Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

disciplines, fourcandidate standard models were identified: 1. The Technology Survey Course. 2. The Technology Focus or Topics Course. 3. The Technology Creation Course (Design Course). 4. The Technology Critique, Assess, Reflect, or Connect Course.The technology survey courses offer a broad overview of a number of areas of engineering andtechnology. The technology or topics or focus course is narrower in scope and develops onewell-defined area. The engineering design course, or technology creation, places an emphasis onthe engineering design process to develop technological solutions to problems. The last model toemerge is concerned with assessing technological impacts, connecting technologicaldevelopments to other areas of society

Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Carlson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

SA % A% D% SD % NE % Using such features as an electronic journal, my students engage 20.7 34.5 6.9 1.7 36.2 in self-reflection (which may aid them in learning self- management skills). Using paired, small group, or whole class input, my students have 20.7 31 1.7 1.7 44.8 participated in giving and/or responding to peer feedback on their work. Using an electronic portfolio approach, I am able to assess a wider 13.8 41.4 3.5 1.7 39.7 range of learning artifacts from my students (for example, not just a final product but also materials from the various stages of development

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Energy Sub function Materials InformationFigure 2: Illustration of a Hypothetical Device Subfunction Structure. Page 14.905.9Figure 3: Functional Analysis Description of a Hair DryerBenefits of Functional ThinkingIn using functional analysis, or functional thinking, as a framework or method to describe howthings work from an engineering perspective, a number of benefits are realized. These can besummarized as: 1. The method reflects an approach or method of understanding technology that is characteristic of

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University; Terence Geyer, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

. They became engaged andinvolved in the learning process as active constituents rather than passive participants. This was Page 14.759.11even reflected in the positive course and faculty evaluations completed by the students after theend of the academic term.The presentation and discussions of past technologies enhanced their level of technologicalliteracy in many ways. They had a better understanding of the concepts, characteristics, andrelationships between people and technologies. They had a grasp of the social, political,economic, and cultural aspects of technology. They had an appreciation for the problem solvingprocess along with the

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Gustafson; Bruce Trott, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

technological/engineering concepts and terms, such as systems, constraints, and trade-offs. ≠ To be familiar with the nature and limitations of the design process in a technological system. ≠ To know some of the ways technology shapes human history and people shape technology. ≠ To know that all technologies entail risks, some that can be anticipated and some that cannot. ≠ To appreciate that the development and use of technology involve trade-offs and a balance of costs and benefits. Page 14.1286.3 ≠ To understand that technology reflects the values and culture of society

Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mani Mina, Iowa State University; Ryan M. Gerdes, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

theirbackgrounds it is possible to satisfy their particular curiosities while informing them of the Page 14.684.5relevance of technology in not only their own field but society in general. One way to identifyinterest and track responses is to have students submit material and ideas and then share it withthe class. This type of input tends to evolve the more they learn about a particular subject, whichallows the class to chart and follow student ideas. In addition to providing information on theirown interests, students need to reflect and share their critiques of the covered subjects. This canbe achieved by using commonly available software, with

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

system work. The story includesmany examples where engineers, operating under constraints, identify and solve problems.October Sky tells an autobiographical story of a group of young men who, after a long learningcurve with many failures, develops the technology to make very successful small rockets. Whilethis is a story about high school students, it reflects the perspective of an author who went on toan engineering career with NASA, and the story is a useful study for technological projects atany level. Moving to fiction and a setting in the distant future, Forbidden Planet tells a story ofthe enticing benefits of new technological marvels. It also explores the risks of unintended andunanticipated consequences. While these movies illustrate

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nataliia Perova, Tufts University; Chris Rogers, Tufts University; David Henry Feldman, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

, includingScience and Technology, did not provide a guiding framework for technology education, whatled to questions about how technology should be defined and taught.Addressing this important issue, one of the interviewees said that multiple representations ofTechnology standards resulted in a debate: “It was a debate about what was meant by technology. Did it mean things like computers and software applications or did it mean, what at the time was still industrial arts just changing over to technology education.”Some of the interviewees reflected on this debate, presenting both sides of the argument – theview of Technology education as a traditional “shop” class or the idea of infusing the science andmathematics concepts to make the

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Bishop, United States Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

to technology in general, a new technology will experience an initial exponential increase in capability and thereby will eventually catch and overtake existing technologies, especially with users who do not need or want the high-end performance of top systems. The Disruptive Innovation model is perfectly reflected in the current success of the netbook. Netbooks have limited capability compared to a full-blown laptop, but are typically also much cheaper (~$300) and tend to be much more straightforward to operate and maintain. These devices have broken the mold currently used in laptop and portable computing and are changing the technological landscape, being sold at places such as Toys R