Revanth Challuru

UWRT 1102 006

Professor Carty
3 December 2014
Technology: The Mechanics of Globalization
Imagine technology as a singular organism. This organisms brain is composed of the
minds of infinite possibilities, fantasy creations, and the future. The organisms feet is made up
events and products that have helped created the foundation of what the world is today. The heart
that pumps blood throughout the body is the present & future generation of children, scientists,
engineers, doctors, etc. who will continue to sustain, build, improve technology, and solve
problems. This organism, technology, can be found all over the world. Although, we barely
notice this organism that can be found all over the world, it has, is, and always will be a huge
impact on every individual, society, and globalization.
One of the organisms main core changes is the invention of the computer. The very first
computer wasnt very personal and couldnt fit in backpacks. The ENIAC, or Electronic
Numerical Integrator Analyzer and Computer, was built in 1946 at the University of
Pennsylvania. The ENIAC, a 2000 square feet behemoth that cost $500,000, was built for the
sole purpose of performing ballistics calculations for the U.S. military during WWII
(History.com Staff). Who would have thought something so grand would turn into to the portable
13 inch laptops that can be mass produced and used anywhere in the world within a centurys
time? What have PCs done in terms of globalization? The PC digitalized information and was an
important advancement in communication technology. The PC allowed for information to be
created and manipulated. When the Internet came along, it became the standardized method of

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sharing information, email, and even culture. The PC was an underlying fuel for the movement
towards the Age of Information.
"... Leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students todayespecially in
science, technology, engineering and math." (Katsomitros) The quote by President Obama is one
of the answers to a better sustainable future that continues to innovate and advance our world.
The answer lies in the STEM program. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, &
Mathematics. In the past decade, there has been a dramatic rise and support for STEM education.
The government and various organizations are trying to incorporate STEM into the school
system, preferably early as elementary school. Why is there a sudden spike in interest in STEM?
STEM is everywhere around us. It shapes the world into what it is today and is the key to a better
future. With STEM educated people, countries can develop better, become global leaders, and
improve the economy. STEM related fields are also expanding more rapidly than any other field
besides the health care industry (Connections Learning). What can be done for the shortage and
to spark further interest of STEM in different countries?
One solution is provided by Connections Learning of Pearson. Open-Education
Resources (OERs) makes use of any sort of supplement or offer new opportunities, such as video
tutorials, lab simulations, games, etc. to students. For teachers and administrators, there are
professional development products at their disposal which help to increase their technological
knowledge and their mastery of advance STEM subjects. Partnerships such as virtual schools,
curriculum vendors, and STEM-specific organizations can help expand the schools STEM
offerings (Connections Learning). Although this is solution is relevant to the USA programs, it
can be tweaked in order for it to be implicated in other countries. A global STEM institution can
be formed and it would create offshoot workshops in different countries. This institution would

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be the base for developing international STEM curriculum from elementary school all the way to
high school. Similar to teachers in USA attending teaching workshops to fortify and stay up to
date on their subjects and methods, these workshops can teach the technical knowledge and
advance STEM subjects. The workshops can serve a dual purpose of not only teaching but
exchanging ideas and different STEM-related activities that would interest children from a young
age. The teachers that take that new knowledge into the classroom and apply it practically in
their classes. The result would be a globalized coalition of STEM skilled workers that work
cohesively to solve the modern ages problems.
With all this unavoidable technology, its impacts doesnt pass by unnoticed. Africa is an
example of positive technological impact. Rev. Larry Hollon talks about how Senegal
transformed from a dead zone to an area with accessible technology everywhere. A couple of
decades ago, when Hollons son needed an emergency surgery, it was an arduous four day
journey from the remote northern area of Senegal where Hollon was staying [which had no
phones or electricity] to find a place with phone access. In a later trip to Kenya, when mobile
technology started to grow and people began finding uses for it, Hollon observed two women
using a satellite receiver plugged into a boom box get audio digital information that was then
translated into text, allowing them to check the market price of beans. This meant that they no
longer needed to rely solely on the price quoted by a distributor but they themselves could
negotiate a fair price for their crops (Hollon).Looking now at the present, due to the emergence
and expansion of mobile technology and satellites, mobile phone usage has now become more
commonplace, with more than 10.7 million active units in Senegal alone (Hollon). It is even
currently being used as an aid in fighting malaria. Pierre Omadjela, Director of Communications
and Development for the CCACUMCi, uses FrontlineSMS, a free open-source software that send

