Back in town . . . so what is technology??

Well, I've been out of town for 10 days having hands-on history lessons (and science lessons and life lessons. . .) in Boston with my 4 kids. We flew in last night at midnight, so today I am trying feverishly to get back into "my life" (and also my school work).

I did try to take the opportunity on those long airplane rides to read some of the articles for class. I have to say that two of these articles spoke to me in different ways.

I really liked the various definitions of terms in "Educational Technology A Question of Meaning" (Gentry). I found several that I thought fell closer to my "evolving" definition. I liked Paul Saettler's definition of technology (page 2):

"any practical art using scientific knowledge"

and also Admiral Hyman Rickover's definition (same page):

"technology deals with tools, techniques, procedures: the artifacts and processes fashioned by modern industrial man to increase his powers of mind and body."

I like the breadth of these two statements, and I like how Saettler uses the word "art," because I think that there is always an art to using any technology well. But mostly, I guess those definitions just "feel right" to me.