ITEA Standards for Technological Literacy
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Standards for Technological Literacy Technological for Standards Standards for Technological Literacy Content for the Study of Technology Study of Technology Study of the Content for International Technology Education Association Technology for All Americans Project 1914 Association Drive, Suite 201 Reston, VA 20191-1539 Phone (703) 860-2100 Fax (703) 860-0353 Email [email protected] URL www.iteaconnect.org ISBN: 1-887101-02-0 ird Edition Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology Third Edition International Technology Education Association and its Technology for All Americans Project This material is based upon work supported by the following: National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-9626809 and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grant No. NCC5-172. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recom- mendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Copyright © 2007, 2002, 2000 by the International Technology Education Association. All Rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 1-887101-02-0 Copies of this document are being disseminated by the International Technology Education Association 1914 Association Drive, Suite 201 Reston, Virginia 20191-1539 Phone: (703) 860-2100 Fax: (703) 860-0353 Email: [email protected] URL: www.iteaconnect.org Contents DEDICATION iv FOREWORD v PREFACE vii CHAPTER 1 Preparing Students for a Technological World 1 2 Overview of Standards for Technological Literacy 11 3 The Nature of Technology 21 4 Technology and Society 55 5 Design 89 6 Abilities for a Technological World 113 7 The Designed World 139 8 Call to Action 199 APPENDIX A History of the Technology for All Americans Project 208 B Listing of Technological Literacy Standards 210 C Compendium 211 D Articulated Curriculum Example for Grades K-12 215 REFERENCES 221 A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS 227 GLOSSARY 236 INDEX 243 Dedication his publication is dedicated to two individuals Twho played a significant role in creating this project and then assisting with its early stages—Dr. Walter B. Waetjen (1920–1997) and Mr. Thomas A. Hughes, Jr. The project was launched because of their dedication and proceeded because of their enthusiasm to advance the teaching of technology. Their spirit and pur- suit of excellence have served as guides in the creation of these standards for technology. Foreword e are a nation increasingly dependent on technology. Yet, in spite of this dependence, U.S. society is largely ignorant of the history and fundamental nature of W the technology that sustains it. The result is a public that is disengaged from the decisions that are helping shape its technological future. In a country founded on democ- ratic principles, this is a dangerous situation. Thankfully, in Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (Standards for Technological Literacy/STL), we have a tool to help us address the mismatch between dependency and understanding. Through an arduous four-year process, involving many levels of review and count- less revisions, the International Technology Education Association has successfully distilled an essential core of tech- nological knowledge and skills we might wish all K-12 students to acquire. It is worth noting that the view of technological literacy spelled out in these standards includes reference to computers and the Internet, but it correctly does not focus unduly on these technologies, which comprise only a small part of our vast human-built world. The standards and associated benchmarks in this document have been carefully written to ensure they are age appropriate. They are crafted to build increasingly sophisticated under- standing and ability as students mature. In this way, Standards for Technological Literacy provides an ambitious framework for guiding student learning. v The standards should not be viewed as static and immutable. Rather, Standards for Technological Literacy — as is true for all good standards — will undergo periodic reassessment and reevaluation. It is very much a living document. It is not enough that the standards are published. To have an impact, they must influence what happens in every K-12 classroom in America. This will not happen without the development of new curricula, textbooks, and student assess- ments, to name just a few of the more important factors. And, certainly, it cannot happen without the participation of teachers — all teachers, not just technology educators. Indeed, the standards cannot succeed without the concerted effort of many stakeholder groups. In this regard, I urge all readers to review Chapter 8, Call to Action. As anyone involved in U.S. education knows, meaningful and lasting change occurs over many years, if not decades. While we need to be aware of this long timeline, we should not be discouraged by it. There is much to be done and much to be hopeful about. The ITEA standards provide a clear vision for the many indi- viduals and organizations around the country committed to enhancing the technological literacy of the nation. William A. Wulf President National Academy of Engineering vi Preface ith the growing importance of technology to our society, it is vital that students receive an educa- tion that emphasizes technological literacy. W Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (referred to henceforth as Standards for Technological Literacy or STL) presents a vision of what students should know and be able to do in order to be technologically literate. These standards do not attempt to define a curriculum for the study of technology; that is something best left to states and provinces, school districts, and teachers. Instead, as the name implies, the standards describe what the content of technology education should be in Grades K-12. By setting forth a consistent content for technology education in schools around the country, Standards for Technological Literacy will help ensure that all students receive effective instruction about technology. Standards for Technological Literacy was created under the aegis of the International Technology Education Association and its Technology for All Americans Project (see Appendix A), and hundreds of educators and professionals have par- ticipated in its development and revision. We thank every- one who was involved in this important consensus-building process. As a result of their efforts, we believe that Standards for Technological Literacy can be a catalyst for reform, bring- ing about significant change in the study of technology and resulting in the recognition of technology education as an essential core field of study in the schools. vii Anyone interested in seeing that students receive a high-quality and relevant education, particularly those involved in decisions about what our schools teach, should find this document useful. The document’s intended audience includes teachers, curriculum developers, school administrators, teacher educa- tors, school board members, parents, engineers, business leaders, and others in the educational community, as well as the community as a whole. Standards for Technological Literacy does not represent an end, but a beginning. In other fields of study, developing standards has often proven to be the easiest step in a long, arduous process. Therefore, we can predict that getting these technol- ogy standards accepted and implemented in Grades K-12 in every school will be far more difficult than developing them has been. Only through the combined efforts of educational decision-makers everywhere will we be able to ensure that all students develop higher levels of technological literacy. This work has been made possible by the generous support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and we would like to express our appreciation to both agencies. We are excited about the difference that Standards for Technological Literacy can make, and we urge each of you to work collaboratively to use it as a basis for improving the study of technology. William E. Dugger, Jr. Anthony F. Gilberti Director President, 1999-2000 Technology for All Americans Project International Technology Education International Technology Education Association Association viii Preparing Students for 1 a Technological World H umans have been called the animals that make things, and at no time in history has that been so apparent as the present. Today, every human activity is dependent upon various tools, machines, and systems, from growing food and providing shelter to communication, healthcare, and entertainment. Some machines, like the tractor, speed up and make more efficient activities that humans have done for hundreds or thousands of years. Others, such as the airplane or the Internet, make possible things that humans have never been able to do before. This collection of devices, capabilities, and the knowledge that accompanies them is called technology. The Need for Technological Literacy Preparing Students for Technology has been going on since humans first formed a blade a Technological World 1 from a piece of flint, harnessed fire, or dragged a sharp stick