Technology education

Osseo-Fairchild Technical Education Center

Technology education or tech ed<ref>https://www.governing.com/now/the-compelling-need-to-elevate-tech-ed</ref> is the study of technology, in which students "learn about the processes and knowledge related to technology".<ref>ITEA. (2000). Standards for technological literacy; Content for the study of technology. Executive Summary. Reston, Va, p. 242</ref> As a field of study, it covers the human's ability to shape and change the physical world to meet needs, by manipulating materials and tools with techniques. It addresses the disconnect between wide usage and the lack of knowledge about technical components of technologies used and how to fix them.<ref>de Vries, Marc; Fletcher, Stefan; Labudde, Peter; Lang, Martin; Mammes, Ingelore; Max, Charles; Munk, Dieter; Nicholl, Bill; Strobel, Johannes (2016). Technology Education Today: International Perspectives. Munster: Waxmann Verlag. p. 33. ISBN 9783830933847.</ref> This emergent discipline seeks to contribute to the learners' overall scientific and technological literacy,<ref name=":0">Blandow, Dietrich; Dyrenfurth, Michael (1994). Technology Education in School and Industry: Emerging Didactics for Human Resource Development. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. p. 312. ISBN 3540582509.</ref> and technacy (see https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/technacy).

Technology education should not be confused with educational technology. Educational technology focuses on a more narrow subset of technology use that revolves around the use of technology in and for education as opposed to technology education's focus on technology's use in general.<ref>Dugger Jr., William E.; Naik, Nitin (September 2001). "Clarifying Misconceptions between Technology Education and Educational Technology". Technology Teacher. 61 (1): 31–35.</ref>

History

Technology education is an offshoot of the Industrial Arts tradition in the United States and the Craft teaching or vocational education in other countries.<ref name=":0" /> In 1980, through what was called the "Futuring Project", the name of "industrial arts education" was changed to be "technology education" in New York State; the goal of this movement was to increase students' technological literacy.<ref>"History | Department of Technology". www.oswego.edu. sec. Technology Education. Retrieved 2018-01-07.</ref> Since the nature of technology education is significantly different from its predecessor, Industrial Arts teachers underwent inservice education in the mid-1980s while a Technology Training Network was also established by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).<ref name=":0" />

In Sweden, technology as a new subject emerged from the tradition of crafts subjects while in countries like Taiwan and Australia, its elements are discernible in historical vocational programs.<ref>Williams, John; Williams, Anthony (1996). Technology Education for Teachers. South Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd. p. 286. ISBN 0732940907.</ref>

In the 21st century, Mars suit design was utilized as a topic for technology education.<ref name="nasa3">"Designing Spacesuits for Mars". NASA. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 2018-02-25.</ref> Technical education is entirely different from general education

Current State of Technology Education

TeachThought, a private entity, described technology education as being in the “status of childhood and bold experimentation.<ref>"The Current State Of Technology In The Classroom [Infographic] -". TeachThought. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref>” A survey of teachers across the United States by an independent market research company found out that 86 percent of teacher-respondents agree that technology must be used in the classroom. 96 percent say it promotes engagement of students and 89% agree technology improves student outcomes.<ref>"18 EdTech Stats About the Current State of Technology in Education". Fractus Learning. 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> Technology is present in many education systems. As of July 2018, American public schools provide one desktop computer for every five students and spend over $3 billion annually on digital content.<ref>"The Classroom of 2050 | University of Cincinnati | UC's Master of Education Online Program". mastersed.uc.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> In school year 2015–2016, the government conducted more state-standardized testing for elementary and middle levels through digital platforms instead of the traditional pen and paper method.<ref>Herold, Benjamin. "Technology in Education: An Overview". Education Week. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref>

The digital revolution offers fresh learning prospects. Students can learn online even if they are not inside the classroom. Advancement in technology entails new approaches of combining present and future technological improvements and incorporating these innovations into the public education system.<ref>Legislatures, National Conference of State. "Technology in Schools". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> With technology incorporated into everyday learning, this creates a new environment with new personalized and blended learning. Students are able to complete work based on their own needs as well as having the versatility of individualized study and it evolves the overall learning experience. Technology space in education is huge. It advances and changes rapidly.<ref>"The Current State of Educational Technology Use | Pearson Blog". USA. 2015-12-10. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> In the United Kingdom, computer technology helped elevate standards in different schools to confront various challenges.<ref>"30 years of technology in education: BESA report advises government on lessons learned - Information Age". Information Age. 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> The UK adopted the “Flipped Classroom” concept after it became popular in the United States. The idea is to reverse conventional teaching methods through the delivery of instructions online and outside of traditional classrooms.<ref>Wakefield, Jane (2015-02-02). "How technology is changing schools". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref>

In Europe, the European Commission espoused a Digital Education Plan in January 2018. The program consists of 11 initiatives that support utilization of technology and digital capabilities in education development.<ref>"Digital Education Action Plan". Retrieved 2022-03-22.</ref> The Commission also adopted an action plan called the Staff Working Document<ref>"Staff Working Document - European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> which details its strategy in implementing digital education. This plan includes three priorities formulating measures to assist European Union member-states to tackle all related concerns.<ref>"Digital competences and technology in education - Education and training - European Commission". Education and training. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> The whole framework will support the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning<ref>"European Qualifications Framework - Eqavet". www.eqavet.eu. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> and European Classification of Skills, Competences, Qualifications, and Occupations.<ref>"ESCO - European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref>

In East Asia, The World Bank co-sponsored a yearly (two-day) international symposium<ref>Trucano, Michael (2014-05-07). "Surveying ICT use in education in Asia". Edutech. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref> In October 2017 with South Korea's Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and the World Bank to support education and ICT concerns for industry practitioners and senior policymakers. Participants plan and discuss issues in use of new technologies for schools within the region.<ref>"Global symposium on ICT use in education". World Bank. Retrieved 2018-07-03.</ref>

See also

• Technological literacy
• Technical school
• Tech certificate

External links

• Technology education at Curlie
• The History and Philosophy of Technology Education - "Historical Reader" from SUNY Oswego