Technology is the application of knowledge to create tools and devices that meet human needs. It also refers to the systems that allow us to communicate and share information. It can be applied in a variety of ways, from creating websites and social media to building cars and telecommunication systems.

It is important for teachers to understand how technology can impact student learning. Using technology in the classroom can engage students, and research supports that it increases the speed at which students learn. However, it is crucial that teachers are aware of the potential negative effects and implement routines in place to monitor and assess the impact of technology on student engagement.

As the world becomes increasingly digital, the nature of work and the way we interact with the natural environment will transform. This is a concern not just for those who develop, design and implement new technologies but also for the billions of people who use them.

For something name-checked so often in our lives, it is surprisingly difficult to get a handle on the precise meaning of technology. Some equate it with gadgetry, others think hazily of all the things that make modern life different from the past. There is, however, a broad category of technologies that have a powerful intervening power – in the sublime of planetary science and in the everyday experience of changing gear while driving a car or brushing teeth. Investigating this intervening power offers a valuable opening for a new type of interpretative sociology of technology, and a restart for the philosophy of technology.