Invention & Innovation

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Introduction

K

idsInventing

Technolo

gySeries

Invention and Innovation

echnological Literacy Standard #10

Look at the room around you.Every object in the room was cre-ated to solve a problem. Someproblems were as basic as needinga device to wipe chalk from a black-board and others as advanced asthe need to receive information

from other parts of the world.Whether a person was creating aneraser or the computer and

Internet, they used a problemsolving process. The pro-cess could have beenone of engineeringdesign, research anddevelopment, trouble-

shooting, or invention andinnovation.

Whichever process the creatorused, it began with a problem. Aproblem is simply a situation thathas no clear solution with the tech-nology at hand. There is no prob-lem present if a fisherman has a

fishing pole, reel, hook and bait.However, think of the early civiliza-tions that did not have those tools.A problem existed.

There are many paths to solvingproblems. Some paths are veryscientific, others are systematic,

and several are creative.

Students will develop an understanding of the role oftroubleshooting, research and development, inventionand innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.

Invention and innovation are twoproblem-solving processes that arevery creative. The process of inven-tion deals with the creation of newand unique devices and systems.Innovation is the improvement ofexisting products and systems. These

processes combine creativity andimagination with the use of technol-

ogy. Inventions and innovations

can be small and simple or largeand complex. However, they allstart with a problem.

In the past, most inventionswere created by people tosolve problems in their own

lives. Alexander Graham Bell,for example, was a teacher of thedeaf and wanted to convert speech toelectric signals which he could use tohelp his students. His research led tohis creation of the first telephone in1876. Other inventors created de-vices and inventions because they

enjoyed tinkering with tools andmaterials. Thomas Edison was onesuch tinkerer. He set up his ownlaboratory dedicated to inventingmany types of devices.

Invention, however, didnt begin inthe 1800s with Bell and Edison.

Invention began when early civiliza-


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This issue of the

Kids Inventing Technology Series

was written by

Ryan Brownand published by the

International Technology Education

Association

1914 Association Drive

Reston, VA 20191

2002

Series staff:

Thomas Wright, DTE, DirectorITEA Resources in Technology Education Project

Katie de la Paz, EditorKathie Cluff, Assistant Editor

ITEA Publications

Kendall Starkweather, DTE

ITEA Executive Director

Brigitte Valesey, DTE, DirectorITEA Center to Advance the Teaching of

Technology and Science

inventions in 1646 and granted the firstpatent to Joseph Jenks for creating a bettersawmill and scythes. A patent is the recordthat explains and diagrams an inventorsnew invention. For a patent to be granted,

a large amount of research must bedone to insure that the invention is

new and unique and that it is com-pletely the idea of the inventor. Apatent insures that the idea is notstolen from the inventor and cre-ated without the inventor's permis-sion.

Invention and innovation are twoimportant paths in problem solving.

Without invention and innovation, it wouldbe very hard for society to advance. Imagineif the telephone, radio, or even the wheelwould have never been invented. Wherewould we be today?

tions began to solve problems by roundingstones to create wheels and chipping stonesto create pointed devices they could use tokill animals for food and clothing. Manyinventions from the early years of human

existence are still used today. Innova-tions in the use of materials and pro-duction are all that separate earlytools from those we use today,such as the axe.

It is impossible to know theindividual who invented objectslike the wheel or the stone axe.

One of the first recorded inventorswas Archimedes who lived in

Greece about 2,250 years ago. He was thefirst to use the pulley and screw for practicaluses. Today, inventors and inventions arecataloged and recorded by the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office. It began recording

DidYouKnow?

Rube Goldberg, an ingenious inventor, does nothave any patents. His inventions were created forcomic strips and not actually produced.

Leonardo Da Vinci, who painted the Mona Lisa,was also an inventor. He sketched many differentinventions that were hundreds of years ahead of

their time, including flying machines, parachutes,military tanks, and submarines.


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Grades K-2

Innovations in theClassroom Benchmark

This activity will help students reach thefollowing benchmark:

Invention and innovation are creativeways to turn ideas into real things.

Teacher Preparation

To prepare to introduce the students to thisactivity, you should:

q Collect a series of toys that show innova-tion. For example, train sets and dolls

have evolved and have gone throughmany innovations. A few examples fromdifferent time periods would show inno-vations.

q Create a display of pictures showinginnovations in many different areas(housing, automobiles, bicycles, toys).

q Gather the tools and supplies listed

below.

