Technology is the current state of humanity’s knowledge about how to combine resources in order to solve problems, meet needs or satisfy wants. It includes physical tools and machines as well as virtual tools like computer software and business methods.
Technology involves bringing the world closer to how people wish it to be. It does this by prioritizing certain routes and ends over others. This process is typically a painful and slow one, which is why seemingly promising early technologies often stall midway through their development.
In addition to deciding what to prioritize, a technology also has to make trade-offs: it must efficiently route attention and energy, while neglecting some paths altogether. For example, when digital cameras exploded in popularity, they displaced analog photography pathways, including the inefficient but gratifying culture of physically retouching photographs for hours in darkrooms.
Lastly, a technology can also be a force multiplier by enabling new things to be done that were previously impossible or impractical. For instance, personal computers enable us to store and retrieve vast amounts of information more quickly and cheaply than paper records or tapes.
As technology continues to evolve, it is important for educators to consider how best to integrate it into their classrooms. It is most effective to focus on using the power of technology to create and project, not just to consume other people’s products (which is fine too). By focusing on creating, teachers can help students become empowered to find solutions to global challenges in their own way.