The goal of incorporating Technological Literacy into Saskatchewan's K-12 curricula is to develop individuals who understand how technology and society influence one another and who are able to use this knowledge in their every day decision making. What is desired are students who are able to analyze the technological influences on their lives and see themselves as having roles and responsibilities in shaping public policy related to technological change.
A Technologically literate person is someone who critically examines and questions technological progress and innovation. To be critical about technology means to have "the intellectual skills to analyze the pros and cons of any technological development, to examine its potential benefits, its potential costs, and to perceive the underlying political and social forces driving the development" (Fleming, 1987, p. 6). Decisions about the creation and use of new technology involve human, social and environmental issues which place constraints and limits on the solutions. Values also influence intellectual processes, since anything that involves choice also involves consideration of whose values are shaping a particular technological development. The capacity to make critical judgments involving technology increases the ability of students (as citizens) to use such knowledge to shape and influence their environment.
Many changes have occurred in society as a result of advances in science and technology. Some of the changes have been good; other changes have entailed risks that were either not known or only dimly perceived. Science and technology touch the lives of all people in basic ways every day, affecting the manner in which they obtain food, transportation, clothing and housing. As science and technology play increasingly vital roles in peoples' lives, it is important to develop a basic understanding of both forces in this technologically-rich society.
Science is a process of discovery. It is a set of ongoing procedures including hypothesis testing, observing and synthesizing information, in order to better understand the world. Scientific knowledge is the result of humans reaching a consensus2 about some aspect of the physical world. That is, the acceptance of data depends upon psychological and social factors, such as the beliefs, and values of the scientist and of the society, as well as agreements related to methods for acquiring scientific knowledge. This reflects the nature of both scientific data (which tend to be theory-laden) and science as a human activity (with its personal and social aspects).
The findings of scientific experiments result from the interaction of scientists, scientific knowledge and the community. What distinguishes science from technology is that its role is to extend and modify knowledge - to change knowledge rather than to preserve it. This role arises from an interest in acquiring knowledge for its own worth and not as a means to other ends.
It is critical that students appreciate the need for scientific knowledge above and beyond technical applications. In order to assess the value of fundamental research (as opposed to applied research) it is necessary to have an understanding of how scientists proceed with their work.
Technology can be defined through the following understandings:
Technology enriches and eases daily life, but can carry with it unanticipated side effects. It is important to consider the benefits compared with the costs - in terms of resources, value and money--before and during the development of a technology. There is always a degree of risk involved, because of the difficulty in predicting all the effects of a particular technological development. As technology is at the heart of many of the critical issues facing today's society, students need to develop an understanding of both the benefits and the risks inherent in any given technological innovation. In order to make intelligent decisions on technological issues, it is important for students to understand how technology and society influence each other and then be able to use this knowledge to shape public policy in a democracy.
An understanding of how technology shapes and is shaped by society is based on two principles. First, technology is an agent of social change. Technological systems have produced great increases in the speed of communication, made mass production possible, and reduced physical labor for human beings. Technology has also provided an abundance of products and services; this requires individuals to make wise consumer decisions. Second, societies influence the course of technological development. Social, historical and cultural factors determine if, and how, a technology is used.
More than ever before, students are immersed in an environment shaped by human technology. Citizens' responsibilities in a technological age are defined as the exercising of democratic rights on issues that affect the direction to be taken by society and its technological developments. Becoming technologically literate means coming to grips with the problems of living in, and exerting influence upon, the constructed world.
In a democracy, it is believed that people of differing abilities and roles can communicate to create answers to problems of living; it is also felt that citizens can have some influence upon which technologies are advanced or restrained and how this process occurs.
As citizens become better informed, they can begin to exert some measure of control over technological change. Public policy agendas at the national and provincial levels include issues and problems that require a level of technological literacy. For example, people might need to assess how a technological development would affect their personal health. ,
The active, informed and effective participation of citizens in the governing process requires information about matters and issues, understanding of the workings of political systems and of the processes of participation, rational decisions about those matters and issues, and finally, action based on those decisions.
Further, it is critical to understand who makes decisions about particular technological innovations and from what bias these decisions are made. Value claims are implicit in any positions regarding technological innovation and development. Therefore, critical analysis of these positions - including an examination of both the underlying values and the factual information provided by experts - is necessary in order to create citizens who are informed decision makers.3
In order for students to live effectively in a technologically-sophisticated society, they need critical understandings which include:
| — | understanding of science as a process of discovery and consensus-making; |
| — | understanding of technology with its inherent risks and benefits; |
| — | understanding of how technology shapes and is shaped by society; |
| — | understanding of the relationship between technological decisions and human values; |
| — | understanding of the roles and responsibilities in shaping public policy related to technological change. |
It should be noted that not all students may be able to integrate these critical understandings to the same degree. Some students with special needs may not be capable of reaching a level where they can analyze issues. These students may be more involved with the "know-how" aspect of technology, and may need to be assisted in the development of abilities to use technology in order to enhance the quality of their lives.
