Technology and Innovation Management

ASSIGNMENT 1 Discuss the philosophy of technology and its application in Kenya

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Technology ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Philosophy ................................................................................................................................................ 1 Philosophy of Technology ........................................................................................................................ 1 Application of Philosophy of Technology in Kenya .................................................................................... 3 Education .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Healthcare ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Science ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Environment.............................................................................................................................................. 5 Energy ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Communication ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Individual .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Business .................................................................................................................................................... 7 The Negative aspects of Philosophy of Technology Application in Kenya ............................................. 8 Heightened Fear .................................................................................................................................... 8 Addiction............................................................................................................................................... 8 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 9 References ................................................................................................................................................... 10

Introduction Technology Technology can be defined as the practical application of science to commerce or industry, the study of or a collection of techniques; a particular technological concept; the body of tools and other implements produced by a given society. Philosophy This is the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics; any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation; the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is the critique and analysis of fundamental beliefs as they come to be conceptualized and formulated. It is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. If philosophy is the attempt to understand how things in the broadest possible sense of the term hang together in the broadest possible sense of the term, as Sellars (1962) put it, philosophy should not ignore technology.

Philosophy of Technology Philosophy of technology can thus be summarized as the philosophical field dedicated to studying the nature of technology and its social, scientific, cultural and environmental effects. Technologies have been changing the world for a long time, at an increasing pace, with ever expanding scope and unprecedented impact. They profoundly affect human life and are radically
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modifying not only how we interact with, shape, and make sense of our world, but also how we look at ourselves and understand our position and responsibilities in the universe. Technologies have brought enormous benefits and opportunities, but they have also raised new and pressing challenges, whose complexity and global dimensions are rapidly expanding and evolving. Philosophy of Technology addresses such challenges, in order to improve our critical understanding of the conceptual nature and practical consequences of technologies, and hence provide the conceptual foundations for their fruitful and sustainable developments. The journal aims to publish the best research produced in all areas where philosophy and technology meet. It welcomes high-quality submissions, regardless of the tradition, school of thought or disciplinary background from which they derive. The editorial board reflects this approach in its composition and its world-wide membership. Kenya has charted a path involving radical transformation. Through maximum exploitation of science, technology and innovation, focus has been initiated on interventions targeting the elimination of absolute poverty; improvement of equity and access to social services; promotion of private sector development through a regulatory framework that reduces the cost of doing business; the philosophy of technology; underpinned by accountable leadership at all levels of government. Since the 1960s, a form of the philosophy of technology has been developing that can be regarded as an alternative to the humanities philosophy of technology. It has gained momentum in the past 10 or 15 years, and it is now becoming the dominant form of philosophy of technology. This form of the philosophy of technology may be called analytic. It is not so much concerned with the relations between technology and society as with technology itself. It does not see technology as a black box, but as a phenomenon that deserves study. It regards technology as a practice, basically the practice of engineering. It analyzes this practice, its goals, its concepts and its methods, and it relates these issues to various themes from philosophy. The following discussion will be concerned with this form of the philosophy of technology.

