Coin of the Realm

 

Your brain is a greedy little fellow. Although it comprises only 2% of your body weight, it consumes 20% of the oxygen supply. Deprived of oxygen for a mere one minute, it’s cells will begin to die off and two minutes later, serious permanent damage will have occurred. Oxygen is number one on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – love, esteem and self-actualization all build on a foundation that starts with oxygen. It’s one of those essential things that we take for granted, until it’s at risk.

Scientists say that the typical adult human brain uses about 12 watts of power, obtained from combining that oxygen with glucose. This is a lot in relation to the rest of the body, but efficient compared with a 60-watt light bulb, and mind-bogglingly miserly next to IBM’s Watson, which requires around 750,000 watts. The brain’s energy budgeting prioritizes things we focus on and diverts its energy resources accordingly.

The actual workload of your brain can be divided into two main tasks – the inward facing job of maintaining your bodily systems, and the outward facing one of gathering and processing information about the world around you. We survive and flourish based on what information we gather, and what we do with that information. Modern technologies – Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, and more or less everything else – are also driven by data. It is the starting point for countless innovations.

On average, individual humans create 1.7 MB of data every second. Our technologies create a lot more – we are surrounded by an ever-increasing sea of data. While there are only a few gigabytes worth of neurons in your brain, they work together in various ways to produce an estimated storage capacity of around 2.5 petabytes. Meanwhile, in a few short years, the total data repository around the globe is expected to reach 175 zettabytes.

As we move up Maslow’s hierarchy we eventually encounter less urgent things like food and shelter. Hunting, foraging, and building are all-consuming jobs, and some form of specialization and exchange makes a lot of sense. It also frees up time for the less tangible Maslowian needs revolving around self-actualization.

In the beginning, the exchange of choice was barter, still preferred by individuals and organizations as a way of trading goods and services. From cows to cowries to coins – and eventually to paper money – humans have used various means to exchange what they have for what they need.

While physical tokens still exist, digital cash in the form of electronic transactions - e.g. PayPal, Venmo, Automated Clearing House (ACH) – now dominate our monetary system. The connection to actual palpable money is blurred even further by the rise of Bitcoin.

Online search engines like Google and social media outlets like Facebook have increasingly come under scrutiny because of how they handle knowledge of our data gathering habits or our personal interests. These services were once naively believed to be free, although they exchanged the information they gathered about us with their customers for just over a quarter of a trillion dollars in combined 2020 annual revenue.

In 18th century England, the phrase “coin of the realm” was used synonymously with “legal tender”. The words “coin” and “realm” have since taken on more abstract meanings, and one might say, for example that “trust is the coin of the realm.”

The latest turn on the phrase is inevitable - data is the new coin of the realm.

Author Profile - Paul W. Smith - leader, educator, technologist, writer - has a lifelong interest in the countless ways that technology changes the course of our journey through life. In addition to being a regular contributor to NetworkDataPedia, he maintains the website Technology for the Journey and occasionally writes for Blogcritics. Paul has over 40 years of experience in research and advanced development for companies ranging from small startups to industry leaders. His other passion is teaching - he is a former Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Paul holds a doctorate in Applied Mechanics from the California Institute of Technology, as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The problems of tech education in the 21st century!

 The problems of tech education in the 21st century

The education sector is under pressure to incorporate tech concepts into every subject. Doctors will need to know about the technology to be used in the laboratory. Teachers also need to use technology in class. The trend can be felt throughout all professional fields. While the desire to incorporate tech education is alive, there are numerous challenges administrators, teachers, students, and parents must overcome.

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To begin with, technology is a part of everyday life for all stakeholders. The desire to incorporate it in class is, therefore, undoubtedly. Do My Homework 123 will help you with assignments, class projects, and any other writing needs. Here are the challenges facing the implementation of tech education.

Fast-moving technology

Technology is a fast-evolving sector. The program or gadget used in marketing today, for example, will have been replaced in a month or a year. It leaves the teachers and curriculum developers in a dilemma. They do not know the concepts or ideas to teach and those to ignore.

The speed of change could render the classes useless. A student who learned a technology or programming trick in the first year might not use it upon graduation because it will have been replaced. It requires a lot of updating to the point that a college might not produce uniform students for the same degree.

Unequal access to technology gadgets

Education is supposed to be an equalizer. All students must have equal access to learning opportunities provided by the government. Some of the gadgets and equipment are provided by parents and the institution. Funding gaps make it difficult for students to access similar learning equipment.

The type of gadgets required to implement tech education differ. Some come with better features than others. Some students can also afford private gadgets, resulting in better exposure. Economic disparities result in diverse outcomes. The same teacher produces two sets of students, each with a different level of technical mastery. Such outcomes negate the goals of education.

Students learn faster than the teacher

The speed at which technology evolves could leave the teacher behind. Students access the internet and can read more or ahead of the teacher. Some may also access gadgets or pursue courses that are not accessible to teachers. The teacher is left to catch up with their skills. It dents the credibility of the teacher in class.

If students are ahead of the teacher, they will lose faith in his capability. They may also disregard the class, especially when they feel that it is wasting their time. They lose an opportunity to master the basic skills they need to advance their technical skills.

Technology being obsolete too fast

What should the teacher teach and are there ideas to ignore? Technology is rendered redundant extremely fast. By the time academic materials are developed and knowledge accumulated, the same technology is not useful. Such challenges make technology a slippery subject.

Some institutions might consider particular aspects necessary. Others would prefer to skip them. Such disparities result in a chaotic technology education environment.

Copyright issues slowing down the release of information

The power of technology is seen in manufactured gadgets and equipment. However, manufacturers are not keen to share their secrets. The education sector is left to guess through the learning process. In other cases, some institutions fail to share the information with peers. The students in the faculty will, therefore, be ahead of others.

In reverse, institutions may develop technology and gadgets in the course of their technology class. They delay releasing the same to the market for fear of copyright infringement. Students and teachers also want to share the benefits of emerging copyright fortunes. Such delicate situations affect the technology concepts available to learners.

Expensive technology tools

Some of the technology gadgets a teacher would want to use are unavailable. Some are too expensive to be dismantled during a class session. Some colleges or students can afford particular gadgets while others cannot. Such cost issues slow down technology lessons and will cause disparity.

While technology education is desirable, it is not easy to implement. Teachers, students, parents, and administrators have to manage a chaotic as well as fast-evolving environment to deliver tech education. Students may lose due to expensive gadgets and a fast-paced learning environment. Such situations make technology education difficult to handle.

Author - Dora Miller -

Dora Miller is an experienced content writer. She has a master’s degree in English philology, so her writings are always high-quality and profound. Furthermore, she is constantly bettering herself by completing on-line courses on creative writing and makes her blogs and articles even more engaging. The company, where Dora works, provides her with regular job trainings that make her skills not only stay efficient, but boost from day to day.