What Is Technology? Tools That Help Us Every Day
Did you know that a pencil is technology? So is a spoon! Technology is any tool that people make to help them do something. Crayons, shoes, bikes, phones — humans invented all of them to solve a problem or make life easier.
What You Will Learn
• What the word technology means • Examples of technology from long ago and today • How technology helps us at home, at school, and outside • The difference between things made by nature and things made by people
Technology Is a Tool People Make
Technology is not just computers or phones. Technology is any tool or machine that people designed and built to solve a problem. A hammer helps people bang nails. A cup helps people hold water. Glasses help people see better. All of these are technology! Nature makes trees, rocks, and rivers. People make technology. When someone picks up a stick from nature, it is not technology yet. But when someone shapes that stick into a spoon, that spoon is technology.
Old Technology and New Technology
Long ago, people wrote on clay tablets and stone walls. That was the technology of their time! Later came paper, then typewriters, then computers, and now tablets and voice assistants. A horse and cart was old transportation technology. A bicycle came later. Then cars were invented. Now some cars can even drive themselves! New technology does not mean old technology was bad. Each new tool was invented to solve the same problems in faster or easier ways.
Many people think technology means screens and batteries, but a zipper, a wheel, and a pair of scissors are all technology too. If a person invented it to help do a job, it counts.
Technology We Use Every Single Day
Look around your home or classroom. How many pieces of technology can you count? Lights help you see at night. The refrigerator keeps your food cold. Chairs hold you up so you do not sit on the floor. Books let people share ideas. A clock tells you what time it is. Every one of these was invented by someone who said: I have a problem — let me make a tool to fix it!
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
Which of these is an example of technology?
Why do people invent new technology?
Technology Scavenger Hunt
Walk around your home or classroom and find 5 pieces of technology. For each one, draw a picture of it and write (or tell a grown-up) one sentence: This is a [name]. It helps us [job it does]. When you are done, share your 5 examples with someone. Then pick your favorite piece of technology and explain why you think it is the best invention ever!
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