A technology that I use that has changed drastically over a short span of time is the digital camera. I remember when first purchased one about 12 years ago. I think the resolution was somewhere around 2 megapixels and it was as large as a standard 35 mm film camera. Nowadays most cell phones have built-in cameras with more than double this resolution! I don’t recall the exact capacity of the memory card, but it was very small and the camera had no video capability. It was only about 3 years later when I spent over a thousand dollars on a new state-of-the-art Sony digital camera. It had the highest resolution available in this price range at the time at 8 megapixels and was considered at the top of its class. People where astounded with the detail and clarity of the enlarged prints that I produced from it. It could accept both CF flash and SD memory sticks and I used a maximum of 1GB capacity on either one. The camera also had video capability, but the quality was nowhere near HD. It was with this camera that I started contracting jobs and began my side career as a professional photographer. I used this camera for 8 years and finally came to the realization that I was long overdue for an upgrade. By this time most professional cameras had at least double the resolution and HD video capability was becoming the norm for digital SLR cameras. I ended up spending close to $3,000 for just a camera body (no lens) and upgraded to a camera that shoots at 21 megapixels and records full HD video. Now that I’m using this I don’t know how I got by for so long with the previous camera and I’m sure that I will be thinking the same thing in a few years when I upgrade again. The positive side of such a rapid evolution of this technology is that the quality of our work as photographers and videographers will only get better. The negative side of this is that now that this technology is readily accessible and more affordable than ever, anyone that picks up a nice camera or has a new cell phone with a photo-editing app like Instagram thinks that they are capable of producing professional quality photographs. With the capability of cameras now, it isn’t too far of a stretch for a beginner to shoot with an automatic setting and get really great photographs. This makes it much harder for professionals to bid competitively on jobs when a potential client can save a ton of money by just hiring someone they know that has a nice camera. The true value of a craft like photography is not in the tools but how the tools are used. The issue now is that with user-friendly apps that simulate effects that professionals strive for with a click of a button, it will become harder for consumers to differentiate.
Technological literacy is defined by the National Science Foundation in The Standards for Technological Literacy as “The ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology. A technologically literate person understands, in increasingly sophisticated ways that evolve over time, what technology is, how it is created, and how it shapes society, and in turn is shaped by society.” I believe that I have a high level of technological literacy because I surround myself with modern technology and it is my job to work with and educate others on how to implement technology as a means to simplify or enhance routine tasks. I have been working in one fashion or another as a technical support expert for over 12 years now. I have witnessed firsthand how computers, software and peripheral devices have evolved and it is part of my job to stay current with the trends in technology. I embrace technology and utilize it to maximize my potential in the workforce as well as enhance my daily life.