The role of the teacher in developing technologically literate students includes:
4. A Contemporary view of technology includes both the more explicit concepts (contained by the solid lines in the lower portion of the inverted triangle) and the more implicit concepts (outlined with dotted lines in the expanded upper portion of this triangle). The intellectual processes, such as debating or problem solving, can be used to develop Technological Literacy. Some of the technological issues and areas that can be explored with this development are also illustrated.
This perspective requires that technological developments be related to students' lives and to the society in which they live. For certain disabled students, technology can be the key to greater independence. For example, a personal computer with voice output can be used by students unable to speak or by blind students as a notetaking device and word processor. The use of adaptive devices by students with challenging needs can unlock the doors to communication, to participation in activities, to independence and to learning. Through the use of appropriate strategies, materials and experiences students with special needs can be assisted in using technology to enhance their daily living, safety and health, leisure and recreation, and decision making. Such abilities will enable these students to function as full members of society.
One area in which students can examine the impact of technology on their lives, is the development of computer technology. Computers are becoming more familiar in the school system at all levels. Computer literacy - as one aspect of technological literacy - requires more than programming skills. A curriculum for computer literacy should reflect a blend of the technical, cultural and organizational aspects of computer technology; it should also familiarize students with the public policy issues posed by information technologies. With access to vast amounts of information through databases, students need to understand the importance of distinguishing between what information is available and the purposes for which that information can be used.
In order to deepen students' understandings about the effects of technological developments on their lives, it is important to relate these developments to issues and interests that are real to students. By linking subject matter with everyday life and developments in society, students become involved in authentic and understandable experiences related to technology. In the earlier grades, technology can be looked at in terms of smaller and more local issues. For example, a unit on magnets could provide students with the opportunity to brainstorm about how their day would change if there were no magnets (for example, fridge doors wouldn't close). A subsequent discussion of what life would be like without magnets would help students consider the impact of this technological development on society as a whole (for example, the absence of large industrial magnets would create more jobs for people).
It is important to have students draw relationships in their studies to larger world issues and to discuss both the positive and negative aspects of technology. This provides an accurate view of the role that technology plays in both meeting human needs and creating human problems.
Anderson (cited in Marker, 1987) has developed a guide for analyzing technological innovations that helps students understand the interrelationships between technology and social change, as well as the trade-offs and unexpected side effects that result from technology. An adapted version of the list follows.
Just as technological developments change societies, teachers can help students understand that societies also influence the course of technological developments. Understanding technology requires a consideration of the social forces brought to bear on those who make decisions about a technological innovation. The direction of technological development is often guided by the needs of managers, who may not be trained in the technical aspects of technology. Statements presented by developers, in support of their position for a particular technological innovation, require critical examination. The values that underlie such statements also need to be considered.5 Students who are acquainted with the values that underlie technological decisions are better able to participate in the shaping of public policy.
The interactions between technology and society sometimes lead to issues that can only be resolved by examining all sides of the question, as well as the beliefs, values and alternate solutions associated with each side. It is critical, then, to develop issue investigation and action strategies which students can apply to the issues they will face as citizens. Teachers can develop the necessary knowledge and skills within the Required Areas of Study through:
An example of the last point is Patrick and Remy's "decision tree" (cited in Marker, 1987 and White, 1987). This strategy can be a useful aid in developing alternatives and reaching a rational decision. The 4 basic elements are:
Most skills are learned very gradually. For instance, "critically comparing information from different sources" cannot be learned quickly. It is important to widen students' concept of learning so that they recognize gradual learning as real learning. Assessment techniques should include an evaluation of this gradual learning process.
Responsible action related to decision making can be encouraged by:
To summarize the theory and practice of promoting Technological Literacy:
| — | learning in the content areas should provide a contemporary view of technology related to students' interests so that students have an understanding of the social, economic and political forces which affect technological developments; |
| — | it is critical for students to realize that technology both shapes and is shaped by society, and that as citizens, they can be a powerful influence in shaping the course of technological innovations; |
| — | it is important that teachers promote the development of critical thinking and decision making and encourage students to act on the basis of their decisions. |