Sunday, January 23, 2011

STEM Focus- Technology

Week 2 of studying the four main points of STEM. This week, Technology!


Technology is seen in many different ways. Some people see it as awesome, some people see it as a nuisance. It can be used in many different ways. Some people never think that their laptops and iPods and Blackberries are products of Technology, while other people are obsessed with using computers to solve problems and improve their lives. But what is technology? 


Technology is the usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or create an artistic perspective. The word technology comes from the Greek technología (τεχνολογία) — téchnē (τέχνη), an "art", "skill" or "craft" and -logía (-λογία), the study of something, or the branch of knowledge of a discipline. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technologymedical technologyinformation technology, or high technology. (Wikipedia)


Technology is useful in making our lives easier by providing faster, safer and better ways to do ordinary jobs. Things such as cooking food, mowing the lawn, making clothes, and transportation have all been imporved by technology. But technology does not just make things easier for us. Technology has allowed humanity to achieve remarkable accomplishments in a very small amount of time. After centuries of humans trying to fly, the Wright brothers invented and flew the first powered airplane. Less then 25 years later, humans had the technology to set off an atomic bomb, and less then 25 years later, humans had landed on the moon! And recently, we celebrated the completion of the International Space Station. The ISS is a huge technological advancement that combines the work of multiple countries to put humans in an orbital habitat. We now have astronauts living and working in space, where less then 100 years ago, such a thing was an impossible dream!


Technology continues to help us today by advancing our lives and providing us with the means of exploring science and its mysteries. 




Next week's focus: Engineering

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