Critical thinking response:
It is important for people in prison to learn about technology because technology, at the pace it is growing so rapidly, is going to affect all industries and therefore almost all jobs going forward at a much faster pace than before. Even if you think you will just dig a ditch with a shovel, which requires no technology, you might find that you will need to use some sort of computer or GPS system to make sure you are digging the ditch where it needs to be dug, the right length and depth, in the right direction, to avoid hitting power, sewer, and gas lines under the ground. Cars and trucks are becoming driveable computers, so you will need to know how to use technology for that. Having knowledge of technology allows you more opportunities to better, higher paying jobs in just about every industry on earth.
New technologies will influence life in our work, as describe above, but also our social life, financial life, and physical lives. New technologies affect how we communicate with people, what the government, banks and financial networks use to move and process money and payments, all of which influence our lives. To learn and understand new technologies, is to be able to control some of the most important facets of life.
As cryptocurrencies and blockchains become more mainstream and inter-mingle with the current financial systems we need to know how they work so we can make decisions on where we place, invest, and distribute our money. To know these is have control over your money, that is critical!
