Technology Literacy for the Nation and for Its
Citizens
(This document was prepared at the request of the Intel
Corporation
by Lajeane Thomas and Donald Knezek of the International Society
for Technology in Education)
Lajeane G. Thomas, Ed.D.
Donald G. Knezek, Ph.D.
Introduction
There exists in this nation a dangerously high percentage of
otherwise educated
citizens who share both an ignorance of the underlying principles of
post-industrial
technologies and an acceptance of that ignorance as inevitable (Fort,
1993).
While the world economy depends increasingly on electronic digital
technologies
for collecting, processing, manipulating and using information, our
school curricula
continue to address the mathematics and science of out-dated tools.
"Throughout history, every significant increase in human
productivity
has involved better use of better tools."
- R. Bennet, Chair
Utah Strategic Planning Commission (Utah SBE,1988)
Technology Literacy and Success in the Global Economy
Nations are leaders because of their invention and innovation with
tools and
processes. Whether the topic be agriculture, medicine, the economy,
the military
or influence on the masses (mass media), the status of a nation in the
world
community continues to be determined by the ability to invent or
acquire modern
tools and to master innovative processes with these tools. The tools
and processes
of this generation relate to information technologies, and it is on
the basis
of capacity for information processing that national haves and
have-nots are
emerging.
World technology leadership depends on our sustaining a national
talent pool
capable of technology invention and innovation. But unless students
understand
fundamental scientific principles of technology early in their
academic careers,
it is unlikely that their choices for in-depth study and career
selection will
include the science of technology. Eighty percent of students are not
reared
in a home environment that encourages the exploration of science and
technology
(Fort, 1993). Therefore, this talent pool can only be maximized if
technology
literacy is included in every student's schooling. If the large
majority of
tomorrow's workers do not achieve technology literacy, the nation may
well find
itself at technological standstill, for as James Rutherford points out
in the
Preface to Science for all Americans (1990), "without the
continuous
development and creative use of new technologies, society will limit
its capacity
..." ( p. vii).
As modern technology threatens to take over many tasks performed by
unskilled
workers, there is a danger that displaced workers who have no
technology skills
will see their standard of living -- indeed their very ability to earn
a living
-- nose dive amid significant technology-based economic success by the
nation.
From now to the year 2000 five of the 10 fastest growing careers will
be computer
related (Cooksey, 1994). It is vital that as the U. S. positions
itself for
continued world technology leadership that capacity be built among all
its citizens
for understanding, coping with and applying emerging technologies.
Over half of the laws the Congress passes involve some aspect of
science or
technology, and the number of those continues to increase. For
participatory
democracy to succeed and for voters to make informed decisions about
their lives
and their environments, citizens must become familiar both with
fundamental
scientific principles underlying technology and with technology's
impact on
society. (Fort, 1993).
From an economic point of view, national technology literacy is
critical on
two fronts. First, as a nation we must be able to innovate in the
development
and application of technology to sustain the Unites States as a world
economic
leader. Second, as individuals we must be able to understand, deal
with and
use technology to our advantage in our personal and work-related
lives. If this
nation does not pursue technology literacy for every individual during
and beyond
the schooling process, talents for innovation in technology will be
lost and
economic success of individuals will be limited. It is necessary for
business,
education and government leaders to assess technology risks and
opportunities
for formulating effective technology policy and plans.
Defining Technology Literacy
Technology literacy is more than the understanding of current uses of
technology,
and it is more than the ability to use common technology-based tools
according
to a given prescription for achieving some specific outcome.
Technology literacy
involves:
- demystifying technology through conceptual understandings of the
underlying
science and mathematics principles,
- operational competence with modern technology systems,
- the ability to evaluate and use a variety of common technology
applications,
- the ability to innovate and invent ways of applying technology in
challenging
new situations,
- an awareness of technology-related careers and of factors critical
to
- success in those careers, and
- understanding of and sensitivity to societal issues related to
technology.
Modern technologies rely on digital representation of information.
They use
mathematical and logical operations on these representations to
access, create,
manage, and communicate information.
Information is accessed from a vast array of sources and is stored in
a variety
of formats and on a variety of media. Actions on information received
may be
very complex or extremely simple, but each is reduced to a set of
logical or
mathematical operations performed by a processing unit with one or
more microprocessors
at its heart. This processing unit also directs disposition of
resulting information.
Technology literacy that we require as a nation and as individuals
involves
conceptualization, engineering, production and testing. To achieve
technology
literacy, learners must observe specific examples to illuminate these
concepts,
and they must try their own hand at constructing or modifying examples
in laboratory
and real-world settings.
Achieving Technology Literacy
Technology Literacy Among School-Aged
Learners
International comparisons of student achievement in mathematics,
science and
technology place U.S. students far back in the pack. The International
Assessment
of Educational Progress test scores for 1991 imply that U.S. math and
science
education does not compare favorably against a list of countries
including South
Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, Hungary, the former Soviet Union, Slovnia,
Italy,
Israel, Canada, France, Scotland, Spain, the United States, Ireland,
and Jordan
in order from highest scores to lowest (Thornburg, 1992). According to
a study
by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement
described in Time Magazine, ninth graders in the United States
ranked
14th in science when measured against ninth graders in numerous other
countries
(Tifft, 1989). Our schools are not producing the future pool of
science and
technology innovators and managers this nation needs, and it is
imperative that
this change.
New technologies, especially those that are computer-based, are
viewed as increasingly
important tools. As early as 1983, the National Commission on
Excellence in
Education saw the need for all students to become technology literate
as part
of a basic high school education. Their report, A Nation at Risk
recommended
that high schools equip graduates to:
The educational system in America must rise to the challenge of
providing quality
education for all students to ensure opportunities for their success
in the
economy of the next century. Systemic reforms in our educational
system must
occur that result in technology literacy for all Americans, including
teachers,
administrators, teacher educators and students. This can only occur if
resources
are provided to school systems and teacher preparation programs to
support this
systemic change.
The Goals 2000: Educate America Act passed in March, 1994 by
Congress, reflects
the national effort to promote systemic changes in the American
educational
system. Its purpose is to provide a framework for meeting the National
Education
Goals. This legislation sets as a national priority universal access
to technology
for teaching and learning. Development of state and local blueprints
for change
is the next critical step.
Developing Blueprints for Change
Powerful national initiatives are underway that provide a mechanism
for including
technology literacy in blueprints for educational change. With the
recent establishment
of an Office for Technology in the U.S. Department of Education and
the appointment
of Dr. Linda Roberts as its Director, national leadership is in place
to guide
and assist the development of state technology plans. Critical to
effective
plans are strategies that provide investigation of the status quo,
development
of a vision through collaboration across stakeholder groups,
identification
of standards or goals, design of strategies for implementation, and
development
of plans for evaluation.
Critical components of the technology literacy curriculum are
embedded in emerging
national standards for mathematics and science education, and
leveraging the
momentum of these two standards movements offers great potential for
moving
forward the national technology literacy agenda. Federal program
specifications,
funding opportunities across the nation, publishing efforts,
broadcasting, professional
growth opportunities, education legislation, curriculum efforts at all
levels,
and state plans for systemic improvement of education reference
mathematics
and science standards as the definitive guide for change in those
curricula.
Schools are changing schedules, teaching environments, resources,
tools, teachers,
and means of assessment to support changes advocated within the math
and science
standards.
The blueprint for achieving universal technology literacy can take
advantage
of that momentum and can benefit greatly from the influence of these
standards
projects by closely aligning the technology literacy implementation
plan with
the established standards activities in each field. True science
literacy and
true math literacy include knowledge of both the science of technology
and the
mathematics of technology. One cannot be considered literate in
science, mathematics
or any other discipline without knowing how that discipline connects
to the
modern world.
Standards-based restructuring of science and mathematics curricula
and planning
for technology provide the very best opportunity for schools to
address universal
technology literacy. If our nation is to develop leaders in technology
innovation,
a foundation for understanding the concepts of information
technologies must
be laid within the science curriculum and supported within the
mathematics curriculum.
