Unit 5-Science & Tech

• Science is the study of the natural world
• Technology is the application of science to solve practical problems
• Science and technology are closely associated with the way human beings live in society
• Science and technology help to shape society's values and reflect them as well
• Technology


  (in the 19th century) the practical skills used to create any physical product
• Technology


  (in the 20th century) everything involved in satisfying our material needs and wants
• Changes in technology occurred slowly in the past, but there have been times of rapid change
• The scope of technology and the expertise required to deal with it has expanded greatly over time
• In technology, like in science, creativity interacts with logic, a variety of people are involved, and social and personal values have a crucial role in designs
• In technology, like in science, ideas and output have changed over time as problems and new knowledge have become more diverse and complicated
• Each technological design reflects the culture and way of life of the people in a given society
• Technology is a strong social force that determines the limits in science, in contrast to earlier times when science controlled and directed advances in technology
• Technology allows us to understand so much more about the world
• Technology has also been blamed for numerous problems such as the atomic bomb and nuclear arms, biological weapons and ozone layer depletion
• Technology education is essential for a successful life
• Technology education


  Must be understood and presented in the curriculum as both a know-how and a know-why subject
• Many science curricula are 'obsolete' and 'archaic' because they don't consider the application of science and technology in human affairs
• Technology has been neglected in the primary school classroom for quite some time
• Many well-established and well-financed organisations worldwide have taken up the challenge of promoting and explaining the need for technology education in primary and secondary schools
• Technology has been with us since well before the beginning of the Stone Age, and provides an example of how human cultures have evolved
• Technology includes all the techniques and knowledge that humans use to solve problems
• Products of technology


  Things that people produced to solve particular problems
• Problems solved by products of technology

  • Clothes protect us from the weather (cold, sun, rain etc.)
• Design process


  1. Identify a problem

  2. Propose a solution

  3. Make a product plan

  4. Make a prototype

  5. Test and appraise the prototype

  6. Scale up

  7. Test and appraise the product
• The design process has three main stages: design, make, and appraise (evaluate).