Application of Philosophy of Technology in Kenya Education The new and emerging technologies have given educators the opportunity to create an environment that can engage learners in active, constructivist, intentional, authentic, and cooperative learning. Computer technology is not simply conveyor or communicator of meaning, nor should it prescribe and control all of the learner interactions. Technology must support learning-by-doing (process of knowledge construction), learning by conversing, and learning by reflecting. It has functioned as intellectual tool kits that enable learners to build more meaningful personal interpretations and representations of the Kenya today. Technology is an increasingly influential factor in education in Kenya. Computers and mobile phones are used in developed countries both to complement established education practices and develop new ways of learning such as online education (a type of distance education). This is slowly but surely trickling into Kenya and gives students the opportunity to choose what they are interested in learning. The proliferation of computers also means the increase of programming and blogging. Technology has offered powerful learning tools that demand new skills and understandings of students, including Multimedia, and has provided new ways to engage students, such as Virtual learning environments. One such tool are virtual manipulatives, which are an "interactive, Web-based visual representation of a dynamic object that presents opportunities for constructing mathematical knowledge" (Moyer, Bolyard, & Spikell, 2002). New and emerging technology is making vast amount of information available to teachers and students in Kenya today, a need for creating open learning environments in which learners can evaluate their own needs, make decisions, and modify, test and revise their knowledge (divergent thinking) is becoming more critical. The basic degree of familiarity and conversancy that is needed to operate computers, the Internet, and related devices is known as technological literacy. Technology in the Classroom research papers show that by incorporating computers into the classroom, Kenyan schools are helping to
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ensure that even students from the most socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds will gain a level of technological understanding that will allow them to remain competitive within the job market of the future. Healthcare Technology in Kenya is believed to be liberating health care from dogmas, myths and speculations of earlier times. However, we are accused of using technology in an excessive, futile and even detrimental way, as if technology is compelling our actions. It appears to be like the monster threatening Dr. Frankenstein or like the socerers broom in the hand of the apprentice. That is, the same technology that should liberate us from myths appears to be mythical. Technology assessment as a health policy instrument and planning tool has not gained recognition in Kenya; acquisition of health care equipment is not done on the basis of evidence from relative advantage outcome, cost of ownership or returns on investment. The planning, deployment, management and assessment of technology in Kenya is being fully integrated into health policy and planning. Policy guidelines are to include the regulation, control and utilization of health care technologies. Science The close relationship between the practices of science and technology may easily keep the important differences between the two from view. The predominant position of science in the philosophical perspective did not easily lead to a recognition that technology merited special attention for involving issues that did not emerge in science. This situation is often presented, perhaps somewhat dramatized, as coming down to a claim that technology is merely applied science. The Philosophy of technology has led notably to growth and development scientific institutions in Kenya include the UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Regional Office for Science and Technology for Africa, in Nairobi; coffee and tea research foundations; grasslands and plant-breeding research stations; and numerous centers for medical, agricultural, and veterinary research. Medical research focuses on the study of leprosy and tuberculosis.
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Through the application of this philosophy, The University of Nairobi, founded in 1956, has colleges of agriculture and veterinary sciences, health sciences, architecture and engineering, and biological and physical sciences. Kenyatta University, founded in 1939 at Nairobi, has faculties of science and environmental education. Moi University, founded in 1984 in Eldoret, has faculties of forest resources and wildlife administration, science, technology, information sciences, environmental studies, health sciences, and agriculture. Edgerton University, founded in 1939 at Njoro, has faculties of agriculture and science. Other higher-education institutions include Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya Medical Training College, and Kenya Polytechnic, all in Nairobi, and five other institutes of science and technology elsewhere in the country. In 198797, science and engineering students accounted for 19% of college and university enrollments.

Environment Technology, its application and innovation has applied mainly negatively to the environment in Kenya, In spite of efforts in clean environments, the plastics remain part of life yet their effects on environment are notable. This raises a question about the unforgotten case of plastics: Are plastics a necessary evil? Most supermarkets and ration shops package commodities in plastic bags. The fruit and vegetable vendor also use the plastic bags. The open beach picnics will never miss the disposable plastic water bottles either for juice or water. So, unless checked, the plastic bags and bottles litter our beaches, block sewage pipes, and are a challenge to waste management in general. Not all is bad in this case though since it is through technological breakthroughs that plastics have proven to be in their own way a positive introduction to the society, they bear the allimportant mark (Recyclable) so the same material can be used over and over again. This has

created a user friendly application to the environment.

Energy Some of the African regions are so hot that unless youre are accustomed to that climate it is not possible for your to survive. Extreme temperatures also generate extreme winds and perhaps this is the reason wind farms have great potential in Africa. Some 365 giant wind turbines will be installed in desert around Lake Turkana in northern Kenya to create the biggest wind farm in Africa. Once completed tentatively in 2012 the 533m project, backed by the African Development Bank, will have a capacity of 300MW, a quarter of Kenyas current installed power and one of the highest proportions of wind energy to be fed in a national grid anywhere in the world. It is also through the philosophical aspects of technology that we have: - Climate & Clean Energy Strategic Counsel and Project Development - Climate Mitigation Project Development - Climate Protection and Energy Efficiency Benchmarking - Cross-Sector Partnership Development - Energy-Related Event Development and Facilitation Communication The radio receiver seems to initiate a novel type of reality, communicating to the listener occurrences which are far away, and, what is more, whose control is no longer possible for the listener. Broadcasting is not especially true-to-life, not very much more than a representation of a sequence of events, like the description of a book. But a lively written book could bring a world described by the novelist to the mental presence of the reader. Then with the introduction of television there began a process that can be regarded as a slippery slope towards blurring the distinction between natural and virtual reality. This in fact has not been a true to life advantage in terms of application as seen in 2007/2008 political violence which was heavily instigated by the mass media.

