TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY, "STEM," ROBOTS and “Artificial Intelligence (AI)”

FROM STICKS AND STONES, TO SMART PROBLEM SOLVING AND AUTOMATION

(**** Note: document editing in progress ****)

R2 (draft Lesson plan : Technical Troubleshooting Workshop 3-5th)

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the following document is to:

  1. Call attention to and promote the RETURN TO A HEALTHY BASIC START in the "STEM / STEAM" quantitative education discourse, focusing on better abilities and practices for designing and building TOOLS. Tools help us identify and solve simple and complex problems, from the earliest ages and throughout our lives.

  2. Promote the REDESIGN OF CURRENT CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, particularly in elementary and secondary grade-levels, to properly emphasize the nature and role of tools, preparing us best for a richer, more relaxed, realistic-meaningful, common-sense, up-to-date, motivating, skillful environment with a GREATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY of effective education.

THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

Ever wonder why some people always seem to live better, safer and longer than others? Not just individually, but even as a group or as whole societies.

Yes, there can be many factors and circumstances that at times can favor some of us individually, but in the end, there are basic factors that can help us identify opportunities and take better advantage of situations, safer and more permanently. What we know as "abilities" and "skills" to perceive our world and take advantage of it, has been indeed what has kept us surviving and relativelly at the top among species in our planet.

Being aware (alert, educated) and prepared, (having the proper tools and skills) to take advantage of opportunities and confront the risks around seems to be one of the biggest reasons for our success.

WHAT DOES EDUCATION AND BEING EDUCATED MEAN?

As described in Wikipedia (October, 2018), Education is "the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits." We humans continuosly strive to learn, develop and take advantage of the knowledge, skills, values and habits that are best for us. All those ideas, imaginations, physical objects and practices overall are what we identify as our tools and our technologies. Being educated is therefore the quality of possessing and using those advantages (also known as leverage.) Leverage is what help us live better, longer, safer and happier lives.

In practice, however, it soon becomes clear that "educating" (preparing) people properly “for their future” involves typically difficult and costly activities. Particularly difficult areas of education are in what today is called "STE/AM (Science, Technology, Engineering/Art, and Mathematics areas." Difficulties tend to relate to poor or/and unclear relationships between what is promoted in typical classrooms, the meaning and depth of what we learn, practice and become skilled at, and what we would actually need and use productively in real life. A natural consequence of this disconnection would reflect on larger numbers of students and citizens failing to be motivated, benefited by and be successful, both personally, and as members of a community and a society.

WHAT ARE TOOLS AND WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY?

For most of us, the word "tools" reminds us of the useful objects and devices we keep in a "toolbox" at home or at work to help us figure out and take care of (“fix”) various practical, physical “problems”.

In a wider sense, though, the word "tool" refers to a more general concept. In Wikipedia (2017), a tool is described as "any item that can be used to achieve a goal.” (ref). The Oxford Dictionaries and the Cambridge On-line dictionary (ref) define a TOOL as: "A thing used to help perform a job" (ref), and "anything that helps you to do something you want to do"....

Stated in a simpler way, we can say that: a tool is something we use to help us do the things we need to do to stay alive and live better. We do this mostly by using and extending the capabilities of our own bodies to explore, think and change our environment in smarter, more effectively (cheaper, faster, safer, and/or more powerful) ways. Therefore, we can say that a hammer, as well as a spoon, a fork, a knife and a computer are all tools, and so are the clothes we wear, the homes we live in and the vehicles we use to go places, as they help us survive, protect our bodies from and enjoy our environment, so we can live safely and be happier.

From the beginning of history, we have selected, created and used all kinds of objects (and ways) in our environment as tools. Clearly, much of our success of humans on earth can be has attributed to our continuous use and improvement of tools, because they have enhanced the basic nature-given abilities and strengths of our bodies. Today we have tools to help us with almost every need and activity. They always help us design, produce, and utilize newer, more effective and satisfying goods. We have also learned to use the environment to better understand it and use it, itself.

Starting with simpler tools,

sst t1 r23 t3 > we have improved to today's and tomorrow's complex and powerful tools.

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