EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY

1. What is Technology?

1.1 Defined as, “The generation of knowledge and processes to develop systems that solve problems and extend human capabilities.”

1.2 Basically, people create technology to solve problems and to make it possible to do new things

1.3 Examples:1.3.1 People needed a way to keep food cold, so

they made refrigerators1.3.2 People wanted to explore the ocean – they

created scuba gear

2. History of Technology2.1 Technology has been around as long as the human

race has been around2.2 Examples:

2.2.1 Technology was used in the Stone Age (10,000 BCE) when people used natural materials such as stone, wood, and bone to make tools

2.2.2 In the Bronze Age (3000 BCE) people learned how to make bronze out of copper, which lead to the development of better tools and weapons

2.2.3 In the Iron Age )1200 BCE) people learned how to mine and use iron, which further developed their tools and weapons

2.2.4 As people began to cultivate and farm land, the waterwheel, plows, carts, and carriages were developed.

3. Pace of Change3.1 What drives the pace of change in technology?

3.1.1 Information and knowledge3.1.2 Methods of communication3.1.2.1 Word of mouth3.1.2.2 Printing press – written word3.1.2.3 T.v.3.1.2.4 Internet

3.1.3 Human desire & human need3.1.3.1 Some needs are evident (e.g. medical)3.1.3.2 Some needs are created (cell phones,

electronics)3.1.3.3 Some needs are driven & created by

culture and geography3.1.3.3.1 Differences between hot climate

technologies & cold climate technologies

3.1.3.4 Some needs are driven by good intentions

3.1.3.5 Some needs are driven by evil intentions

3.1.3.5.1 All technology impacts three things:3.1.3.5.1.1 Society3.1.3.5.1.2 Environment3.1.3.5.1.3 Business, Industry, and Trade

4. Emerging Technologies4.1 New technologies that are just coming into use

4.1.1 Cell phones & how they have changed our lives

4.1.2. Cloning4.1.3. Embryonic stem-cell research4.1.4 MP3 players & their effect on the music

industry4.1.5 The Internet

4.2 We live in a time of rapidly developing technology, especially in the areas of electronics. Has the rapid pace of technology always been good?4.2.1. What about people who can’t afford these new

technologies – how will they adapt to and live in a world that is becoming more and more electronically based

4.2.2. What about older generations that aren’t used to the emerging technologies – how will they adapt to and live in a world that is becoming more electronically based?

Using Technology1. The are five (5) areas in life where technology is

used to solve problems and extend capabilities:1.1. Communication Technology – the process of

sending and receiving messages1.1.1. Examples:

1.1.1.1 Radio1.1.1.2 Television1.1.1.3 Telephones1.1.1.4 Computers (Internet & E-Mail)

1.1.2. Communication technology isn’t always people to people – it can be machine to machine

1.2. Manufacturing Technology – all the technologies people use to make the things they want and need, including the equipment and machines used to change the raw materials into finished products1.2.1 Examples:

1.2.1.1 Oil Refinery (oil & gasoline)1.2.1.2 Wood Mill & woodworking shop

1.2.1.3 Can be as simple as a loom used to weave a blanket to a vast clothing manufacturer with several large machines making clothing – they are both using technology1.2.1.4 Aircraft – from Orville & Wilbur’s wooden plane to today’s modern aircraft using titanium and other composites

1.3. Construction Technology – all the technology used in designing and building structures

1.3.1. Examples:1.3.1.1 Hammers1.3.1.2 Bulldozers1.3.1.3 AutoCAD vs. blueprints1.3.1.4 Mud to wood to concrete to steel, underground, above ground, high-rises

1.4. Transportation Technology – all the means we use to help us move through the air, in water, or over land

1.4.1. Examples:1.4.1.1 Planes1.4.1.2. Boats1.4.1.3 cars1.4.1.4 Trains

1.4.1.5 Elevators1.4.1.6 Escalators

1.5. Bio-related Technology – all the technology connected with plant and animal life1.5.1 Examples:

1.5.1.1 Medical Technologies (x-rays, MRI’s)1.5.1.2 Technology used for the machinery that

plows, sows, and harvests our food1.5.1.2.1 Also includes the processes of canning, drying,

freezing, and curing our foods to preserve them

1.5.1.3 Genetic Engineering1.5.1.3.1 DNA Research1.5.1.3.2 Stem-cell Research1.5.1.3.3 Genetic engineering of foods for better quality

and the use of engineered bacteria to eat pests instead of the use of pesticides

1.6. Combined Technology1.6.1 Rarely does a technology “work” by itself. Almost always, technologies blend and work together.

1.6.1.1 Airplanes for example:1.6.1.1.1. Part of transportation technology because they move people from place to place

1.6.1.1.2. Use communication technology so the pilot can communicate with air traffic controllers and other aircraft, so the aircraft can communicate with the pilot, and so the pilot can communicate with flight attendants, etc..

1.6.1.1.3. Manufacturing technology is used. An example is that in a medium sized aircraft, over 700K rivets are used to hold the aircraft together, most of the parts are preassembled and come from several different manufacturers before the final assembly is done.

1.6.1.1.4. Construction technology is used in the construction of airports, manufacturing facilities, runways, and hangars for maintenance

1.6.1.1.5. Bio-related technology is used for the foods that are prepared for in-flight meals. These meals have been processed & preserved by bio-technological methods

Technology and Human Knowledge1. Technology is not separate from other forms of human

knowledge. All the subjects you study in school are related to technology because they affect technology and technology affects them.

2. Technology and Science:2.1. Scientists spend their time doing research and making discoveries (an observation of something in the world that has never been made before).

2.1.1. Example – Newton’s Law of Gravity: people had seen things fall before but Newton was the first to notice that things fell in a certain way and at a certain speed, and that these patterns and speeds were predictable.

2.2. Technologist use the research & discoveries from science to develop better technologies. For example, aerospace engineers use the scientific discoveries regarding gravity to develop better aircraft engines and aircraft structural designs that “defy” the laws of gravity.

2.3. Scientists often benefit from the development of technologies. A big example was the development of the electron microscope in 1931. This development radically changed science as it allowed scientists to see and study things that had previously been invisible.

3. Technology and Mathematics:3.1. Almost every aspect of technology is related to and affected by mathematics3.2. Examples:

3.2.1. Load-bearing formulas used to calculate how much weight a structure can hold or withstand is very crucial

in construction technology3.2.2. Mathematical formulas used to develop tolerances

in machines, aircraft, and other equipment are very crucial in manufacturing.

4. Technology and Language Arts:4.1. Almost all technology requires a transfer of information between two people, between two companies, between two cultures, etc…

4.1.1. Without language, companies would have no way to inform potential customers of their product

4.1.2. Without clear channels of communication, any technological process, whether it be construction, manufacturing, transportation, or biotechnology would either be significantly hindered or the process would grind to a halt (Suez canal).

5. Technology and Social Studies:5.1. Social studies (especially psychology) help us understand the impact technology has on society, whether for good or for bad.

Technology AssessmentA Technology Assessment is where we look at a certain technology

that has been implemented and we do an assessment of the good and bad byproducts of that technology. We need to remember that a problem solved by technology very often creates another (or several other) problems.

1.OUTLINE/GRAPHIC ORGANIZE CHAPTER 12.PAGE 31

-- Understanding Concepts (1 – 5)-- Thinking Critically (1 – 5)-- Applying Concepts (1 & 2)