TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM 2007 What does it all mean? 1

TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM 2007

What does it all mean?

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Technology

Technology is intervention by design: the use of practical and intellectual resources to develop products and systems (technological outcomes) that expand human possibilities by addressing needs and realising opportunities. Adaptation and innovation are at the heart of technological practice. Quality outcomes result from thinking and practices that are informed, critical, and creative.

Technology makes enterprising use of its own particular knowledge and skills, together with those of other disciplines. Graphics and other forms of visual representation offer important tools for exploration and communication.

Technology is never static. It is influenced by and in turn impacts on the cultural, ethical, environmental, political, and economic conditions of the day.

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Confuse

d?

Wait ... There’s more!!

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The Technology Curriculum has3 strands and 8 achievement objectives.

Technological Practice Planning for practice Brief development Outcome development and

evaluation

Technological Knowledge Technological modelling Technological products Technological systems

Nature of Technology Characteristics of technology Characteristics of technological

outcomes

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The Technology Curriculum identifies 3 transformations.

The emphasis on technological areas has now been reduced and the requirement to cover four to six of the technological areas has been removed. This has been replaced by a more holistic framework to encourage learning programmes based on a broad range of contexts that draw from and cut across a variety of what may be termed technological areas.

A broad range of contexts should ensure coverage of the three types of transformations associated with technology. These are:

The transformation of energy, The transformation of

information,

The transformation of materials.

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To: manipulate, store, transport or control.

It is also expected contexts chosen will allow students to experience and/or explore a range of historical and contemporary examples of technology to further encourage diversity within learning programmes.

These transformations can in turn be categorised into four purposes.

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The NZ Curriculum also specifies5 key competencies.

Key CompetenciesThe key competencies are described in The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) as ‘the capabilities people need in order to live, learn, work and contribute as active members of their communities’.

The curriculum identifies five key competencies. These are:

thinking using language, symbols, and texts managing self relating to others participating and contributing

If the Technology Curriculum (TC)could be expressed asan equation, it would be ...

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This is what Technology Teachers have to teach.

TC =

Are you thinking ...

3Strands x 8AO x 8AL x 3Transforms x 4Purposes

5 Key Competencies

GOSH!!!

Past

Future

∫

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Don’t worry, so do others.

Let’s try it again.Putting it in CONTEXT.

Technology – Practical Problem Solving

9You can think of Technology as a high level process.

PracticalResources

Human Needs & Wants

Processes:Developing,

Using, Producing

TechnologicalOutcomes:

Products andSystems

KnowledgeResources

Assessment

Technology Strands

Technological Practice – Know how

Technological Knowledge – Know what or know that

Nature of Technology – Know why

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The diagram shows that the three strands are interdependent and provide a holistic view of technology.

Human NeedsOutcome

DevelopmentBrief

DevelopmentPlanning Outcome

Evaluation

TECHNOLOGY PRACTICE

NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY 1) Characteristics of Technology

2) Characteristics of TechnologicalOutcomes

TechnologyModelling

TechnologyProducts

TechnologySystems

TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE

What’s Changed1993 to 2007 No specific focus on individual

Technology Areas – now a holistic view of Technology.

No more essential skills – now Key Competencies.

Still 8 achievement objectives but new wording.

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New AchievementObjectives (AO)

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Characteristics of

technology

Characteristics of

technology outcomes

Technological modelling

Technological products

Technological systems

Planning for practice

Outcome development

and evaluation

Technology Practice

Technology Knowledge

Nature of Technology Brief development

The boxes contain the headings of the AOs.

The 5 Key Competencies

The New Zealand Curriculum also identifies five key competencies for all students.

All are important.

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Thinking

Using language,

symbols and text

Managing self

Participating and

contributing

Relating to others

Example -The Problem There is a village in

Africa where women have to walk 8km everyday to fetch water for cooking and drinking.

The quality of this water varies during the year and it may harbour diseases and may have contaminants. 14

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The Project

You are the project leader of a team that is in charge of helping the village solve its water problem.

You will hit all Achievement Objectives outlined in the Technology Curriculum.

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Phase 1 - Setting the context.

