Observations of unusual weather patterns. We live in a society that is addicted to technology. In fact, we are addicted to technological change and to the belief that technology will make things better tomorrow than they are today. At the same time, many people are, for the most part, ignorant of how technologies work, even though major policy decisions are made every day that are either affected by or affect technology. That's a dangerous combination.
Every citizen ought to be technologically literate.
This includes not only scientific and mathematical literacy, but also understanding the economic, social, and political roles that technology plays in society and the process by which technology is created. Yet scientific and mathematical literacy are seen as important educational objectives in the United States, and technological literacy is not. Students in our elementary, junior high, and high schools rarely get more than a passing exposure to how devices are designed and operate. The consequences of this neglect can affect people their whole lives, from irritation with common appliances to an inability to participate intelligently in decisions about some of the most important issues of our day. People don't need to know all the specifics of a particular technology.