Within the broad blueprint for change, the curricula for science
literacy, mathematics
literacy and technology literacy converge.
Unless America's students are equipped to enter a changing workplace,
the financial
future for graduates -- and for the nation as a whole -- will be
bleak. The
U.S. Department of Labor's Secretary's Commission on Achieving
Necessary Skills:
What Work Requires of Schools (SCANS) identified five
"competencies"
that support skills and personal qualities needed for high performance
work.
Included in the five "competencies" are skills specifically
related
to the use of technology. They are the ability to productively use:
- information - acquiring, evaluating, and processing data;
- technology - selecting, using, and applying technology; and
- systems - understanding social, organizational, and technological
systems
(Packer, 1992).
The SCANS Report (1991) indicates that these "competencies"
represent
essential preparation for all students, both those going directly to
work and
those planning further education. Currently, a large percentage of
students
graduate from America's high schools underprepared in the skills
necessary for
success in the workplace. Technology literacy is a positive factor
contributing
to individual workplace success.
Technology Literacy Among Adults
The Education Goals 2000 include as a national agenda that
"Every adult
American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills
necessary
to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and
responsibilities
of citizenship." The concept of literacy in this context must
include not
only reading, writing and mathematical skills, but also sophistication
with
technology that opens the door to access and exchange of information,
manipulation
of technologies in the workplace, and means for analyzing and solving
problems.
Adults entering the workplace today can expect several job moves and
as many
as three major career changes during their working years. We know most
new jobs
will involve technology. Therefore, technology literacy is a critical
component
of personal and institutional plans to re-skill.
The fiscal well being of the nation and of the individual depends
increasingly
on complex technologies. Today's technology offers enormous potential
for substantially
changing the field of adult literacy (U.S. Congress, 1993). Advantages
of learning
about technology are as applicable to this group of learners as to the
school-age
population.
The Home-School Connection
Many successful educational programs take advantage of the
home-school connection.
Learning activities at home that align with learning activities at
school are
an important way to reinforce and strengthen children's learning and
to provide
adult opportunities. Taking advantage of the home-school connection
makes the
parent a partner in their child's learning for future success. Because
adults
and children often share a common need for achieving technology
literacy, strategies
with a strong home-school component hold special promise for this
effort.
Establishing an Infrastructure for Support of
Technology
Literacy
Without an infrastructure for support of technology literacy, there
can be
little expectation of success. Teachers and learners must have
adequate access
to appropriate technologies and high quality instructional materials
that support
learning objectives. As with other laboratory sciences, true
understanding of
the science of technology requires that learners "do" the
science.
Because these scientific principles are not now addressed in the
curriculum,
significant and ongoing staff development is a necessity. Extending
teachers'
scientific expertise, modeling effective teaching, mentoring and
long-term follow-up
are characteristics of staff development that will provide teachers
the skill
and confidence to make the desired changes in learning activities.
Effective
blueprints for change, therefore, specify an infrastructure of support
which
includes:
- access to appropriate equipment,
- availability of high quality instructional materials,
- implementation of content-specific teacher training,
- availability of technical, curricular and pedagogical assistance,
and reliance
on a cycle of evaluation for program improvement.
Any expectation of success in achieving the goal of universal
technology literacy
is dependent on this infrastructure.
Policy Leadership for a Technology Literate Nation
Several policy initiatives on the national level are converging in a
way that
provides a window of opportunity to put the U. S. well on its way to
technology
literacy. Not since the Sputnik panic has there been such fertile
federal ground.
Most recently, the enactment this spring of the Goals 2000: Educate
America
Act demonstrates the current administration's commitment to
reinvent the
economic infrastructure of this nation with technology at its core.
The act
clearly identifies education as the primary vehicle for advancing the
national
technology agenda, and it specifies coordinated planning at the
federal level
as a central theme. Indeed, it mandates a "National Long-Range
Technology
Plan" (U.S. House, p.30).
