Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Ohland, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

prepare them to develop curriculum development in physics,engineering and math with the goal of increasing interest in STEM disciplines as well thedevelopment of curriculum that integrates science, technology and engineering topics with math,reading and writing.15In-service teacher development extends the reach of engineering colleges into classroomsengineering faculty and students do not visit directly. Michigan Tech offered an introduction toengineering workshop for in-service teachers that allowed them to participate in engineering Page 11.644.3explorations in civil, environmental, chemical, computer, electrical, mechanical, materials,geological

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

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

2006-655: A SOLAR-POWERED DECORATIVE WATER FOUNTAIN HANDS-ONBUILD TO EXPOSE ENGINEERING CONCEPTS TO NON-MAJORSCamille George, University of St. Thomas Camille George is an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She teaches thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and a fuel cell technology class. She is interested in technology literacy, engineering ethics and the internationalization of the engineering program. She has been instrumental in adding a humanitarian service-oriented engineering project option to the senior design curriculum and also in exploring ways of adding engineering content into classes for non-science and

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Neeley, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

integrative, interdisciplinary field. As the description from theUniversity of Alberta illustrates, STS is fairly new, an “emerging field of academic study.” Thedefinition used by MIT captures a central aspect of the identity of STS: it has emerged to addressa distinctive set of historical circumstances that MIT characterizes as “an unprecedented andmomentous integration of science, technology, and society.” This sense of responsiveness to thehistorical moment is shared by most researchers and educators in the field of STS. The MITdescription also emphasizes the relevance of STS to the contemporary world, asserting that STSis “crucial to understanding major events of our time (war and conflict, the economy, health, theenvironment) and to addressing

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

. Notable results include: creation of approximately 30 new courses, creation ofone new converging technologies major and four converging technologies minors,integration of converging technologies material into numerous existing courses,appointment of a converging technologies director and designation of a building to beremodeled as a Center for Converging Technologies, establishment of an externalconverging technologies advisory board. This program has received the support of thecollege Board of Trustees and is now considered one of the pillars of excellence of UnionCollege. “How Things Work, Physics 105 and 106,” Louis Bloomfield, University of Virginia7,8 This course for non-science majors introduces physics and science in everydaylife

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

her relationship totechnology.After analyzing and discussing their findings, students then worked in teams for the second halfof the semester to design an approach to the problem of technology literacy on the Smithcampus, including research into the societal need for such work, particularly at an all women’scollege structured on an open curriculum. The project was launched with a sixty-personbrainstorming session consisting of the thirty students enrolled in EGR100 and thirty studentsoutside of science/math/engineering to generate ideas for the project, as well as to discuss theissue of technology and technology literacy. Teams produced a written and oral proposal andfinal report, as well as a final prototype or story-board of their chosen

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

oversaw NSF-funded work related to making the case for technological literacy (resulting in publication of the 2002 report, Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology) and the NAE/NRC review of technology education content standards developed by the International Technology Education Association. He was staff lead for an internal NAE analysis of engineering ethics issues, a project chaired by NAE member Norm Augustine. He works collaboratively with colleagues within and outside the National Academies on a variety of other projects involving K-12 science, mathematics, technology, and engineering education, and the public understanding of engineering and science. He

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

W. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Tesla. Page 11.1238.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 20061 Technological Literacy and Empowerment: Exemplars from the History of Technology As technological literacy takes form as a curriculum and field of study, we need toask ourselves continually what we are trying to accomplish. Is our goal simply to teachstudents how things work so that they can be passive employees or consumers in acapitalist economy? Or could the goal of technological literacy be broader and moreactive--that we want our students not only to understand the machine but to comprehendhow individuals, groups, and societies use