In a message dated 3/26/05 12:33:02 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> So what technology will they do without? Computers? Cell Phones? Lights? > Heat? Running water? Flush Toilets? Books (Printing Press is > "Technology")? > > You are right.. Across the digital divide but even in regular funded schools,there probably is not the kind of teaching that allows everyone to be as technically literate to understand what you are talking about. At the heart of our modern technological society lies an unacknowledged paradox. Although the United States is increasingly defined by and dependent on technology and is adopting new technologies at a breathtaking pace, its citizens are not equipped to make well-considered decisions or to think critically about technology. As a society, we are not even fully aware of or conversant with the technologies we use every day. In short, we are not âtechnologically literate.â Technology has become so user friendly it is largely âinvisible.â Americans use technology with a minimal comprehension of how or why it works or the implications of its use or even where it comes from. We drive high-tech cars but know little more than how to operate the steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake pedal. We fill shopping carts with highly processed foods but are largely ignorant of their content, or how they are developed, grown, packaged, or delivered. We click on a mouse and transmit data over thousands of miles without understanding how this is possible or who might have access to the information. Available evidence shows that American adults and children have a poor understanding of the essential characteristics of technology, how it influences society, and how people can and do affect its development. Neither the educational system nor the policy-making apparatus in the United States has recognized the importance of technological literacy. Thus the paradox: Even as technology has become increasingly important in our lives, it has receded from view. Americans are poorly equipped to recognize, let alone ponder or address, the challenges technology poses or the problems it could solve. And the mismatch is growing. Although our use of technology is increasing apace, there is no sign of a corresponding improvement in our ability to deal with issues relating to technology. Congress has been told that the school work has been completed. Not true. Thank you for making me think about what technology really is. But the point is that the schools are not technoligically literate or equipped in most cases so funding is a problem , especially if $700 million is going to be cut. Thank you. Sincerely, Bonnie Bracey [EMAIL PROTECTED] com _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