With this Act, a federal leadership structure is established with the
necessary
status and connections to set a national technology literacy agenda.
Through
development of the national long-range technology plan, administration
of a
system of state planning grants, collaboration with other offices in
the U.
S. Department of Education, and "in consultation with the Office
of Science
and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation, the Department
of Commerce,
the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration,
and other appropriate Federal departments or agencies" (U.S.
House, p.30),
the Office of Educational Technology is clearly an important point of
contact.
The Office is uniquely positioned to ensure that technology literacy
for all
Americans is a significant component of the national agenda (U. S.
House, 1994).
Opportunities for congressional and advisory group testimony, of
course, remain
important in keeping this agenda before policy-makers. A coordinated
effort
by the U.S.A. Office of the International Society for Technology in
Education
(ISTE) to inform individual members, organizational affiliates, and
members
of its Private Sector Council of opportunities for testimony can
optimize inclusion
of the agenda in policy outreach efforts.
Respected professional organizations such as the National Council of
Teachers
of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Science Teachers Association
(NSTA), the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), National
Council
for the Social Studies (NCSS), and the International Society for
Technology
in Education (ISTE) are often called upon by policy-makers at all
levels for
broad-based and unbiased information to support policy and legislative
decisions.
These organizations also provide information to large numbers of
individuals
through journals and a variety of other media. Many of these
organizations support
a formal structure for sustained interaction with the private sector;
others
welcome informal dialog as a means of staying in the loop of product
and service
development for their membership. Specific dialog, either formal or
informal,
with leaders and managers within influential professional
organizations provides
rich opportunities to promote a national agenda for technology
literacy.
Call to Action
Technology literacy is necessary for the well-being of the Nation and
its citizens.
Clearly, standards-based educational reform efforts have fallen short
of bringing
technology literacy to all learners. Retraining efforts too often fail
to adequately
educate workers in the area of technology. The goal of universal
technology
literacy presents specific challenges and calls to action in the areas
of curriculum
reform, adult education, and policy formulation. If universal
technology literacy
is to be achieved, the following calls to action must be met.
- Action #1: Revise school curricula and develop standards to
address the
science and mathematics of technology.
- Action #2: Establish technology literacy as a priority for
adult education
and worker retraining.
- Action #3: Formulate policies that place technology literacy
for all
Americans on the national agenda
The task of achieving a technology-literate nation will depend on the
combined
efforts of the education, business, and policy-making communities.
References
Cooksey, B. "Strong Skills Key to Workplace of Future".
Shreveport
Times. 10/11/92.
Fort, D. (May, 1993). "Science Shy, Science Savvy, Science
Smart".
Phi Delta Kappan, 74, 9: 674-683.
Thornburg, D. Edutrends 2010: Restructuring, Technology, and the
Future
of Education. Starsong Publications, 1992.
Packer, A. (March, 1992). "Taking Action on the SCANS
Report", Educational
Leadership. 49, 6: 27-31.
Rutherford, J. (1990). Science for All Americans. London:
Oxford University
Press.
The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. (1991).
"What
Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000".
Washington
D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor.
Tifft, S. (1989). "A Crisis Looms in Science". Time
Magazine.
Sept. 11, 1989.
U.S. Department of Education, National Commission on Excellence,
"A Nation
At Risk ". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing
Office, April
1983.
U. S. House of Representatives Report 103-446, 103rd Congress, 2nd
session.
"Goals 2000: Educate America Act". March 21, 1994.
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Adult Literacy and
New Technologies:
Tools for a Lifetime. 1993.
Utah State Board of Education (1988), A Shift in Focus: A Report
by the
Strategic Planning Commission, Author.
- Lajeane G. Thomas, ISTE President
Louisiana Tech University
Professor, Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership
P.O. Box 3161
Ruston, Louisiana 71272
-
- Donald G. Knezek, ISTE Executive Board
Associate Director for Educational Technology
Education Service Center, Region 20
1314 Hines Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78208
| Technology Literacy for the Nation and for Its Citizens, Lajeane G. Thomas, Don Knezek |
|
