Response to First Question

I'm not really surprised because I think men and women approach and use technology and especially the web in different ways. Although I think both men and women use the web for specific purposes, I think women use the web more for strategic purposes, like seeking out knowledge, networking or job hunting. I think men are more likely to play games, download music/movies, or prowl chat rooms.

Also I feel as if computers are perceived as "masculine' and therefore women may view computer interaction in a negative way. Even computer games are biased toward wome\en given the immense amount of male violence and depiction of women as weak, slender, big breasted with no clothes on. No wonder the majority of video gamers are male?

Got One!

"Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other."

Quote by Carrie P. Snow (comedian)

Definition by Sandy

In general technology is the relationship that society has with its tools and crafts, and to what extent society can control its environment. The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a definition of the term: "the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area" and "a capability given by the practical application of knowledge".[1] Ursula Franklin, in her 1989 "Real World of Technology" lecture, gave another definition of the concept; it is "practice, the way we do things around here".[2] The term is often used to imply a specific field of technology, or to refer to high technology or just consumer electronics, rather than technology as a whole.[3] Bernard Stiegler, in Technics and Time, 1, defines technology in two ways: as "the pursuit of life by means other than life", and as "organized inorganic matter."[4]
Technology can be most broadly defined as the entities, both material and immaterial, created by the application of mental and physical effort in order to achieve some value. In this usage, technology refers to tools and machines that may be used to solve real-world problems. It is a far-reaching term that may include simple tools, such as a crowbar or wooden spoon, or more complex machines, such as a space station or particle accelerator. Tools and machines need not be material; virtual technology, such as computer software and business methods, fall under this definition of technology.[5]
(Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology#Definition_and_usage)


tech·nique
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(těk-nēk') Pronunciation Key n.
1. The systematic procedure by which a complex or scientific task is accomplished.
2. also tech·nic (těk'nĭk)
a. The way in which the fundamentals, as of an artistic work, are handled.
b. Skill or command in handling such fundamentals. See Synonyms at art1.
[French, technical, technique, from Greek tekhnikos, technical; see technical.]

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Technique)

here's another

Definition of Technology

from Greek tekhnologia, systematic treatment of an art or craft : tekhne, skill . . . .

1a. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives. b. The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective. 2. Electronic or digital products and systems considered as a group. . . . 3. Anthropology The body of knowledge available to a society that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials.

-- American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed., 2000.

Again, this isn't super original, but they all seem to make sense.

Source: http://www.units.muohio.edu/technologyandhumanities/techdef.htm

Technology Defined...

Courtesy of Merriam-Webster.com - "Technology":  The practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area.

Britannica.com defines technology as "the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life or, as it is sometimes phrased, to the change and manipulation of the human environment."

-Personally, I prefer the first definition, as it seems more all-encompassing than the second.  Applying this definition to our role as teachers, it would seem that "technology" is our very aim.  We should strive to help students practically apply the knowledge we provide in the classroom.  

technology is...

methods and tools that a society has developed in order to facilitate the solution of its practical problems.

www.thefreedictionary.com/technology

I got this from dictionary.com. Sorry for the lack of creativity but hopefully the definition is acceptable.

Technology is the sum of the ways in which social groups provide themselves with the material objects of their civilization.