The Importance and Significance of Technological Literacy - Essay Example

of the of the Concerned 4 August 2009 Technological Literacy- What and How With the world being digitized, one of the primary objectives of technological education is to facilitate technological literacy. Yet, the dilemma facing the administrators, academic institutions, parents and the student community is how to define technological literacy (Emeagwali 1). Varied interest groups and think tanks tend to profess utter disagreement when it comes to defining technological literacy. Perhaps, to some extent, it may be appropriate to limit the sphere of technological literacy to imparting awareness about computer usage and software applications in case of middle school students, the segment of student community not given to complex applications and confabulations. However, such a narrow perception of technological literacy stands to be facile and simplistic in case of undergraduate students, the part of student community that is quiet mature and shrewd. In a broader scenario technological literacy aught to be regarded as a part of the general literacy, in any modern society. In the 21st century the concept of literacy definitely has a digital and technological aspects attached to it. All the aspects of the contemporary society are it social, political, academic, legal or economic are reorienting themselves around technological innovations and applications. Considering the fact that the term literacy in a broader sense implies the entity that enables a person to adapt to the world around it, technological literacy ought to be defined along the lines akin to this notion (Weber 2). Hence, technological literacy is an unavoidable segment of the general literacy that enables an individual to communicate with others and to develop a palpable and realistic perception of the world around one through the usage of available and popular technological means and applications. Any attempt to limit the definition of technological literacy will only prove counter-productive and utterly narrow. Knowledge stands to be a vital dimension of technological literacy (National Academy of Engineering). For example, a student required to draft a research paper would stand to be pathetically handicapped, if one does not have the knowledge, regarding how to use the World Wide Web for research purposes. Considering the fact that the Internet is an integral aspect of the contemporary education system and stands to be a massive repository of information an ideas, any individual pursuing education simply cannot contemplate about adjusting and competing in the contemporary education system without being literate about the application and usage of internet and software applications. Thus, literacy being an aspect of education and modern education being woven around technological portals and applications, technological literacy is an aspect of education that enables a person to have access to the sources of knowledge with the help of technology (Beynon 27). May sound facile, but knowledge of technological hardware and applications, though not being the be all and end all of technological literacy, undoubtedly is an integral dimension of this phenomenon. Any elaboration on the concept of technological literacy proceeds from this fundamental vantage point. Technology has permeated the modern society and has a direct impact on the ways of thinking and acting of the masses. On the one side, the real and concrete world has witnessed an exponential expansion with the infiltration of the virtual world, but on the other side, this virtual world has demolished many existing barriers and constraints. Under such circumstances, with the world getting more cosmopolitan and catholic, technological literacy is an entity that helps an individual to adapt to and assimilate in the ways of thought and action generated by a technologically governed world (National Academy of Engineering). The individuals and societies, who fail to recognize this technological facet of the modern world or resist the phenomenon generated and popularized by a virtual world, will no doubt find the task of a harmonious assimilation in the current world order a little difficult, irrespective of their levels of economic affluence and technological knowledge (which is just one aspect of technological literacy). For example, China, the hub of economic development in Asia, is finding it hard to adjust to and assimilate in a democratized world order supported by existing technology, simply because of a dearth of technological literacy defined by a stringent censorship, involving contemporary ways of thinking and acting. Thirdly, technological literacy is about endowing the individuals in developing the capabilities that enable one to navigate all the aspects of one’s personal, social, political and professional life, in a world run by technology (National Academy of Engineering). Infiltration of technology has added a technical side to all the aspects of human life, the understanding and management of which requires the attainment of certain capabilities. Any student of finance can testify to the fact that it is utterly impossible to make sense of the contemporary financial markets without having the requisite mental capabilities and skills to grasp the complex analytics and speed ushered in by a rampant digitization. Technological literacy certainly incorporates the attainment of the required capabilities within its ambit. Technological literacy unexceptionally has a cultural dimension associated with it. Culture and art constituted an integral aspect of the societies in all ages and times. Thus, in toady’s technologically driven society, all the aspects of culture, be it music, fine arts, literature, etc are altering and accommodating to the influences asserted by technology. Hence, technological literacy must enable and individual to accept and assimilate into the cultural changes wrought in by technology. This will allow for a liberal and complete expansion of the human intellect and abilities. However, it may be apt to confine the definition of technological literacy to knowledge of computers and software applications in lower classes, but in a relatively mature scenario, the definition of technological literacy needs to be broad and magnanimous. Technological literacy is an aspect of education that enables and individual to communicate and adapt to a technologically driven society, by imparting one with the requisite knowledge, skills, capabilities and ways of thinking and perceiving things. In that sense, technological literacy is inevitably a part of the concept of general literacy (Dakers 46). There is no need for the experts and concerned individuals to be very specific and constrained about the concept of technological literacy. Total Words: 1,009 Works Cited Beynon, John. Technological Literacy & the Curriculum. New York: Routledge, 1992. Dakers, John R. Defining Technological Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Emeagwali, N. Susan. “Concern that technological literacy is being narrowly interpreted”. Techniques. 2004. HighBeam Research. 4 August 2009 Weber, Katherine. “A proactive approach to technological literacy”. International Technology Education Association. 2005. HighBeam Research. 4 August 2009 “What is Tech Lit?” 2009. National Academy of Engineering. 4 August 2009. Read More