The Dilemma of Application of Technology in Education and Career Preparation - Essay Example

Dilemma of Application of Technology in Education and career preparation Human interaction with technology is extensive. Specifics and the scope of enquiry with amid exploration are therefore necessary. Today’s world is defined by the technological progression that has triggered paralleled change. Technology is necessary if seen as a tool of sustainability. Most sectors of the economy and government departments have actively taken part in the technological development and adaptation. Shilton et al recognize this fact; “moral or social values become part of technological artifacts through design and use” (Shilton et al., 2014. 260). Education if seen as a process of creating efficient workforce and productive society, learners should, therefore, be prepared to operate with the help of existing technology while opening possibilities of creating even better technology. Ethical issues, however, surround some technologies especially the collection and management of information. The internet, for instance, has immensely contributed to the corrosion of morals but yet an important learning platform that has been used to standardize and globalize knowledge acquisition. This article will explore the dilemma of incorporating technology in education and training and drawing recommendation. Significantly, technology itself can process moral and ethical qualities, but the issues to be considered are how application of technology in education creates ethical conflicts. According to Shilton et al. (2014), “design decision affordance and social norms are part of engineering. Social aspects of a design process will, therefore, involves ethical issue” (Shilton, et al., 2014 7). Technology has modified the approach to education and learning modes. Online-Based learning and virtual schools is a result of incorporating technology in education. More people are benefiting since classes are more flexible and affordable. There is no all evil in technology. “Regardless of a student’s socioeconomic status, the number of students carrying their own mobile devices is growing exponentially every year” (Antonioli et al., 2014. 99). This means the platform communication will be available for almost every student in the future. Energy and power consumption as an ethical issue Advancement in technology has increased the use of energy in most cases the oil reserves. This has led to global warming and exposure of radioactive waste on people and the environment. Responsible technologies aim to reduce energy requirements of equipment and generation of environmentally friendly energy. Incorporating technological aspects of learning creates a generation that is receptive to technology, and these create a risk of the irresponsible implementation of the technologies in the future. Technologically oriented education will create efficiency-oriented work that will consider social and ethical impacts of such technologies. Since educational technology can be used as an instructional tool that can also be helpful in instilling ethical decision-making skills to the learner. Application of technology in education Much research is still required most researchers done are not particular value oriented. As acknowledged by Shilton et al. (2014); “A primary challenge for values research is identifying which values are of particular importance in a technology design or use context” (Shilton, et al., 2o14 264). Without incorporating technology in the learning process, the resultant generation will have skills that do not match the requirement of current work environment Competition among business has narrowed down to the effectiveness of supply chain management. Technology will define efficiency, accuracy and economic aspect of an enterprise. Without regard to progressive technologies, firms cannot stay afloat and is, therefore, necessary that education as the process of equipping workers should incorporate technology to prepare the learner (Shilton et al., 2014. 260). Education technology has transformed since social demands do not completely reject technology but allow adjustments to gather for the unwanted eventuality of technological application in education; “Value sensitive design is primarily concerned with moral values.” To manage emerging ethical issues, Association for Educational Communication Technology (EECT) has been formed. The body identifies emerging ethical issues and creates a guide that is updated periodically to match technological trends. The guide principals published by the AECT are comprehensive and aim at providing a broad range of professional guide to its members. In the design training, instructional technology is designed to adhere to confidentiality issues, and users at some point may feel insecure (Shilton. et al. 2014. 14). There has been the constant call from stakeholders to modify proactively education in respect to available technology and expected work environment. Education based on technology is efficient effective and correspond to the expected work environment. Business perceives investment in education as inhuman investment capital. There have been complaints from teachers, parents, businesses and public figures that education has failed to match the expectation of workplace. This calls for a serious consideration of available technologies that could be used to improve knowledge transfer. Today’s workplace is defined by use of technology to ensure efficiency and competitiveness. Learning process should, therefore, consider the use of technology in teaching. This will introduce the learner to the world of capabilities and progressive the technologies. The Internet Almost every work place today is running on a system that relay on the internet. This is not different to projected education environment. The efficiency that is brought by the internet can be taped to transfer of knowledge and training. The internet has created a global village and allowed aces of information. In learning, the internet is a resourceful tool that has hosted virtual libraries that are available to learners in different locations. The internet has enabled standardization of education and created a comparative platform. The internet has also made easy researchers and comparison of scholarly articles across the world. This aspect has of research would not be possible with conventional printed journals. Although researchers are can access much information, the internet can also disseminated inaccurate information and keenness. Access to information on the internet cannot be easily regulated and can, therefore, mislead users who cannot access appropriate guide. The internet has also helped the teacher with communication with distant students and acquiring information themselves. The internet is worldwide, and student can be exposed the learning processes and cultures of other students abroad. The Augmented Reality Augmented reality (AR) is a progressive technology that is taking over the information sharing practice by storm. As construed by Antonioli et al., it is student centered and therefor compatible with technology; “AR educational programs are student-centered and related to student interests” (Antonioli et. al., 2014. 