Supplies and Tools Needed

The following tools and supplies are needed

to complete this activity:

q Cardboard

q Construction paper

q Modeling clay

q Craft sticksq Glueq Tape

q Markers

q Crayons

q Pipe cleaners

q Scissors

Introduction

Inventions and innovations are important tous and help our technology advance. Inven-

tions are brand new ideas that have neverbeen used before. Innovations are changesto old ideas that make them better. Innova-

tions often come from inventions. Take yourshirt for instance; it is probably made ofcotton and polyester. Polyester is a type offiber that was invented. It is used to makeinnovations in clothing. It is added to cotton

shirts so they dont shrink when washed. Inthis activity, your students will take an exist-ing toy and make an innovation with it. Theinnovation can be as simple as addingsomething new to it or they can create the

toy using a different material.


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Preparing the Students

To prepare the students for this activity:

q Introduce the concepts of invention and

innovation. Invention is a new andunique idea. An innovation is a modifica-tion of a current idea or product. Discussthat inventions and innovations always

begin with a need.

q Show the students, through products andpictures, innovations in different areasincluding toys.

q Discuss how the different objects foundin the classroom and in their homes have

been innovated.

q Have the students bring in a toy or objectfrom home that they would like to inno-vate.

Conducting the Activity

1. Have the students get their toys or ob-jects out.

2. Distribute the Innovations worksheet tothe students.

3. Have each student make a beforesketch of the toy or object they wish toinnovate.

4. Once the students have completed thesketch, have them create a sketch of theinnovation they plan to create.

5. Hand out the modeling supplies and

have them build their innovation.

6. Help the students come up with ways tomodel the innovations.

7. When the students are done building themodels, have them show their innova-tions to the rest of the class.

Checking for Understanding

Throughout the activity, check to make surethat the students understand the activity andare creating an innovation to their object.When the students are done, have them

answer the questions on the Why Innovate?Worksheet.

Inventions and innovations are very important to us.Can you think of inventions and innovations:

a. At home?b. At school?c. On the bus?

d. At the library?e. Other places?

Think AboutThink About

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Draw what your toy or object looks like now.

Draw what your toy or object will look like after you make innovations.

INNOVATIONS WORKSHEET

5


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What was your toy or object?

What did you change?

Why did you change it?

Why Innovate?


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Grades 3-5

Benchmark

This activity will help students reach the

following benchmark:

Invention and innovation are creativeways to turn ideas into real things.

Helpful Inventions

Introduction

The reason many people invent things is tohelp themselves and others around themmeet their needs and wants. Inventors startwith a need or problem and work from there.They may watch people to see what they

need or they may listen to others and hearthem say, I wish I had a For many inven-tors that is all it takes and they work until

they have solved the problem. Once theyhave created a solution, the next step is toget a patent. A patent insures that the objectthey created is their own idea and no oneelse can take it. In this activity, your studentswill observe the world around them andinvent an object to help themselves orothers. They will make sketches and thenbuild a model of the device. Once they are

complete, they will apply for a patent.

Teacher Preparation

To prepare to introduce the students to thisactivity, you should:

q Become familiar with the process ofinvention.

q Create a display showing different inven-

tions and famous inventors.

q Prepare invention ideas for students whodo not come up with their own. Forexample, a device that helps open a jar,a device that holds the students' desks

open for them, or a device that makesturning a door handle easier.

q Gather the tools and supplies needed.

Supplies and Tools Needed

The following tools and supplies are needed

to complete this activity:

q Cardboard

q Construction paper

q Modeling clayq Craft sticks

q Glueq Tapeq Markersq Crayons

q Pipe cleaners

q Scissors

q Pieces of Styrofoam

People invent things to help

themselves and others.

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Preparing the Students

To prepare the students forthis activity:

q

Discuss the process ofinvention and innovationwith the students.

Invention andinnovation beginwith a problem.

The inventor createssketches and chooses a best solu-tion.

The inventor builds the invention totest if it works.

Inventions dont always work. Whenthey dont, the inventor tries to findout what went wrong and fixes theinvention.

q Introduce the students to the idea of apatent.

q Describe the way inventors come up with

ideas.

Many of them observe people andfind out their needs.

