It could be used in Principles of Technology at a simpler mathematical level by leaving out any of the log discussion and just using the Decibel scale as an indicator of relative loudness of sound. Sound is produced by the compression and rarefaction of matter. To produce a sound you need a vibrating object to produce periodic fluctuations in the medium through which sound travels. For example, when you hit a metal cookie sheet, you make the sheet vibrate back and forth. The air itself doesn't have any net movement, it merely oscillates back and forth with the changes in pressure.
Sound waves transfer the energy of the source to the medium around it.
The medium can be air, water, metal and eventually the ear. A good demonstration is to line up ten dominoes. Knock over the first domino. The energy of the first domino is transferred to the second, and ultimately to the tenth. The loudness of a sound derives from the magnitude of the pressure changes in the air.