4).AG enables the sharing of files and information across devices like computer, macs, mobile and tablets. The theoretical applicant of AR technology relates to education. It is a trendy aspect of information sharing that is trending and, therefore, necessary for consideration (Antoniol, 2014. 2-4). The ability of AR technology to overlay images text, pictures, and videos onto existing model makes an excellent candidate for presentations and sharing of instructive information; Antoniol argue the AR is a new phenomenon that will be change learning for good; “AR has proved to be an engaging way for students to participate in their learning.” The education market has received the AR technology with much expectation that the technology will bridge the gap that previous file sharing platforms had created. It is hoped that more tangible approach to learning. The technology has also been credited with the ability to incorporate the real world into virtual learning. The AR technology has the potential of transforming learning to fast, cheaper and efficient. It is appreciated that AR technology has not been widely implemented and, therefore, has not had satisfactory inquiries pertaining is functionality. However there limitation to AR technology that makes classical methods handy. “Most educational AR systems are single-use prototypes for specific projects, so it is difficult to generalize evaluation results” (Antoniol 2014, 100). Some AR activities may also lead to accidence and it can be deduced that safety issues are not considered during development of such technologies; “determined that some AR situations can be dangerous.” Ethical issues in information and communication about education As information sharing becomes efficient, learning become faster. However, due to this efficiency the ethical questions arises that includes, violation of copyright, privacy policies and other instructional technologies. Conventional education enabled the control of information, and the development of the learner is guided towards desired outcome (Shilton 2014. 2). With education technology, a flow of information cannot be sufficiently regulated, and the learner may be destructed by purposeful information. The unregulated movement of information is disruptive and may cause the corrosion of moral values and interfere with the learning progress. Carrier preparation has never been easy. Classical carrier’s matters involved consultation and extensive research. With the advancement of technology, information is easily accessed and consumed. Technology has also created new lines of work and therefore carriers. There is now a wide variety of carriers to choose from. Conclusion Technology may fail while it is most relied on; “Dunleavy et al. (2009) showed that the GPS failed 15-30% during the study.” (Antoniol et al., 2014. 102) This will waste time, divert learning attentions, and for this reason classical mod of studding may be deemed, fit. Some technology is too exiting and the learning element and learning objectives may be lost into fun. “Overall, students reacted positively to using AR technology both in and outside of the classroom.” (Antoniol, et al., 2014. 115)Before implementation of technology, informed, ethical consideration is imperative. Technology may have adverse effects on social aspects of users and to the learners. Despite the essentiality of incorporating technology in learning, there are social and ethical issues that contradict with the general expectation of the technology in question. Education technology should be objectively designed to teach ethical issues while ensuring efficiency and flexibility. Educational technology should guide the learners decision-making apart from his career requirements. Subject matter background can be used as the basis for introducing a contemporary ethical issue. Students can learn the trade while developing decision-making skills that relate to their career advancement. Researchers and educational practitioners understand the need for an ethical obligation of developers in academically oriented technologies. Professional conduct in the use of the resultant application should be considered during the development. Incorporating technology into learning process is imperative, and there is no opting out. Technologies should only be implemented and maintained in an ethical manner. The developers and innovators of education technology should consider ethical issues that that may arise from the use of such technology. Education has remained unchanged for long despite technological advancement. Current pressures on the educational sector have also caused serious consideration for available technologies. The future expectation is rising in education sector intensifies more technologies are conceived and developed. Technology is transforming the world faster that education is producing workers and citizens. “. As determinants of “virtually all kinds of behavior,” values can shape the technologies designers create, and guide technology use practices” (Shilton, et al., 2014. 260). Shilton and others are open to the possibility technology can be shaped to fit its educational purpose. Education will remain a complex industry if perceived in terms of technology. Education sectors should, therefore, be receptive to technology. Technologies to be incorporated should be designed in a manner that ensures a transfer of knowledge while operating within ethical limits Work cited Antonioli M, Blake C, Sparks K. Augmented Reality Applications in Education. Journal of Technology Studies [serial online]. Fall2014 2014; 40(2):96-107. Available from: Professional Development Collection, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 13, 2015 "Ethics and Aesthetics of Technology." Science & Technology Education Library Teaching about Technology: 87-103. Shilton, K., Koepfler, J. A., & Fleischmann, K. R. (2013). Charting Sociotechnical Dimensions of Values for Design Research. Information Society, 29(5), 259-271. Read More