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text messages to people without an Internet connection to share health information and increase
awareness about malaria prevention. Their use of technology resulted in a five percent decrease
in the labor required to educate the people of the Congo. Information accessibility, the genetic
building blocks of the organism, has given people the power of control over their own
circumstances. But can people maintain a respectable relationship with the organism, or will they
abuse it and end up causing their own downfall?
The interactions between humans and the organism can be seen as a symbiotic
relationship both with positive and negative consequences. Technology can help improve the
livelihoods of people and education as perceived by the previous examples but it can also harm
the physical and mental state of a person, exploit privacy and increase cyber-crime/ cyber
terrorism a serious issue, and in might even replace the human race in the future. According to a
2010 study by Kaiser Foundation found that showed that elementary school children use on
average 7.5 hours per day of entertainment technology, 75% of these children have TV's in their
bedrooms, and 50% of North American homes have the TV on all day (Rowan). Cris Rowan, a
pediatric occupational therapist, says that the overuse of technology results in sensory
imbalance creates huge problems in overall neurological development, as the brain's anatomy,
chemistry and pathways become permanently altered and impaired. (Rowan). Figure 1, which
is mostly looking into psychological side effects, shows some possible cause-and-effects chain
reactions. Figure 2 describes the physical consequences of societys interactions with
technology, more specifically with the usage of cell phones.

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Figure 1 (Rowan)

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Figure 2 (Gregoire)

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Over the centuries, our neighborly organism technology has evolved and has influenced
the world and globalization for the better or worse. What we can take from all of this is that the
organism, technology, has changed the history of mankind and has connected everyone closer
together through manufacturing, computers, and in due time, through the common goal of
improving education via technology and tech programs. The organism will continue to evolve
and impact the world and globalization at an unprecedented level.

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Works Cited
Connections Learning. "STEM EDUCATION: Preparing Students for a Growing Field." STEM
Solutions (n.d.): n. pag. Connections Learning. Pearson. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.connectionslearning.com/Libraries/PDFs/STEM_Primer_PreparingStude
nts.pdf>.
Encyclopedia Britannica. "Technology." Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web.
23 Oct. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technology>.
Gregoire, Carolyn. "How Your IPhone Is Harming Your Health (INFOGRAPHIC)." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/27/cell-phone-healthiphone_n_3943322.html>.
History.com Staff. "Invention of the PC." History.com. A+E Television Networks, 2011. Web.
22 Oct. 2014.
Hollon, Rev. L. "The Astounding Impact of Innovative Technology in the Developing World."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-larry-hollon/developing-worldtechnology_b_3764553.html>.
Katsomitros, Alex. "The Global Race for STEM Skills." The Global Race for STEM Skills. The
Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.obhe.ac.uk/newsletters/borderless_report_january_2013/global_race_for
_stem_skills>.
Kurzweil, Ray, and Patrick Tucker. "The Singularity and Human Destiny." (n.d.): n. pag. The
Singularity Is Near. Mar. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.singularity.com/KurzweilFuturist.pdf>.

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Rowan, Cris. "The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negativeimpact_b_3343245.html>.
UNICEF. "Technology in Developing Countries: Creating Opportunities and Impact - in
Pictures." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fsustainablebusiness%2Fgallery%2Ftechnology-developing-countries-impact-pictures>.
Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here. Prod. Charles Colville. Perf. Jeremy Black. BBC,
2013. Website Video.
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Central Congo Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church