I just want to jump in here with a couple of thoughts about technology and
"tech literacy" as well as touch on the concept of "school solutions" v.
"lifespan solutions."

First, I think that we as educators might want to consider how we use the
term "technology." I prefer the British "ICT" for "Information and
Communications Technology" because that is more expressive of what we are
actually discussing - and more easily forces teachers and school
administrators to understand that the book is a technology, and so is the
pen, and so is paper, and so is the lecture hall. All technologies enable
and all technologies disable. All technologies have benefits and create
risks. It is important to remember that the book - that is the
Gutenberg-style printed text - wiped out half the languages of Europe within
200 years of its invention.

But the key point is that technologies are "tools" - and humans define
themselves by their use of tools. It is equally inappropriate for a school
in the 21st Century to be banning 21st Century ICT - blocking their students
from using it, refusing to teach appropriate uses of it, as it would have
been for an army in the age of iron weapons to have insisted on their
soldiers using bronze. That would have left those soldiers as dead meat on
the battle fields of the first millennium BC, and it is leaving far too many
of our students as "dead meat" in the economy of this millennium.

So what builds adult tool use is student tool use. Students who learn high
and appropriate uses of technology such as the mobile phone will be adult
learners with an advantage. Students who learn to choose their instructional
format will be successful adult learners. Students who learn sophisticated
search skills will be better adult consumers, and citizens, and employees,
and continuing students. Students who learn the best ways to use everything
from Google Earth to Garage Band will be more functional adults.

And students who learn to choose their own technologies, based on their own
needs, strengths, and limitations, will have the personal problem solving
skills adults need.

This last is essential because whatever technologies you choose to teach
today, you can be sure will be antiquated when your students graduate. So
the real value is in teaching "tool confidence" and "tool learning." If you
are not doing that - well, think of the value in today's world of all those
Word Perfect courses so many colleges used to offer.

-- 
Ira David Socol
Research and Teaching Assistant
Michigan State University
irasocol -at- gmail -dot- com
socolira -at- msu -dot- edu
http://speedchange.blogspot.com/
http://riverfoylepress.com/

On 5/28/08, Mariann Fedele <MariannF at lacnyc.org> wrote:

>

>  Hi David,

>

>

>

> I've been thinking about your question:

>

> "Do we have tools for adult learners, for example media literacy curricula,

> to enable thinking for onself in a world where increasingly information

> comes from the (e)mergingmultimedia of

> mobilephone/TV/Web/blog/wiki/podcast/social networking Web spaces/Electronic

> Newspaper/Twitter/Jott?"

>

>

>

> I encourage our fellow tech list members to forward their thoughts and

> resources.

>

> I have a couple of specific instructional/curricular resources I'll send in

> a second post.

>

>

>

> But, for now your question made me consider the world we are preparing our

> students to flourish in. One of the exciting new initiatives nationally is

> post-secondary transition for adult ed. students. I believe the movement in

> this area will amount to a true paradigm shift in adult ed because it

> responds to a fundamental question about the requirements of living in

> contemporary society. I believe another such area may be technological

> literacy as a content basis for curricula. I'm going to re-post some out

> takes from a message I sent about a year ago on the topic with regard to

> National Academies publication called "Tech Tally":

>

>

>

> Definition: Technological literacy is an individual's, "understanding of

> technology at a level that enables effective functioning in a modern

> technological society." It is comprised of three dimensions: knowledge (both

> factual and conceptual), capabilities (fluency in the use of technologies

> for problem solving) and critical thinking decision making (the approach we

> take when considering new technologies for their benefit and consequences

> individually and to society).

>

> Characteristics of a Technologically Literate Person

>

> Knowledge

>

> * Recognizes the pervasiveness of technology in everyday life.

>

> * Understands basic engineering concepts and terms, such as

> systems, constraints, and trade-offs.

>

> * Is familiar with the nature and limitations of the engineering

> design process.

>

> * Knows some of the ways technology has shaped human history and

> how people have shaped technology.

>

> * Knows that all technologies entail risk, only some of which

> can be anticipated.

>

> * Appreciates that the development and use of technology involve

> trade-offs and a balance of costs and benefits.

>

> * Understands that technology reflects the values and culture of

> society.

>

> Critical Thinking and Decision Making

>

> * Asks pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the

> benefits and risks of technologies.

>

> * Weighs available information about the benefits, risks, costs,

> and trade-offs of technology in a systematic way.

>

> * Participates, when appropriate, in decisions about the

> development and uses of technology.

>

> Capabilities

>

> * Has a range of hands-on skills, such as operating a variety of

> home and office appliances and using a computer for word processing and

> surfing the Internet.

>

> * Can identify and fix simple mechanical or technological

> problems at home or at work.

>

> * Can apply basic mathematical concepts related to probability,

> scale, and estimation to make informed judgments about technological

> risks and benefits.

>

> * Can use a design-thinking process to solve a problem

> encountered in daily life.

>

> * Can obtain information about technological issues of concern

> from a variety of sources.

>

>

>

>

> What do others think?

>

> Best,

>

> Mariann

>

>

>

> Mariann Fedele

>

> Director,

>

> NYC Regional Adult Education Network

>

> Literacy Assistance Center

>

> Moderator,

> NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List

> 32 Broadway 10th Floor

> New York, New York 10004

> 212-803-3325

> mariannf at lacnyc.org

> www.lacnyc.org

>

>

> ----- Original Message ----

> From: David J. Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net<http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology>>

>

> To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List <technology at nifl.gov<http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology>>

>

> Sent: Saturday, May 17, 2008 8:48:12 AM

> Subject: [Technology 1644] "From literacy to digiracy"

>

> Colleagues,

>

> I am intrigued by the last sentence of a May 16, 2008 article in the

> Economist entitled "From literacy to digiracy"

>

> Teachers must recognise that our pedagogical tools are inconsistent with

> the skills needed

> to survive in a world where people are always connected to everyone and

> everything. In such a world,

> learning to think for oneself could well be more important than simply

> learning to read and write.

>

>

> http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11392128

>

> Do we have tools for adult learners, for example media literacy curricula,

> to enable thinking for onself in a world where increasingly information

> comes from the (e)mergingmultimedia of

> mobilephone/TV/Web/blog/wiki/podcast/social networking Web spaces/Electronic

> Newspaper/Twitter/Jott?

>

> How do we help adult learners and ourselves sort the wheat from the chaff?

>

> David J. Rosen

> djrosen at comcast.net <http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

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> Email delivered to irasocol at gmail.com

>

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