Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Neeley, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

” February 15, 2004I. Introduction The opening sections of Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know Moreabout Technology (2002), a joint publication of the National Research Council and the NationalAcademy of Engineering, make it clear that the initiative called “technological literacy” isconcerned with a sophisticated and heterogeneous combination of “knowledge, ways of thinking,and capabilities” and focused on ambitious goals: “To take full advantage of the benefits and torecognize, address, and even avoid some of the pitfalls of technology. . . [to help citizens]become better stewards of technological change”.1 To borrow from the quote that begins this paper, it is unfortunate to see such a promisingconcept saddled with a

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglass Klein, Union College; Robert Balmer, Union College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

implications of those technologies for theworld? This paper addresses the concept of technological literacy for 21st centuryundergraduates and proposes an agenda for a new liberal arts curriculum which we call“Converging Technologies” which emphasizes both “technology” and “literacy.”I. Introduction It is high time to address and bridge the historical gulf between engineering and theliberal arts in higher education. Both engineering and liberal arts educators should not merelyview this as an interesting sideline, but rather as an educational imperative in order to introducestudents to the new interdisciplinary ideas that are changing the landscape of global society, andto “minimize the threat of terminal incompetence.”1 How long can we produce

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

W. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

their livesand their culture, I have selected these themes and examples because they are provocativeand would hopefully get students thinking and talking about how people use technology. Page 11.1238.2Theme 1: People use technology not only to pursue economic goals but also spiritualgoals2 To help students think about how people use technology to pursue noneconomicgoals, I find it advantageous to use the Shakers as a case study. By looking at theShakers, students can readily appreciate how people manifest their spiritual beliefsthrough technology. In many ways, the Shakers represent what David Nye has called a"counternarrative" to the

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Ohland, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Engineering Education, 2006 First-Year Engineering Programs and Technological LiteracyI. AbstractThe importance of technological literacy is briefly reviewed. The remainder of the paper focuseson the promotion of technological literacy through connections with first-year engineeringprograms: involvement of engineering faculty and students in K-12 classrooms, the involvementof engineering faculty and graduate students in K-12 teacher preparation, and engineering facultyinvolvement in improving the technological literacy of college students.II. Technological literacy and why the engineering profession is concerned about itTechnological literacy is the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technologicalsystems,1 requiring both

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Voss, Smith College; Borjana Mikic, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

includemechanical dissections and/or design challenges, as well as a final team-based design project inwhich they are asked to design an approach to the problem of technology literacy on the Smithcampus. In addition, each student completes a thirty hour machine shop module in which shelearns how to use all major tools in the shop in the fabrication of her own hand-held tool (acombination hammer and screwdriver). Accompanying these design activities and relateddiscussions on teamwork and creativity are a set of readings and discussions on the philosophicalaspects of engineering as a profession in service to humanity and the impact of technology onsociety [1-5]. Each student writes and revises (twice) a narrative essay in which she explores herevolving sense

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Ollis, North Carolina State University; John Krupczak, Hope College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

range ofissues (historical, economic, technical, social) inherent in design instruction and problemsolving. In consequence, we propose instruction in technological literacy as a newopportunity for design faculty. Through this activity, these faculty will be among the firstto be viewed by non-engineering students, not just the last instructors to be encounteredby undergraduate engineers. This situation could provide design instructors with a newand professionally rewarding territory for representation of both the design process anddesigners themselves.Introduction More than ten years ago, Edward W. Ernst 1 discussed the technological literacyof students in non-technical majors: “Within the past decade (approx. 1985-1995

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Camille George, University of St. Thomas; Elise Amel, University of St. Thomas; Karl Mueller, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

lab’ core course or can be incorporated into a sophomorelevel mechanical or electrical engineering course with additional advanced options.A technology-literate population is a critical national asset in the global market, and it isnecessary for every person in the U.S. to “be all they can be, technically”.1 In 2002, mechanicalengineering positions were among the most numerous available to bachelor's degree students.2The cold facts are that few U.S. citizens are selecting technical careers, particularly engineering.Reasons for this lack of interest in engineering are systemic, starting with pre-college studentsand their teachers, who either do not know what engineering is or who avoid it based on theirnegative perception of what engineering

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

simple interactive challenge. I flashed the following question on the screen at thefront of the auditorium: "When you hear the word "technology," the first thing thatcomes to mind is "___________." After 5 seconds, I asked those who had thought firstof "computer" or "computers" to raise their hands. Well over half the group did so.I wasn't surprised, but I was a bit disappointed. Two recent Gallup polls had asked thesame question 1, 2 , and nearly 70 percent of respondents, all adults, also said computers.(The next most common response, at 4%, was "electronics.") But this auditorium wasfilled with teenagers with a keen interest in science and technology. Was their view oftechnology really so narrow? And if it was, what did that suggest? Did it

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Greg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

properties are reliable and predict achievement,particularly in science and social science courses.Hope College Results We conducted paired t-tests to determine if changes occurred from the beginning ofthe semester to the end of the semester on any of the dependent measures. Table 1 showsresults from the Spring 2004 semester. Most of the findings were consistent across all threesemesters of study, suggesting the robust nature of most of the findings. Students showedincreases in intrinsic motivation, task value, control beliefs, self-efficacy, effort regulation,and decreases in extrinsic motivation and test anxiety. Somewhat puzzling was the changeson the extrinsic motivation scale. There was a decrease in extrinsic motivation. However,given

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

curricular needs appears important for gaining course permanence, and inaiding the spread of technological literacy instruction. Most of the existing courses were established before the recent efforts to by theNational Academy of Engineering (NAE)1 and the International Technology EducationAssociation (ITEA)2,3 to define technological literacy and establish standards for thistopic. The course curricula were determined by the individual instructors. In most cases,elements of the NAE and ITEA standards are incorporated into these already existingcourses. Because the standards are of broad scope, not single course includes all.Review of Technological Literacy Courses The following examples illustrate that technological literacy courses

Conference Session

Hands-on Activities for Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee