Preparing Students for Success in the Global Society

FOUNDATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY “Pr eparing Students for Success in the Global Society” Walkersville High School

Semester: Instructor: Office Phone: Email: Fall 2012 Gina Stelma 240.236.7315 [email protected]

OVERVIEW This course will prepare students to understand and apply technological concepts and processes. Group and individual activities engage students in creating ideas, developing innovations, and engineering practical solutions. Technology content, resources, and laboratory/classroom activities apply student applications of science, mathematics, and other school subjects in authentic situations. This course will focus on the three dimensions of technological literacy: knowledge, ways of thinking and acting, and capabilities, with the goal of students developing the characteristics of technologically literate citizens. It will employ teaching/learning strategies that enable students in exploring and deepening their understanding of “big ideas” regarding technology and makes use of a variety of assessment instruments to reveal the extent of understanding. CURRICULUM Students will develop an understanding of the influence of technology on history by exploring how people of all times and places have increased their capability by using their unique skills to innovate, improvise, and invent. They will gain an understanding of technology innovation and the fact that it often results when ideas, knowledge, or skills are shared within a technology, among technologies, or across other fields of study. Students will develop an understanding of engineering design, the formal process that transforms ideas into products or systems of the designed world. They will select and use manufacturing technologies and understand that modern manufacturing technologies produce quality goods at low prices, enhancing the quality of life for many people. Students will select and use construction technologies and recognize that cultural norms, environmental conditions, and the requirements of enterprises and institutions impact the design of structures. Opportunities will be provided that enable students to select and use energy and power technologies and to explore the processing and controlling of the energy resources that have been important in the development of contemporary technology. Opportunities will be provided that enable students to gain insights into the use of telemedicine and other medical technologies. They will become familiar with information and communication technologies and their role in the use of other technologies. The course will conclude with the synthesizing of major ideas through an understanding of the impacts the use of technology has on society and the environment. Unit 1 – Technological Innovations and Inventions Unit 2 – Technology Changes History Unit 3 – Design Unit 4 – The Design World Unit 5 – Systems

CLASSROOM/LAB RULES  See Classroom Expectations Sheet (Bottom portion of that sheet must be signed and returned)

WORK HABITS  Students are encouraged and required to maintain appropriate work habits on a daily basis that include:  Being on time (this means being seated at your workstation with materials, ready to work)  Preparing and cleaning your work areas around the classroom and labs  Following directions  Working well with team members, class members, guest speakers, and the teacher REQUIRED MATERIALS  Spiral notebook (with or without graph paper) for design journals  Folder for handouts and papers  Blue or Black Ink Pen  Several #2 Pencils  Colored Pencils  USB Flash Drive (Optional)  Signed Acceptable Use Policy – Student Agenda

GRADING  All grades are based on points. The following is a breakdown of the percentage of total points for each category: Category Percentage Course Grading Scale Class Projects 50% A 90 – 100 Assessments 30% B 80 – 89.9 Work Habits/Warm-ups 10% C 70 – 79.9 Design Journal 10% D 60 – 69.9 F 0 - 59.9

 Students and parents should check the student’s progress and grade at https://grades.fcps.org  See Pinnacle Instructions on WHS website for more information  Grades will be uploaded on a weekly basis

MAKE-UP AND LATE WORK POLICY If you are absent from school for a legal reason, it is your responsibility to get any work you missed before or after class (this includes daily warm-ups). To receive full credit, you will have ONE DAY upon your return to school to turn in your work. To work on a project, make up a test or complete a lab, students must schedule FLEX time. Assignments received after announced due date will be given half credit. This means late work is worth 50% before grading. Work turned in later than one week from the due date will receive zero credit.