Synopses & Reviews
In order to achieve a truly democratic world, any tensions or confusions between human beings, their environment, and their technologies must be resolved: the need is growing for everyone, particularly young people, to be more critically involved in the discourse surrounding technology. Only then will people become empowered to improve their world in a creative, sensitive, informed and above all, sustainable fashion. This collection provides a solid basis for defining technological literacy. Completely revised and updated in its second edition, it shows how philosophy, design, and pedagogy come together to shape our interactions with and understanding of the technology that mediates our everyday lives.
Review
"Dakers . . . and an international slate of contributors offer this collection of 18 essays that explore humanity's responsibility for becoming more critically involved in the discussions surrounding the technologies that are so rapidly transforming the world. The book . . . engages the reader to deliberate more critically about the knowledge and processes required to develop technology and the broader implications for society if a new technological literacy framework is not developed." - CHOICE"We all are technologists and technology users while going about our daily activities. However, most of us do not take time to reflect on the decisions we make, how technology influences what we do in our lives, where and how it should be taught in formal education systems, and the impact of technology on society. Defining Technological Literacy is a book that does the homework for us in that worldwide experts offer their knowledge for our understanding." - Dr. Kendall N. Starkweather, Executive Director/CEO, International Technology Education Association
"There have been many and anguished calls for technological literacy in the advanced industrial countries. They have mostly been in vain for two reasons. One is the lack of an incisive and circumspect conception of technology. The other is the absence of helpful theories and practices of teaching technological literacy. This books meets both of these needs. It deserves to become a landmark." - Albert Borgmann, author of Holding On to Reality (1999)
"Defining Technological Literacy provides a much broader research-based view of what technological literacy is and can be. It should be a valuable book to teacher educators, supervisors, philosophers, policymakers, and those in higher levels of education who develop educational programs for the future. While the various chapters are diverse, they all provide further enlightenment as to what technological literacy is." - William E. Dugger, Jr., Senior Fellow, International Technology Education Association
Review
'There have been many and anguished calls for technological literacy in the advanced industrial countries. They have mostly been in vain for two reasons. One is the lack of an incisive and circumspect conception of technology. The other is the absence of helpful theories and practices of teaching technological literacy. This books meets both of these needs. It deserves to become a landmark.' - Albert Borgmann, Author of Holding On to Reality
Synopsis
Never before have we so needed a new literacy that will enable us to meaningfully participate in the rapidly evolving technologically mediated world. This collection offers a solid basis for defining this new technological literacy by bringing together theoretical work encompassing philosophy, design, and pedagogy.
About the Author
John R. Dakers teaches at the Technology University of Delft, the Netherlands.
Table of Contents
PART I: CONSIDERING ASPECTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE FOR DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY
1. What is Philosophy of Technology?; Andrew Feenberg
2. Technological Knowledge and Artifacts: An Analytical View; Marc J. de Vries
3. How to Understand Mundane Technology: New Ways of Thinking about Human-Technology Relations; Mike Michael
4. Walking the Plank: A Mediation on the Process of Skill; Tim Ingold
5. Ethical Technological Literacy as Democratic Curriculum Keystone; Steve Keirl
PART II: CONSIDERING ASPECTS OF DESIGN IN DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY
6. The Design of Design; Carl Mitcham and J. Britt Holbrook
7. The Designer Fallacy and Technological Imagination; Don Ihde
PART III: CONSIDERING ASPECTS OF PEDAGOGY FOR DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY
8. Towards a Philosophy for a New Technology Education; John R Dakers
9. Implicit theories: Their Impact on Technology Education; Wendy Dow
PART IV: CONSIDERING GLOBALIZATION, COMPUTERS, THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB, AND THEIR IMPACT IN DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY
10. Reconstructing Technoliteracy: A Multiple Literacies Approach; Richard Kahn and Douglas Kellner
11. From Knowledge to Information: Virtual Classrooms or Automated Diploma Mills?; Michael Peters