Living with Technology

Name: Lee Peterson
Date: September 8, 2004

Original Project URL: http://www-ed.fnal.gov/ntep/f98/projects/sandia_mgb/index.html
Subject: Technology 8th Grade


Learner Outcomes:

1. The learner will create a product to demonstrate their learning.
2. The learner will display the ability to work collaboratively on a project.
3. The learner will select the presentation method to match the needs of the audience.
4. The learner will have an age-appropriate understanding of the jeopardy/benefit trade-offs in the advancement of technology. (e.g., has the development of cell phones improved our quality of life?).


Introduction - Mini lesson:

Used to begin focusing the learners in the direction of what technology means and how it has evolved.


1. Definition of Science: The study and description of natural phenomena. The study of why natural things happen the way they do.

2. Examples of Science: Scientists discovering and studying the forces of gravity, the purpose of each strand in DNA, etc.

3. Example Careers in Science: Biologist, Mathematician, Physics, Scientist, Astronomer, Chemist, etc.

4. Definition of Technology: The use of accumulated knowledge to process resources to satisfy human needs and wants. The use of knowledge from science to turn resources into the goods and services that society needs.

5. Examples of Technology: Technologists use the discovery and findings of scientists to create useful things such as a rocket to work against gravity, changing the genetics of a crop to be immune to a disease, etc.

6. Examples of Careers in Technology: Engineer, Architect, Computer Programmer, Machinist, Designer, etc.

Technology Eras Throughout History

"Technology has created three distinct eras. In the agricultural era, most people lived off the land. Many of the tools and discoveries were related to improving methods of tilling the soil. The industrial era began with the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s. During the industrial era, a great many mechanical devices were invented. Today, we are in an information age. Many of today's inventions are based upon electronics and the computer.


1. Agricultural Era (8000 B.C. - 1750 A.D.): Since humans evolved on the Earth, they had fed themselves with food in the wild. As the population grew, food became scarce. The agricultural era began with the need of farming animals and crops for the masses. As the population further grew, more land was needed to be efficiently farmed. Animals were used to pull steel plows to churn the land so that more quality crops could be efficiently grown. 

2. Industrial Era (1750 A.D. - 1950 A.D.): With the invention of the plow, the knowledge learned from working with iron and steel, and the need to move the food to populated cities efficiently, humans entered the industrial era with need of railroad. Not only were the railroads needed to transport food, but also transport coal to run the trains and to produce the iron, and to transport people.

3. Informational Era (1850 A.D. - Present): Information is in demand more than ever. It is needed to be sent and received as fast as possible. Governments and companies are in competition with others to provide the best product and services with all the knowledge learned and capable of learning through more efficient research and development. Data is raw facts and figures. Information is data that has been processed (recorded, classified, calculated, stored and/or retrieved). Knowledge is gained when different kinds of information are compared and conclusions are drawn. This era started by transferring information with the invention of the telegraph which used Morse code as a language then the telephone to radio to television to the computer to satellites.

During the industrial era, many people were employed in factories. Machines replaced human muscle and animal power. Steam, fossil fuels, and electricity were used to run motors, which in turn ran machinery and vehicles.

Because, the pace of technological change has increased so rapidly during the last few decades, technology has become a major driving force in our society. In order to make sense of our world, we need to know about technology and understand how it affects the way we live. We need to understand technology so that we can control it. We need to become technologically literate." (Hacker & Barden, Living with Technology. Albany, New York: Delmar, 1988, p. 19).







Authentic Task:

Show 10 minute Clip from  "Tactical to Practical" to illustrate what is available. The high energy exhibited will help energize students and offer more examples of technology, and to begin thinking more of how technology shapes their world.

For almost three years now the students have been working with various partners in various modules discovering, exploring, and "learning by doing" in as many as eight or nine different areas of technology (from audio to weather). Now, in eight grade, and in small groups, they are to take one of these technology modules or a related technology topic and compose a presentation that incorporates the "Hook" scenario below. 
These snippets are examples of presentations that are structured in such a way to be high energy. They also expose students to some neat new technologies, and hopefully encourage them to think more about how technology shapes their world, for better or for worse. The goal being to gaze beyond the contemporary technology and look backwards from wince our society comes and forward to where we might be going.  Enabling them to make intelligent decisions about how they spend their time in the courses they take and the goals they set for themselves. 

Hook:
Two examples are given to go along with the broad subject matter and give the students more flexibility in designing their own presentation. Letters will be used because they allow students to have a hard copy to refer to and its easily accessible and easily changed. 

The local community is studying how to expose and/or teach the senior citizens in the community to be on more friendly terms with the technological items that are available to them (Cell Phones, PDAs, Email, etc.) and/or how to better get along in the "Techy"  world without them.

OR

A generous and innovative investor is looking for someplace to invest his money.  He enjoys being successful and, as such, prefers working with well informed eight grade students. He is looking for the most imaginative and thought-provoking ideas. The project needs to be realistic, to be based on existing technology and as such, reduce the number of unknowns to only one.  He will want to know what types of Math, Science and Language Arts will need to be learned before successful completion of the project. The project needs to be supported by society.  Generally, technology has its good and bad points. The investor wants to know about both. There will be one project in each eight-grade class. Since the investor's time is limited he will only be able to listen to four or five-minute presentations, longer ones will not be considered. An introductory letter will be handed out to each student.





Student-Directed Learning:
Students divide into research teams of three to four, less is OK.  Together they generate some entrepreneurship. They form a loose committee and make discoveries about their common interests, individual roles, and desired outcomes. They set schedules based on a given deadline and finish with a self-assessment of their first meeting. 

The team is to decide if they are to make their presentations to the investors or to the community. They must compete for either the money award or convince the committee on how to better informs the elderly.
OR
If their interest lies in an area that would be best served presenting to a different audience that is possible also. 

