What Is Technology and Why Do We Need To Embrace Lifelong Learning?

The rapid growth of technology has allowed people to learn at anytime, anywhere, and on almost any device. What and how you learn is up to you. You could be taking a quiz online, attending a webinar or listening to a podcast at home or on the go. Therefore, learning providers must create relevant content based on a listener’s tastes.

What Is Technology?

It might sound like a straightforward question, but modern technology is much more than just devices.

The impact and role of technology in both our private and working lives is growing at a rapid rate. Understanding how we influence technological advancements and how technological advancements influence our lives is vital not only for people involved in researching, developing and carrying out an IT transformation, but also for all people and companies that need to use the new technologies in their private and working lives.

Defining technology is not a simple matter. The term “technology” may have different meanings for different people and organizations, depending on their context and viewpoint.

Technology is all about understanding how to creatively apply knowledge to organized activities involving machines and people to meet certain goals.

Technology involves taking the right action to meet certain needs instead of simply understanding how the natural world works. 400 years ago, the microscope was unknown. That means it was impossible to study the structure of plants and animals.

With the invention of this optical instrument, it was now possible to explore plant cells, animal cells and other objects that were too minute to be seen by the naked eye. This technological invention was a good solution to a long-standing problem and has allowed people to understand the workings of the natural world. This has consequently led to the growth of new technologies.

Technology uses much more than theoretical knowledge and incorporates scientific facts, information and practical knowledge. The iPod is a good example of physics integrating with creative design to produce a small device for playing and storing music.

Technology also entails an organized way of performing tasks. It involves the planned and unplanned interactions between people, products and systems.

Once created, technology can exist without the scientific or theoretical knowledge that was used to create it. There’s a huge difference between knowledge and technology. Knowledge refers to the intelligence while technology refers to any physical items developed through the application of knowledge. A person can have access to the best technology around, and still be not very bright. The key to using technology properly is to understand what it is.

Technology is a practical profession where someone has to be adept at one of the following:

• Innovating
• Developing
• Manufacturing
• Managing
• Modeling
• Designing
• Communicating
• Engineering
• Practical thinking.

However, technology also provides people with different products that can be used for both good and bad purposes.

Technology and Lifelong Learning

Similarly, the skills required in the workplace are changing rapidly. According to a recent report released by McKinsey, the demand for creative, cognitive, interpersonal and technological skills will increase significantly by 2030.

New technologies are likely to replace many jobs. They are also expected to create many new ones. Nonetheless, to grab these new opportunities, people should learn new skills on a continuous basis.

Many people already think that they are lifelong learners. That’s because they take part in activities that allow them to advance language in areas that interest them. Whether that means gaining knowing for DIY projects, researching and reading for personal pleasure or enhancing their job skills, it’s always worth the effort. In most cases, these lifelong learning activities take place in traditional settings – at home, school, work, meetings or community establishments such as libraries or government agencies. The internet is another important tool for people to meet their lifelong learning goals.

Lifelong learning and technology can benefit the organizations as well as the employees. The organization gets employees who are better equipped to handle the challenges of a competitive marketplace. The employees, on the other hand, get the opportunity to boost their job skills, expand their job opportunities, increase their earnings and gain more intellectual knowledge.

Good lifelong learning programs are also powerful staff recruitment and retention tools for any company. Lifelong learning is vital to the success of the organization. Enterprises should find a way to incorporate lifelong learning programs into their calendar to help improve the knowledge, creativity, agility and abilities to help meet future challenges.

Conclusion

Lifelong learning is extremely important for everyone. This includes educators who should create lifelong learning programs for learners and should operate in an environment that changes in line with any new technologies. Modern technologies, such as web technologies, enable educators to engage in lifelong learning by increasing access to new resources and encouraging social interactions between professionals from various parts of the world.

In today’s digital era, everyone should find a way to boost their own lifelong learning and play a role in ensuring a more sustainable future.