Technology

              

Until the early 1990s, most cell phones were too big for pockets. Movies were unavailable on DVD until 1997. Google didn’t arrive until 1998. There was no MySpace until 2003, and YouTube launched two years after that.

As technology advances, the definition of technology literacy changes. In 1980, it meant knowing how to program code. In 1995, it meant knowing how to work basic tools like word processing and spreadsheets.

Now the definition of technology literacy is much richer and more complex because there is more information available than ever before. And the tools for finding, using and creating information are rapidly becoming more diverse and sophisticated.

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) defines technology literacy as the ability to responsibly use appropriate technology to:

• Communicate
• Solve problems
• Access, manage, integrate, evaluate, design and create information to improve learning in all subject areas
• Acquire lifelong knowledge and skills in the 21st century.