Best Use of Technology:

Students will be using the respective modules and the Internet as well as other resources to research information on the technology associated with their chosen interest.  Depending on their topic and tools they feel comfortable with they are to utilize PowerPoint, Hypermedia, Video, Audio, or Office (Word or Publisher) technology in their presentations. Should they choose one of the subjects in the Lab the students will collaborate via email with one of the resource people at the manufacture of the Lab (Pitsco). For other subjects the students will collaborate with respective companies of products similar to their topic. For further coverage parents may get involved and I have contacts in many areas.       

Assessment: 

Embedded throughout the project.  

1) Student self-assessments:
a) After the topic, and presentation method determined.
b) After the initial research is completed.
c) After the material is finalized
d) After the presentation
2) Teacher assessments
a) Confirm the quality of the various teams and collect the "1" rubric.
b) Conference with each team and collect "2" rubric.
c) Conference with each team and collect "3" rubric.
d) Conference with each team and collect "4" rubric
e) Student reflection paper
f) Conference with each team to debrief






List Project Pages to Create:

1. Rubrics - various stages through out project
2. Student reflections
3. Letter from investor
4. Letter from Community	


Sample Web pages:


  http://www.howstuffworks.com/

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/index.html

http://www.askanexpert.com/


























Assessing Your Work Rubric 

Student Researcher: _____________________ 

Partners: _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ 
 	For ongoing assessments follow the guidance your teacher gave you at the beginning of the project. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 1 - Define the Project
Criteria
7-10

5-6
3-4
1-2
0

Team members beginning to lay the groundwork to get to know each other.
Identify and list the strengths and  desires of all team members
List the desires of each team member
Talks about the common feelings of each team member.
Team talks off task
No communication between team members

Defend logic for choosing audience
Team has listed pro/cons of the audience they choose and can identify the point(s) for selecting one
After some discussion they choose one
One or two students picked one
Someone guessed.
Have not selected one.

Identify the scope of the project and break it down into smaller elements.
Have defined list of expected tasks and assigned work to each member accord to their skills and access to resources.
Defined list of expected tasks and team members agreed to do their task.
Listed some tasks but no idea of who is going to due what.
Guessed
on tasks and hope a team member "steps up" to volunteer 
Tasks identified are scattered they  do not lead to conclusion.

TOTAL





 /30




 Step 2 Gather Information - Rubric 

Criteria
7-10

4-6
1-3
0

Research
Research topics on the Internet without assistance using several search tools.
Research topics on the Internet without assistance.
Research topics on the Internet with some assistance.
No attempt or unsuccessful attempt to research topics on the Internet.

Communications with outside sources
Submit coherent, high-level questions to experts. Continue the dialogue with experts until adequate understanding is reached. 
Submit high-level questions to experts. Continue the dialogue with experts.
Submit questions to experts.
No interaction with experts.

Outside source integration
Incorporate information into the project. Cite all references.
Incorporate information into the project. Cite most references .
Incorporate some information into the project. Cite some references . 
No information incorported into the project. No references cited.






/30














Synthesize Information with Originality/Creativity
 Rubric 3






30-40 Points
15-25 Points
5-10 Points
0 Points

Creativity
Creatively synthesize information gathered using an original format.
Synthesize information gathered. Some creativity is evident.
Present information without interpretation. Creativity is weak.
Words and information are copied from source(s). No creativity.

Points Earned




/40






























Share via a Team Presentation - Rubric 4



40-50 Points
25-35 Points
10-20 Points
0 Points

Sharing information
All team members have a role in sharing information live to their classmates .
Most of the team members have a role in sharing information .
Some of the team members participate in sharing information about their project to .
Team members are not prepared to share information with students in class . 

Information knowledge
Speakers come prepared with an extensive understanding of their project and are able to field process and concept questions from the audience. 
Speakers come prepared with an adequate understanding of their project and are able to field most questions. 
The team is not sufficiently prepared to answer most questions from the audience.
Speakers are not able to field questions and/or articulate the project and its findings.

Body Language
Speakers use good eye contact, speak fluently using appropriate articulation and volume.
Speakers use good eye contact and speak clearly.
Speakers have poor eye contact and do not speak clearly.
Speakers have weak presentation skills.






/150

TOTAL POINTS EARNED
  /250
COMMENTS:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jay Stream Technology 
News Bulletin!!
Dated August 30th 2004


A generous investor is searching for a team of students with which to invest his money.  He enjoys being successful and prefers working with 8th grade students that have proven to have imaginative and thought-provoking ideas. He finds that teams of students that develop top-notch presentations on a technological topic of something they are interested in are best able to transfer their special techniques and "team" approach to new and imaginative ventures.  

He is now looking for a team of students that can present such a topic of interest.  He will then challenge this team to use his resources to further not only their own careers and interests but will help the community as well.  Since the new venture will be helpful to society he is especially interested in those teams that exemplify (demonstrate) the pillars of character as seen in the  "Character Counts" philosophy. 

The investor will remain anonymous.  Since time is of the essences he suggests the students begin immediately. He looks forward to talking the Mr. Peterson about the projects as they grow. 

After a short introduction by Mr. Peterson all teams should begin by confirming their members, identifying each member's skills and identifying the initial subject matter and presentation method. Then they are to assign tasks and milestones so that the project can be completed on time.

Good luck!!



Project Reflective Paper



NAME: ________________          CLASS _____________DATE: _________________


1) As a member of the team how would you evaluate your experience? Justify your response with examples. 
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



How would you rate the team?  Was there pretty much an equal contribution among all the team members?  How so?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



How would you do the presentation differently the next time?  How would it be better? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________