Types of Digital Technology

 

The various types of digital technologies that have been used on a comprehensive scale and have proved beneficial to the individuals have been stated as follows: (Capaldo,  Flanagan, & Littrell, 2008).

Search Engines – Search engines and internet are the valuable tools that play an important part in making provision of knowledge and information to the individuals in various ways. In educational institutions and within the organizations, individuals make use of the internet to search for needed information and facilitate their understanding. Individuals in educational institutions often experience difficulties in understanding the concepts, hence, the main advantage of the internet is to provide solutions to the problems and answers to questions. When the instructor gives an assignment to the individuals and they possess limited knowledge, then search engines and internet are regarded as the main aspects that enrich understanding of the individuals. 

Technologies used for Special Needs - In special education, there have been usage of technologies to facilitate learning and understanding of academic concepts amongst students with special needs. These software programs provide that when practice is implemented in a stimulating way that acquires the attention of the students. These programs are also advantageous for making the best use of a student’s time. Students in educational institutions learn in accordance to the time, hence, these technologies help in making the best use of their time. The students with special needs, such as hearing impairments, visual impairments, autism, and so forth, need technologies in order to facilitate their learning. When students experience these problems, it is the job of the instructor to provide them assistance to acquire understanding of the concepts. To accomplish this purpose, it is vital for the instructors to possess adequate knowledge regarding the concepts and how to make use of technologies. 

Digital Camera – The main purpose of digital camera is to take pictures of individuals as well as things. Individuals in the present existence, make use of digital camera for taking pictures of locations, objects, articles, things, other individuals and so forth. In educational institutions and in organizations, digital camera is also considered as an effective type of digital technology. Individuals take pictures of field trips, places, activities, experiments, meetings, presentations, seminars, conferences and so forth. When initiating magazines of past events, it is important to display pictures within them. Pictures are made use of to write books, articles, practice writing skills and to teach sequencing and vocabulary. Pictures enable to generate meaningful and important strategies for learning and communicating. 

Microsoft Office – Microsoft office is an operating system, which is used to prepare articles, reports, assignments and projects. In this case, Microsoft word is used to prepare any type of writing assignments, such as articles, research papers, reports, or projects. Microsoft Power-point is used to prepare presentations and Microsoft Excel is used to prepare spreadsheets. The knowledge of Microsoft office in most cases, individuals begin to acquire when they get enrolled in junior school. At the school level, individuals are able to learn in a more effective manner, how they can make use of computers and Microsoft office to prepare their assignments. In higher educational institutions and within the organizations, individuals are able to make more enhanced use of it, to carry out their job duties in an efficient manner. 

Smartphones and Mobile Phones – Smartphones and mobile phones in the present existence have been useful to the individuals in numerous ways. The first and the foremost function of these devices is to communicate with the other individuals, located nearby as well as at a distance. The individuals are able to communicate with each other through verbal conversation as well as through written texts and messages. They are able to use these devices to search information as well as for leisure and recreational purposes. Another important benefit of these devices is to carry out other day to day functions such as, paying of bills, purchasing groceries and other items, and so forth. They work as cameras that is used for taking pictures and individuals are able to transfer easily from one place to another by following the maps. 

3D Printing – 3D printing is an addictive manufacturing technology for making three-dimensional objects of almost any shape using a digital model. The technology is already in use in a number of sectors, most noticeably in prototyping and in various sectors as varied as in the manufacturing of jewellery and aerospace industries and the number of applications is increasing in a rapid way. In particular, the use of graphene as a material for 3D printing would open up the number of items able to be produced in this manner, for example manufacturing entire computers and solar panels (Ten Technologies which would change Our Lives, 2015).

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) – There have been changes and transformations coming about in the world of education and in the introduction of MOOCs. These are the educational courses, accessed by the participants through online means, especially through the use of personnel computers. These can be followed by a large number of students simultaneously. Internet is used for open education around the world and in terms of accessing the course that is often available free of charge. The technology is still in an investigation phase and a basic MOOC model has not yet been recognized although the MOOC model has evolved to some extent with x and c MOOCs being produced (Ten Technologies which would change Our Lives, 2015).

Virtual Currencies (Bitcoin) – Virtual currencies such as bitcoin are contributing in the expansion of the frontiers of the digital economy. The virtual currencies have gained attention of the individuals to a large extent and this significant technology has made provision of opportunities for policy making. A virtual currency, such as Bitcoin relies instead upon records of communications and businesses to be noted in an anonymous online ledger known as a block-chain. This averts double spending of Bitcoins and eliminates the need for third party substantiation of transactions, a function usually performed by financial institutions, such as banks (Ten Technologies which would change Our Lives, 2015).

Wearable Technologies – The term ‘wearable technology’ applies to a wide range of technologies being used all over the world. Wearable technologies are described in terms of being technical textiles which consists of alternative materials with innovative and beneficial properties such as, being light weight, flexible, heat resilient, etc., and new technologies that have been made to be more multipurpose and can be worn with ease, such as Google Glass or well-designed constituents of present technological systems. The significance of wearable technologies has also been acknowledged by the European Commission, which is indirectly providing assistance for fundamental enabling technologies, through its Horizon 2020 programme, vital to developing such wearable technologies, such as nanotechnology and micro-electronics (Ten Technologies which would change Our Lives, 2015).

Smart Home Technologies - The Internet of Things (IoT) defines the increased level of connectivity between digital devices within the society, for example smart phones and televisions. These devices and technologies are being made use of in number of homes throughout the world. Smart homes are a practical application of the IoT in the buildings that individuals reside in. Smart Homes consist of a number of electrical devices that are involved in interconnections with each other via an internal network that is also connected to the Internet. Such a house of the future would be built around an intellectual observing and control system that makes provision of the user with larger flexibility in the management of their daily energy and water consumption. Smart homes are usually equipped with multimedia systems that can provide personalised content in each room (Ten Technologies which would change Our Lives, 2015).