and achievements are often astounding, but they ultimately come down to human choice and action.
It is essential for instructors to choose and integrate technologies with care. Thoughtful tech choices are not generic—they are wedded to a particular discipline and even to course, unit, or lesson objectives. It is also crucial to make sure that students have easy access to the necessary technology to complete assignments and projects. For example, if you need your students to do presentations for your class, consider using digital signup forms that allow them to select a day and time that works best for them. This is an easy way to incorporate technology into your class while still giving your students the autonomy that they need.