Each STEM component brings a valuable contribution to a well-rounded education. Science gives learners an in-depth understanding of the world around us. It helps them to become better at research and critical thinking. Technology prepares young people to work in an environment full of high-tech innovations.
Technology contributes to the design and implementation of STEM activities in multiple ways. This topic outlines the importance and benefits of technology in STEM education and highlights research and teaching strategies for promoting technological literacy.
The “T” In STEM
“T” is for Technology When considering the “T” in STEM ,technology education should be viewed in the sense of a discipline dedicated to the study of all the modifications humans have made in the natural environment for their own purposes. To be clear, the use of computers, should not be confused with the study of technology, which provides students with opportunities to learn about the processes of design, fundamental concepts of technology and engineering, and the limits and possibilities of technology in society. This discipline, commonly referred to as technology education, includes the study and application of learning experiences related to inventions, innovations, and changes intended to meet human wants and needs. In short, if humans thought of it and made it, it’s technology.
Contribution Of Technology In Designing And Implementing STEM Activities
STEM activities and technologies can support the development of various skills in students, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Technology is an indispensible component of any science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activity. It may contribute to the design and implementation of the STEM activities in multiple ways.Technology is the modification of the natural world to meet human wants and needs. It helps us
- To improve our health
- To grow and process food and fiber better
- To harness and use energy more resourcefully
- To communicate more efficiently
- To process data faster and accurately
- To move people and things easier
- To make products to enhance our lives
- To build structures that provide shelter and comfort.
The aim of technology is to make changes in the world to meet human needs. In the broadest sense, technology extends our abilities to change the world; to cut, shape, or put together materials; to move things from one place to the other; to reach further with our hands, voices, and senses.
The Goal Of Including T In STEM:
The variety of technology available today is extensive, as are the human problems that technology might solve. As a result, individuals need more than just knowledge of the technology that surrounds them; they also need the skills and knowledge to use the new and changed technologies of tomorrow—they need to be technologically literate.
Technology education programs in the schools are advancing, not with the goal of preparing students for the workplace or increasing the relevance of core subjects, but to provide all students with a measure of technological literacy. The goal is to prepare students who understand the nature of technology and its interaction with the other STEM disciplines and society. Understanding the core ideas, concepts, skills, and values that are important for all citizens that connect science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Role Of Technology And Its Benefits In STEM
One of the great benefits of learning about technology in STEM classroom is to conduct activities and experiments that reflect the development of technology in the real world.Students learn best in experimental ways rather than only through visual or auditory methods and the study of STEM fields emphasizes on such active learning.
STEM discipline of technology education has a considerable role not only in preparing individuals who want to pursue careers in STEM, but also more importantly, in preparing those citizens who will work with the STEM in a less apparent manner. Collectively, STEM programs should prepare all citizens to interact with existing technologies and plan for a future that they can’t even imagine. Technology education provides all students with the conceptual knowledge, design experience, and confidence to interpret what exists and improve upon it.
Interdisciplinary Relation Of Technology In STEM:
Clearly, the value of STEM education is greater than the sum of its parts. At the heart of STEM education is the interface between the disciplines, and for the desired collaboration to occur advantageously, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics must all be at the table.The result of such collaboration is referred to as emergence(where the product of collaborative systems or organisms results in qualities not directly traceable to the individual components). Such emergence is also achievable and desirable in STEM education programs, but all members of STEM must be equally represented.
Modern Application Of Technology Related To Stem:
- Digital Modeling
- Prototyping
- 3D Printing
- Mobile Technology
- Computer Programming
- Data Analytics
- Internet Of Things
- Machine Learning
- Game Development and much more.
Writer : ENGR.TASKEEN ZAFAR
Graduated As Electrical Engineer From UOS