As of September 30, 2005, the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium
is no longer in operation.
Goals
Each year our fifth graders have an invention convention and, as they say,
have no idea what to invent. By studying how inventions within one system, communications,
came about, students will better understand the evolution of inventions, the
need for new technology, and how new technology is developed. This investigation
is a precursor to a unit on inventions. It can serve as an introduction.
National Standards (from AAAS, 1993. Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
New York: Oxford University Press.), pp. 45 - 55, "The Nature of Technology,"
grades 3-5.
Benchmarks, Chapter 3: Technology and Science
- "Throughout all of history, people everywhere have invented and used tools.
Most tools of today are different from those of the past but many are modifications
of very ancient tools. " (p. 45)
- "Technology extends the ability of people to change the world: to cut,
shape, or put together materials; to move things from one place to another;
and to reach farther with their hands, voices, senses, and minds. The changes
may be for survival needs such as food, shelter, and defense, for communication
and transportation, or to gain knowledge and express ideas." (p. 45)
- "Technology has been part of life on the earth since the advent of the
human species. Like language, ritual, commerce, and the arts, technology
is an intrinsic part of human culture, and it both shapes society and is
shaped by it. The technology available to people greatly influences what
their lives are like. " (p. 54)
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