To use or not to use Technology: Empowerment and ICTs

This paper will argue that the way people learn how to use ICT, impacts on the way they relate to it and how they use it for their empowerment. As our world becomes more technological, even jobs that do not require specific training, search for employees with some ICT skills. Consequently, this may cause people to ignore what they would like to achieve in life, and choose to learn ICT skills just to be able to have an income. Thus, having access to free courses may be seen as a way to expand capabilities, however, Freire (author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed 1970), argues that being taught just a few ICT skills needed for your job, knowing the internet does offer many opportunities, is also a way of oppression (Freire & Guimarães, 2012). Therefore, drawing from findings from a study conducted in Brazil, this paper supports the idea that teaching ICT skills should use appropriate pedagogical approaches, envisioning the individual’s freedom of usage above technological proficiency.