You need to answer the following questions: How can technology help? What sort of solution is required? What are the villagers’ needs? What impact is acceptable? How do we communicate with the villagers? What factors dictate the sort of outcome we

need to provide? Who is involved (the key stakeholders)? What on-going needs are there? What are the environmental issues? How do we define them?

Which AchievementObjectives were hit?

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Outcome development

and evaluation

Technology Practice



Characteristics of

technology

Characteristics of

technology outcomes

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Phase 1 - Know Why

In phase 1 we mainly explored the Nature of Technology.

We needed to know about:– The characteristics of technology and– The characteristics of technological

outcomes.

What competencies did we use?

Thinking

Using language,

symbols and text

Managing self

Participating and

contributing

Relating to others

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Phase 2 - Identifying a High Level Approach

Based on the “Context”, we now answer the following questions:

What types of technological solutions could we try? What would be best? Why? What materials and methods should we use? Why? How will we know that the solution will work?

(modelling and prototyping) What things would make the system stop working? How do we make sure our system works when we

are not there? Who needs to look after it and what do they need to

know or do? What happens if it stops working? How do we minimise the impact on the

environment?

Keep going, you’re doing really well!

Which AchievementObjectives did we use?

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Characteristics of

technology

Characteristics of

technology outcomes


Outcome development

and evaluation

Technology Practice






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Phase 2 – mainly Know What or That

In phase 2 we mainly explored Technological Knowledge.

We needed to know about:– Technological modelling– Technological products– Technological systems

What competencies did we need?

Thinking

Using language,

symbols and text

Managing self

Participating and

contributing

Relating to others

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Phase 3 - Develop a detailed plan.

Based on the “solution” and “our technological knowledge”, we now answer the following questions:

What does the specific outcome look like? What resources will we need and when? Where do we source the things we need from? How do we go about implementing this

outcome? Who needs to do what? What should the project brief contain? How will we know if we have been successful in

this project? How do we evaluate our solution against our

plan and what our key stakeholders needed?

Which AchievementObjectives were used?

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Characteristics of

technology

Characteristics of

technology outcomes




Outcome development

and evaluation

Technology Practice


Nature of Technology


Brief development

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Phase 3 – mainly Know How

In phase 3 we explored the first part of Technology Practice.

We needed to know about:– Planning for practice– Brief development

What competencies were needed?

Thinking

Using language,

symbols and text

Managing self

Participating and

contributing

Relating to others

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4) Implement our planand evaluate outcomes.

Based on the plan and brief we now: Gather resources and the project team. Engage with the villagers and other key

stakeholders in implementing the desired outcome.

Start work. Deal with issues along the way. Troubleshoot the final system. Hand over to villagers. Celebrate!

You’re almost there!

Which AchievementObjectives did we hit?

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Characteristics of

technology

Characteristics of

technology outcomes





Technology Practice



Outcome development

and evaluation

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Phase 4 – Know How

In the last phase we displayed the Outcome development and evaluation part of Technology Practice.

What competencies were needed?

Thinking

Using language,

symbols and text

Managing self

Participating and

contributing

Relating to others

The end result ...Celebrations!

Happy villages with clean water!

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Some key points ...

Different student class levels will tackle the strands in accordance with their capability.

All key competencies are / can be developed in Technology.

The example project showed how energy, information, materials can be brought together and transformed in a hands-on manner.

You can also see from the example that other disciplines are / can be engaged – physics, maths, social studies, history, geography.

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So ... Why do technology?

It is an interesting and fun subject area with wide application and brings together learning in other disciplines in a practical way.

It involves both brain work and physical work.

It develops practical skills and competencies that are useful to students in the future – especially problem solving.

It can set you up for an interesting and rewarding career.

AND as you saw, the skills developed can help make life significantly better for a lot of people.

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Final points ...

I hope you enjoyed the model. For more information you can go to:

– www.nzqa.govt.nz– www.techlink.org.nz– www.tki.org.nz

The New Zealand Curriculum needs to be implemented by 2010.

You are free to copy and use this presentation.

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/

http://www.techlink.org.nz/

http://www.tki.org.nz/

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TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEW ZEALAND CURRICULUM 2007 What does it all mean? 1