Individual On a more positive note Technology is applied is our day to day lives such as written communication be it email or snail mail, it is all technologically based and we adopt it on Kenya today every day for basic communication and to family and friends living within and abroad. Business Business has improved totally via Philosophy of Technology methods being introduced in the country. It is instantaneous to communicate Colleagues can discuss issues without having to attend meetings. In addition, people can communicate with other branches of the firm or other firms by telephone, email, fax and video-conferencing and now even court cases are being heard over video conferencing albeit for a pilot project.

The Negative aspects of Philosophy of Technology Application in Kenya

Technology has blended in with daily activity to become a way of life and children today take for granted all of which is automated. It's hard for kids nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations computer technology provides. In many ways technology has improved quality of life, but as with anything else, there are always tradeoffs. One of the tradeoffs is the negative effects technology has on children, the generation who will become tomorrow's parents and leaders. Instant Gratification One of the most prominent things technology does is nurture a societal philosophy of instant gratification. Technology enables things today to happen rapidly, and as a result children growing up in today's world have learned to expect immediate fulfillment. Heightened Fear In days of yesteryear, Kenyans lived a more carefree life than those of today's automated world. Today's constant access to news feeds showcases a plethora of the bad and unfortunate events happening across the globe and as a result, it seems general fear is heightened. Many people are fearful due to these events and are no longer secure in allowing their children to wander the neighborhoods and keep a much more stringent watch on what kids do. Unfortunately, this leads back to the digital toys and gadgets to keep kids entertained. Addiction There are other direct effects of technology on children and adults alike. Many children, even when given the opportunity to get outdoors and play, often prefer the seclusion playing on the

computer or with video games. It's been speculated many games are addicting; even many adults have seemingly become addicted to technology.

Conclusion Technology developments are useful innovations and enhance quality of life; however, there have been negative effects on Kenya. While these effects are varied, and some are speculative, the good part is parents can easily mitigate the downsides of technology and emphasize the positives. The fix entails general responsibility, intervention and guidance. If leaders actively stay involved and work to mitigate the negative effects of technology on the nation, many of the problems associated with it easily deteriorate and become less of an issue. It seems to me a philosophical consequence of utmost anthropological importance that humans in the long run cannot cope with the very problems caused by the species. Obviously, like any other animal species, we are not self-contained. We must rely not only on tools but also and in the same way on thinking devices in order to secure survival but they could turn against us when applied negatively.

References

Alternative Energy, Africas biggest wind farm coming up in Kenya, http://www.alternativeenergy-news.info/africas-biggest-wind-farm-coming-up-in-kenya/. American Heritage Dictionary, philosophy, http://www.answers.com/topic/philosophy. Floridi, L. Philosophy & Technology, University of Hertfordshire, UK and University of Oxford, UK, Journal no. 13347. Geossel, L., The negative effects of technology on kids, http://www.helium.com/items/1519458negative-effects-of-technology-on-kids-children, (2010-2011) Kanitscheider, B, (2009), Humans and Future Communication Systems, Society for Philosophy and Technology, Vol 4, University of Giessen. Moallem, M., (2004), Philosophy of Educational Technology, Philosophy of Educational Technology, http://people.uncw.edu/moallemm/Sites/Moallem%20Portfolio/Files/PhilosophyofEdTech.htm. Moyer-Packenham, P.S., Salkind, G., & Bolyard, J.J. (2008). Virtual manipulatives used by K-8 teachers for mathematics instruction: Considering mathematical, cognitive, and pedagogical fidelity. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 8(3). http://www.citejournal.org/vol8/iss3/mathematics/article1.cfm Science and technology - Kenya http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Kenya-SCIENCEAND-TECHNOLOGY.html#ixzz1DY0QefCz

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Sellars, W. (1962), Philosophy and the scientific image of man., In Frontiers of science and philosophy, edited by R. Colony, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 3578. Wikipedia, Philosophy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy

Kachieng'a, M. O.,( 1998) Health care technology in public health institutions in Kenya, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Nairobi, Kenya. East Afr Med Journal.

Vision 2030,(2007), The Kenya Vision 2030 Program, Transforming National Development, National Economic and Social Council [NESC], Office of the President, Government of Kenya.

Encyclopedia of the Nations, Kenya - Science and technology, http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Kenya-SCIENCE-AND-TECHNOLOGY.html Paper Masters, ( Technology in the Classroom Research Paper, http://www.papermasters.com/technology-in-the-classroom.html., E World Publishing, Inc.

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