Recently added articles from Technology and Children:
The future: big ideas.(Editorial)
May 01, 2009; ... Big Ideas can be seen all over the planet. Big Ideas are not new, either. If we journey through history, we will inevitably run into a Big Idea. The past provides us with a great record of Big Ideas that seem to defy the capabilities of people. Pyramids, Inca and Aztec temples, and the ...
The future: big ideas.(Technology Education for Children Council: Message From the President of TECC)(Conference notes)
May 01, 2009; ... On February 11, 2009 in Washington, DC, the Economic Policy Institute hosted a conference titled, "Thinking BIG, Thinking Forward." The major message presented was that we need to think beyond a one-time stimulus, and to think big. Presentation sessions on Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, ...
Delving into design: activities to promote a design sense.(ACTIVITY)
May 01, 2009; ... "The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind ... these people--artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big-picture thinkers--will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys." Daniel H ....
Big ideas: extreme technologies.(WEB LINKS)(Website overview)
May 01, 2009; ... Big challenges require big science and big technologies. From yesterday's dreams to today's realities and beyond, here is a sampling of websites devoted to the exploration of BIG IDEAS. dsc.discovery.com/convergence/ engineering/archives/archives.html Extreme ...
Engineering design process.
May 01, 2009; ... The United States is currently in a period of economic unrest that as resulted in problems for the manufacturing sector, housing market, and ultimately the loss of jobs. These crises cannot easily be solved with a typical design process of brainstorming and "what if" scenarios. A more ...
Canon McMillan School District.(WHAT WORKS!)
May 01, 2009; ... Last week, a new group of third grade students started my technology education program. Today, when I walked through the "multipurpose room," I heard a student exclaim to his friend enthusiastically, "Hey! Technology is today!" The friend replied "Really? Oh cool!" I get responses like ...
Does size really matter? Exploring mechanical advantage.(QUICK ACTIVITY)
May 01, 2009; ... overview Aside from cartoon superheroes, we rarely think of mice as mighty creatures. In this Quick Activity, however, students will explore the concept of mechanical advantage and be challenged with the question, "Can a mouse lift an elephant?" background ...
Help! The Beatles.(BOOKS TO BRIEFS)
May 01, 2009; ... Edgers, G. (2006). Who Were the Beatles? New York: Grosset & Dunlap. [99 pages. $4.99 paperback. ISBN: 04-48439069. Illustrated by Jeremy Tugeay.] summary Among book genres, "biography" usually means "the life story of a particular person." Who ...
The future: thinking big.(RESOURCES)(wind power)
May 01, 2009; ... introduction From rising energy prices to concerns about the environment, alternative energy is a major topic in the news these days. One of the fastest-growing alternative energy sources is wind power. In 2007, wind energy production capacity grew by over 5,000 megawatts (MW), ...
Ideas for integrating technology education into everyday learning.(TECHNO TIPS)
May 01, 2009; ... Our ideas inspire us to create incredible technology to help solve our problems. But, what if the problems are really big? Well that calls for some really BIG IDEAS! Try the activities below and engage your students in a quest for Big Ideas to find solutions to some of our world's biggest ...
The incredible shrinking earth: Google Earth for today's adventurer.(ACTIVITY)
Mar 01, 2009; ... introduction Let's face it; the world is downsizing. Things are getting smaller and more complex. Common devices like TV sets, radios, and computers have been designed with size in mind. We can literally wear our communications devices on our wrists or our belts. This wasn't ...
The future: gizmos.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The word "gizmos" conjures up myriad ideas of unique devices that are often whimsical as they are practical. How many of us own some indispensable item that can do it all? How many of us have a tool that was adapted to satisfy a particular need for which it wasn't originally intended? Our ...
The future: gizmos.(Technology Education for Children Council: Message From the President of TECC)
Dec 01, 2008; ... "We need the very best among us to become teachers, and we need to assure that standardized tests of rote knowledge don't drive education away from the very things that have made America special: critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and teamwork," former Labor Secretary William ...
HBS-zooka: a puff of air.(ACTIVITY)(Henry Barnard Laboratory School)
Dec 01, 2008; ... introduction The simple physics of force and motion and the properties of air have been an exciting part of the technology education curriculum at the Henry Barnard Laboratory School on the campus of Rhode Island College. This year we found a "gizmo" that has been an asset in ...
Gizmos as teaching tools.
Dec 01, 2008; ... All of us encounter numerous gizmos throughout the day. It is likely that our home contains many kinds of gizmos. A gizmo is a fill-n name for any mechanical device, or part, whose name is forgotten or unknown. Other common names for a gizmo include gadget, doodad, doohickey, ...
Gizmos.(CAREER CONNECTIONS)
Dec 01, 2008; ... While the origin of the term gizmo is not known, its use as been traced to the 1940s. It has come to have a number of meanings though: a description of an unidentified part or device, a modified tool, a unique device, software, an Internet teaching tool, etc. It is unfortunate that the ...
More than meets the ears.(BOOKS to BRIEFS)(The Magic School Bus in the Haunted Museum: A Book About Sound)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Book Beech, L. (1995). Scholastic's The Magic School Bus in the Haunted Museum.. A Book About Sound. New York: Scholastic Inc. [32 pages. ISBN 0-590-48412-5. Illustrated by Joel Schick] summary In The Magic School Bus children's book ...
Gizmos on the web: reviews of the best gizmo websites.(WEB LINKS)(www.explorelearning.com, www.rmlearning.com/index.htm, www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/ airplane/rktsim.html, www.homesofourown.org, www.artifice.com/free/dw_lite.html, www.yenka.com/en/Yenka_Gears/, www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/ FoilSim/index.html)(Product/service evaluation)(Website overview)
Dec 01, 2008; ... There are a lot of great gizmo websites out there on the Internet. I have selected from some of my favorites so that you can add them to yours. I use many of these sites in my own classroom and get a good response from my students. This list features my pick of the "best of the best." ...
E-book readers.(RESOURCES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... introduction As educators prepare their students for the technological world, they will expose eager minds to an array of high-tech devices. Many times, however, it can be a struggle to find the right technology to help foster technological literacy and meet core curriculum ...
"I love technology--can we do it again?".(WHAT WORKS!)(technology education)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The room may be small, the tables old, and the technology budget $0--but, what's happening in this classroom is education and self-discovery. "OK, everyone, it's time to clean up." "But, I don't want to go! I like this." "Its time for lunch." ...