Ask the students to watch their class-mates and family members at homeand find problems that they couldinvent devices to solve.

q If the problem the students are using isat home, remind them to bring in objectsfrom home to simulate their problem.

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Conducting the activity

1. Distribute the Invention Log sheets to thestudents.

2. Have the students complete the firstsection with their own problem state-ments. If any students do not have aproblem they want to work with, assign

them one you have thought of.

3. Have the students develop sketches ofthe problem and the solution. Remindthe students that the first sketch is toshow the problem before they inventtheir device.

4. Once the sketches are complete, givethe students an opportunity to build thedevices. Make the materials available tothe students and help them come up withways to build their devices.

5. When the students are done building themodels, have them name and explaintheir device on the Invention Log.

6. After the devices and Invention Logs

have been completed, have the studentsshow and explain their inventions to therest of the class.

7. During this time, complete the patentforms and distribute them to all students.

Checking for Understanding

To check for understanding conduct a classdiscussion on the importance of invention tosolve real problems. Discuss life withoutinventions or innovations and the impor-

tance of patenting inventions. Also, examinethe students' Invention Logs and their inven-tions.


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Name of Device:

Explain the problem you are trying to solve:

Create a sketch of the Problem:

Create a sketch of the Solution:

Explain how your device solves the problem:

Invention Log


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Extending the Activity

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Evidence of Attainment

Students who have developed an understanding of the role of trouble-shooting, research and development, invention and innovation, andexperimentation in problem solving can:

1. Explain the process of invention and innovation.

2. Create a model of an innovation.

3. Build an invention to solve a problem.

4. Examine the history and evolution of inventions.

Connections to Other Subjects

Science Examine inventions that have led to scientific discoveries.

Mathematics Study the evolution of mathematical aids from count-ing stones to the calculator and computer.

Social Studies Look at the effects that inventions have had onsociety.

Language Arts Study the technical writing and explanations on apatent.

Art Examine how inventions have changed how art is produced.

Often the invention of new products creates a want that people did not havebefore the invention. For example, people did not know that they wanted a phono-graph before Thomas Edison invented it. Peoples interest in the phonograph ledto the development of the gramophone, which can be seen as an early ancestorto the CD and DVD players of today.

Have the students trace inventions that we use today to their early roots andcreate a display and presentation.

Lead the students in developing a model of a new entertainment device that

people would want to have and then imagine how that device would evolve.


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Key TermsKey TermsKey TermsKey TermsKey Termsey TermsTechnology Using tools, materials, and

knowledge (know-how) toextend the human poten-tial.

Invention A new and unique idea,product, or system that iscreated.

Innovation A modification of an exist-ing product or system.

Problem A set of steps that beginsSolving with a problem and ends inProcess a solution.

Patent A government documentthat certifies an idea asbeing original and asbelonging to the inventor.

Resources

Books

Bender, L. (1991). Invention. New York:

Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0-679-80782-9.

Caney, S. (1985). Invention book. NewYork: Workman Publishing. ISBN: 0-89480-076-0.

Davies, Eryl. (1995). Inventions. New York:DK Publishing. ISBN: 1-56458-889-0.

Flack. J. (1989). Inventing, inventions, and

inventors. Englewood, CO: Teacher IdeasPress. ISBN: 0-87287-747-7.

Lafferty, P. and Rowe, J. (1993). The inven-tor through history. New York: ThomsonLearning. ISBN: 1-56847-013-4.

Miccolis, Dominic (Ed). (1993). Inventor andinventions. Chicago, IL: World Book, Inc.ISBN: 0-7166-0693-3.

Smithsonian book of invention. (1979). NewYork: W. W. Norton. ISBN: 0-89599-002-4.

Taylor, R. (1991). Journey through inven-tions. New York: Smithmark Publishers.ISBN: 0-8317-5266-1.

Wood, R. (1995). Great inventions. Alexan-dria, VA: Time Life Books. ISBN: 0-7835-4766-8.

A presentation of some of Americas mostfamous inventors and inventions.URL: http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remem-ber/amerinv.htm

A national inventors hall of fame that recog-

nizes inventors and invention.URL: http://www.invent.org/

United States Patent and Trademark Office.URL:http://www.uspto.gov

The Great Idea Finder.URL:http://www.ideafinder.com

A site that lists the greatest Inventions.URL:http://library.thinkquest.org/C002942

Web resources

Documents

Invention & Innovation