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The Connection between Technological and Environmental Literacy

The Connection between Technological and Environmental Literacy

Roman KroufekJan JanovecVlastimil Chytrý

The Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental LiteracyThe Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental Literacy

Literacy

Technological Literacy

Environmental Literacy

Other Literacies

Modern society which is based on ideas of sustainable development requires from its members crucial equipment qualities that enable fulfilment of its goals. Such qualities can also be described as literacies, i.e. sets of skills, knowledge and affective characteristics.

Technological Literacy

Environmental Literacy?

The Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental LiteracyThe Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental Literacy

Within the themes that can be described as green and that are directed towards the fulfilment of practices and ideas of sustainable development technological and environmental literacy play a very important role. They represent paths that lead an individual to science, technology and environment. Despite this fact we know very little about their mutual interaction and the way they influence each other.

Technological literacyTechnological literacy

Technological literacy is a ability touse,manage,evaluateand understand technology.

Technological literacyTechnological literacy

A technically literate person understands what technology is, how it is created

and how society is created in its influence and in opposite how the technology is influenced by society,

is capable of all this despite the fact that the technology is constantly developing,

is able to evaluate the information about technology presented in media, perceive it in context and create his or her own opinion based on this context,

can effectively use technology to his or her advantage without a fear of it or in opposition uncritical love for it.

Technological literacyTechnological literacy

Components of technological literacy knowledge, critical thinking

and decision making

and capabilities.

Environmental literacyEnvironmental literacy

has three levels – nominal, functional and operational (Roth, 1992)

each of these levels has a series of characteristics that can be divided into four basic strands:

knowledge strand affective strand skill strand behavior strand

Environmental literacyEnvironmental literacy

Domain of environmental literacy (Hollweg et al. 2011)

The Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental LiteracyThe Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental Literacy

 Environmental

literacyTechnological

literacy

Cognitive dimension Knowledge Knowledge

Affective dimension Dispositions  

Skill dimension CompetenciesCapabilities; Critical Thinking & Decision making

Behavioral dimension

Environmentally Responsible Behavior

Capabilities; Critical Thinking & Decision making

The Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental LiteracyThe Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental Literacy

The connection can be observed in equipping an individual with a specific set of

skills and competencies that allow one to actively and competently participate in public life and make decisions in accordance with the trend towards green society and green economy and thus respect the ideas of sustainable development.

The Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental LiteracyThe Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental Literacy

Examples of these skills: Asks pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the benefits

and risks of technologies. Weighs available information about the benefits, risks, costs, and

trade-offs of technology in a systematic way. Can obtain information about technological issues of concern from

a variety of sources. Ask relevant questions about environmental conditions and issues. Investigate environmental issues (scientific and social aspects of

issues using primary and secondary sources). Evaluate and make personal judgments about environmental

issues (the interaction between environmental conditions and sociopolitical systems).

Create and evaluate plans at various scales/levels to resolve environmental issues.

The elements of technological literacy are a natural part of the personality of a good chemical engineer, thus the connection of environmental and technological literacy is closely connected with principles declared in the project “Strength”

The Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental LiteracyThe Connection betweenTechnological and Environmental Literacy

Thank you for the attention.

Roman Kroufek1, kroufek@gmail.comJan Janovec1, jan.janovec@ujep.czVlastimil Chytrý1, vlastimil.chytry@ujep.cz

1Department of pre-school & primary education, Faculty of Education, J. E. Purkynje University in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic