INTERDISCIPLINARY OVERLAP IN MANUFACTURING AND ALGEBRA I • DESIGNING AND BUILDING A CARDBOARD CHAIR April 2007 Technology Tech nology the Volume 66 • Number 7 TEACHER T h e Vo i c e o f Te c h n o l o g y E d u c a t i o n “Designer” Babies Also: Teaching Engineering at the K–12 Level: Two Perspectives 2007 Directory of Institutional Members www.iteaconnect.org Mastercam X got me my dream job! “Learning Mastercam in school got me into OCC. This is my dream job and I love it here, even though it gets pretty stressful with those big guys pushing to hit deadlines. Mastercam sure helps make my job easier.” – Ty Kropp, Machinist, Orange County Choppers Find out how Mastercam X works for Ty and Orange County Choppers. Visit www.mastercam.com/X/ty (800) 228-2877 in the US, (860) 875-5006 worldwide. Experience the Power of X Take the Challenge. The Technology Challenge. Proving and improving computer skills. Sample Questions Open the attached document to find the 500 most commonly used baby names last year. Alphabetize the list and determine which name is 402nd on the list. How many words are in the Gettysburg Address? Determine which cell in the attached spreadsheet contains a formula. Reduce all the margins of the attached document to 1 inch. Does the text fit on one page? Which picture occupies the middle layer of the object stack in the attached document? Has the picture in the attached document been cropped? If so, uncrop it. What do you see? In the attached document, replace all occurrences of the word ‘woman’ with the word ‘lady.’ How many changes were made? Sort the numbers in the attached document and determine which is the largest number. Search the Internet to determine the year Rachel Carson died. Change the orientation of the attached document from portrait to landscape. Does the text still fit on two pages? How many words are incorrectly spelled in the attachment? What is the alignment given to the paragraph in the attached? Format the number in cell C12 as a Date. What is the date shown? Determine the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Level of the attached document. Helping You Meet NCLB Mandates By spring of 2007, schools must begin assessing 8th grade student competencies in computer technology with tools that provide objective evidence of performance. A great new program, part of the Learn More Now, Do More Now, Earn More Later Student Credentialing System, is here to help you meet that mandate. It’s called the Technology Challenge and it offers students hundreds of questions in dozens of formative online exercises that will hone their word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and Internet skills. Teachers can watch students’ work online, real time. At the end of every exercise, the Challenge generates a diagnostic credential that details strengths and weaknesses that can be remediated. Challenge exercises are appropriate for students as young as seventh grade, and gradually become more difficult. The Challenge provides students with the opportunity to solve problems and find answers using the same computer skills they will need in college and work. In addition to formative exercises, the Technology Challenge also offers cumulative assessments for eighth grade students (and high school, too) that provide objective evidence of proficiency. With the skills students learn and demonstrate in the Technology Challenge, they will be better able to successfully and accurately complete technology-based projects in their academic classes. The combination of skills-based Challenge exercises and assessments, and the use of those skills in authentic learning situations, provides the perfect combination for schools that aspire to equip their students with knowledge and skills that go beyond mere compliance with federal or state mandates and ensure students have deep cognitive understanding of technology and its use. Students like taking the Challenge. It’s fun. It’s motivating. And it’s very inexpensive. A full year district license for all available Challenges is only 50 cents per student. New Challenges are introduced almost every month. The Technology Challenge questions are unique, and ask students to demonstrate what they know how to do, not just what they know. Performance-based questions use carefully designed attachments that require students to implement some action. After students implement the action, the reaction, or the way the document responds, provides the proof of user skills. The Technology Challenge is a great teacher training tool, too. Districts are also using it to make hiring decisions for office personnel who need computer skills. For a limited time only, get a FREE month of access to the Technology Challenge. Visit www.technologychallenge.com or www.LearnDoEarn.org to find out more. The Technology Challenge is a product of Challenge Central LLC, a strategic partner of the Contents APRIL • VOL. 66 • NO. 7 6 Work Measurements: Interdisciplinary Overlap in Manufacturing and Algebra I Resources in Technology: Designer Babies: Describes a successful interdisciplinary activity that requires high school manufacturing and algebra students to take systematic work measurements and mathematically compare costs. MARY ANNette Rose Eugenics Repackaged or Consumer Options? page 12 Features Departments 1 ITEA Online 2 In the News and Calendar 5 You & ITEA 12 Resources in Technology 17 Classroom Challenge Publisher, Kendall N. Starkweather, DTE Editor-In-Chief, Kathleen B. de la Paz Editor, Kathie F. Cluff ITEA Board of Directors Andy Stephenson, President Ken Starkman, Past President Len Litowitz, DTE, President-Elect Doug Miller, DTE, Director, ITEA-CS Scott Warner, Director, Region I Lauren Withers Olson, Director, Region II Steve Meyer, Director, Region III Richard (Rick) Rios, Director, Region IV Michael DeMiranda, DTE, Director, CTTE Peter Wright, DTE, Director, TECA Vincent Childress, Director, TECC Kendall N. Starkweather, DTE, CAE, Executive Director Teaching Engineering at the K–12 Level: Two Perspectives 20 Perspectives of two leaders in the field on a variety of issues pertaining to integrating engineering education into our schools. KeNNetH L. SMItH AND DAVID BURGHARDt 25 29 32 35 Designing and Building a Cardboard Chair: Children’s Engineering at the TECA Eastern Regional Conference Recounts the latest TECA/Children’s Engineering competition, in which teams from universities up and down the East Coast were required to design and produce a functional cardboard chair. CHARles C. LINNell Interview with Dr. William A. Wulf Dr. Wulf retires in July 2007 as the President of the National Academy of Engineers. 2007 Directory of ITEA Institutional Members 2007 ITEA Museum Member ITEA is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Microfiche from University Microfilm, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Technology Teacher, ISSN: 0746-3537, is published eight times a year (September through June with combined December/January and May/June issues) by the International Technology Education Association, 1914 Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191. Subscriptions are included in member dues. U.S. Library and nonmember subscriptions are $80; $90 outside the U.S. Single copies are $8.50 for members; $9.50 for nonmembers, plus shipping—domestic @ $5.00 and outside the U.S. @ $11.00 (Airmail). Advertising Sales: ITEA Publications Department 703-860-2100 Fax: 703-860-0353 The Technology Teacher is listed in the Educational Index and the Current Index to Journal in Education. Volumes are available on Subscription Claims All subscription claims must be made within 60 days of the first day of the month appearing on the cover of the journal. For combined issues, claims will be honored within 60 days from the first day of the last month on the cover. Because of repeated delivery problems outside the continental United States, journals will be shipped only at the customer’s risk. ITEA will ship the subscription copy but assumes no responsibility thereafter. Change of Address Send change of address notification promptly. Provide old mailing label and new address. Include zip + 4 code. Allow six weeks for change. Postmaster Send address change to: The Technology Teacher, Address Change, ITEA, 1914 Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191-1539. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon, VA and additional mailing offices. E-mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: www.iteaconnect.org PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Technology the Now Available on the TEACHER ITEA Website: T h e Vo i c e o f Te c h n o l o g y E d u c a t i o n Editorial Review Board 2007 Product Guide Now Available ITEA’s 2007 Technological Literacy Product Guide is now available online. ITEA’s full line of publications and curriculum materials is listed in detail. See complete catalog online, with extensive information on: n C urriculum Development n Engineering byDesign™ n Center to Advance the Teaching of Technology and Science (ITEA-CATTS) n Human Exploration Project Go to: www.iteaconnect.org/Publications/productguide.htm Cochairperson Dan Engstrom California University of PA Cochairperson Stan Komacek California University of PA Steve Anderson Nikolay Middle School, WI Frank Kruth South Fayette MS, PA Stephen Baird Bayside Middle School, VA Linda Markert SUNY at Oswego Lynn Basham MI Department of Education Don Mugan Valley City State University Clare Benson University of Central England Monty Robinson Black Hills State University Mary Braden Carver Magnet HS, TX Mary Annette Rose Ball State University Jolette Bush Midvale Middle School, UT Terrie Rust Oasis Elementary School, AZ Philip Cardon Eastern Michigan University Yvonne Spicer Nat’l Center for Tech Literacy Michael Cichocki Salisbury Middle School, PA Jerianne Taylor Appalachian State University Mike Fitzgerald IN Department of Education Greg Vander Weil Wayne State College Marie Hoepfl Appalachian State Univ. Katherine Weber Des Plaines, IL Laura Hummell Manteo Middle School, NC Eric Wiebe North Carolina State Univ. Apply to Present in 2008! Editorial Policy As the only national and international association dedicated solely to the development and improvement of technology education, ITEA seeks to provide an open forum for the free exchange of relevant ideas relating to technology education. Materials appearing in the journal, including advertising, are expressions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or the opinion of the association, its officers, or the ITEA Headquarters staff. The Application to Present at ITEA’s 70th Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, UT (February 21 - 23, 2008) is now available online at www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB225T6VQPX9B Referee Policy n Th eme: Teaching “TIDE” with Pride! All professional articles in The Technology Teacher are refereed, with the exception of selected association activities and reports, and invited articles. Refereed articles are reviewed and approved by the Editorial Board before publication in The Technology Teacher. Articles with bylines will be identified as either refereed or invited unless written by ITEA officers on association activities or policies. n Conference Theme Strands: w Strand 1: Developing Professionals w Strand 2: Realizing Excellence To Submit Articles All articles should be sent directly to the Editor-in-Chief, International Technology Education Association, 1914 Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191-1539. Please submit articles and photographs via email to [email protected]. Maximum length for manuscripts is eight pages. Manuscripts should be prepared following the style specified in the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition. Editorial guidelines and review policies are available by writing directly to ITEA or by visiting www.iteaconnect.org/ Publications/Submissionguidelines.htm. Contents copyright © 2007 by the International Technology Education Association, Inc., 703-860-2100. w Strand 3: Planning Learning w Strand 4: Measuring Progress www.iteaconnect.org • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 In the News & Calendar Product Endorsements Announced The States’ Career Clusters Initiative has announced a recent agreement with the following newly endorsed preferred product provider: International Technology Education Association (ITEA) is a professional educational association devoted to enhancing technology education through technology, innovation, design, and engineering experiences at the K–12 school levels. The Engineering byDesign™ (EbD™) standards-based model program may be found in electronic format at www.teachstem.net. This program consists of a series of lessons for Grades K–5, and an articulated sequence of ten courses for middle and high school that are standards-based. In addition, the website will provide information regarding the Engineering byDesign™ Network of schools and teachers nationwide that are a community of learners working collaboratively to raise student achievement. National Building Museum Launches National Education Initiatives The National Building Museum (NBM) has launched its first design education program to national audiences, offering a curriculum that provides math, science, and engineering curricula connections—disciplines that decidedly support America’s economic competitive edge in the changing international marketplace. The Museum’s Bridge Basics program is the first of several education initiatives the Museum is launching nationally. Bridge Basics teaches fifth through ninth graders about bridge engineering and design through creative lesson plans where students are challenged to solve transportation problems while balancing issues of materials, cost, geog raphy, and aesthetics. The program helps students meet math standards in geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability, and problem solving. It also cultivates an understanding of scientific inquiry, the use and ability of technologies, and the attributes of design and engineering. The Museum is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Labor to introduce the Design Apprenticeship Program: Building Blocks (DAP) to students across the country. DAP presents high school students with a design challenge for which they conceive, develop, test, and construct a solution. The program fosters critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills necessary for life and applicable in all settings. It meets national standards of learning in math, science, technology, social studies, and arts. The program has been successfully used at the Museum since 2000 and will be available nationwide in the summer of 2007. • The national Bridge Basics and DAP launches will be followed by the development of national curricula for City By Design, an urban planning curriculum for kindergarten through sixth graders, and the proposed launch of Investi gating Where We Live, a photography, creative writing, and exhibition design program for secondary students. The Museum’s programs have been supporting core education, professional development, and the building industries for over 25 years. Every year at the Museum, approximately 54,000 young people participate in design education, which integrates information with experience, links learning to living, emphasizes thinking, promotes socialization and cooperation, and is both inter- and multidisciplinary. As a cultural institution chartered by Congress, the National Building Museum is uniquely poised to create, foster, and bring added relevance to design education on a national level, strengthening student performance in schools across the country. Is Edu-Gaming the Future of Scientific and Technological Education? Companies and organizations nationwide are worried about the dwindling pipeline of talent to replace the retiring scientists, engineers, and IT specialists of the baby boomer generation. There is widespread concern that the U.S. may be losing its edge in technology and the sciences to emerging giants like India and China. Positive exposure to science and technology through well-crafted educational content is key to creating lifelong interest in children. Whyville.net, the leading virtual world for kids and young teenagers (ages 8 to 15), engages children in critical thinking and investigations in science and technology through edu-gaming. Leveraging the interactivity of the Internet, Whyville is filled with fun educational activities that foster curiosity and creativity. Sponsored by NASA, the latest edu-game within Whyville is the Spectroscopy Lab. Through a series of activities ranging from creating your own homemade spectroscope to reenacting the historical discovery of hydrogen, children learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, the concept that all materials have their own unique spectral “fingerprint,” and how this can be used by astronomers to discover what’s in a star from millions of miles away. Other educational games and activities in Whyville include those sponsored by the John Paul Getty Trust, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, NASA, and the University of Texas. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Free Online Resources and Content From the National Academy of Sciences A bone detective, space geologist, and robot designer, among others, inspire future scientists at www. iwaswondering.org. Created by the National Academy of Sciences, iwaswondering.org encourages young people, especially girls, to pursue an interest in science. Lia, the teenage cartoon character who hosts the site, guides visitors through interactive resources and activities designed for middle school students. The site also includes science labs, games, and a parent-teacher guide. Iwaswondering.org is the companion website to the Women’s Adventures in Science book series. The website and book series showcase the accomplishments of contemporary women in science and highlight the careers of some of today’s most prominent scientists. Visit www.iwaswondering.org and start inspiring future scientists today. are awarded for this three-day program. Attendees should be involved with industrial, contractor, or maintenance spray finishing applications, or spray equipment sales and distribution. To register or for additional information, contact Jaime Wineland at 800-466-9367 or [email protected]. Information is also available online at www.owens.edu/workforce_cs/seminars.html. June 2-6, 2007 An international technology education conference, Concepts and Standards of the Technology Education in Secondary Schools, will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Official languages of the conference are English and Mongolian. Contact Professor Z. Ulziikhutag, Head of Technology Education and Fine Art Department of the Mongolian State University of Education, at ulziikhutag@ msue.edu.mn for details. Or visit www.msue.edu.mn/ icte-ub2007.htm. Calendar April 6, 2007 The Annual USM/TEAM Spring Conference will take place at the John Mitchell Center, University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus. Contact this year’s organizers, Dr. Robert Nannay at [email protected] or Mark Dissell at [email protected], for information. June 15, 2007 Deadline for applications to present at the 70th Annual ITEA Conference, February 21-23, 2008. The conference theme is “Teaching TIDE With Pride.” Information is available on the ITEA website at www. iteaconnect.org/Conference/apptopresent.htm. April 10-11, 2007 The Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education will host its annual legislative update conference at the Hilton Hotel in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, VA. General and reservation information may be obtained at www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/ dcaothf_atc/index.jhtml. June 21-27, 2007 The PATT-18: Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Technology, International Design and Technology Education Conference, “Teaching and Learning Tech nological Literacy in the Classroom,” will be held in Glasgow, Scotland. For further information about the conference or presentation opportunities, contact the Conference Director, John Dakers, at jdakers@educ. gla.ac.uk. April 13-14, 2007 The Great Moonbuggy Race, sponsored by Northrop Grumman. Visit http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa. gov/index.html for information, or contact Coordinator, Durlean Bradford, at 256-961-1335 or durlean.bradford@ msfc.nasa.gov. May 3-4, 2007 The 2007 TEANJ Technology Conference & Expo, Enhancing Technology, Engineering, Science, and Mathematics, will be held at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe. Workshop descriptions and registration information can be found at www.teanj.org/conference/ TEANJ/index.htm. All NJ teachers, counselors, supervisors, administrators, and other professionals are welcome and encouraged to attend. June 24-28, 2007 The 29th Annual National TSA Conference, TSA, Breaking Down the Boundaries, will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. The conference will feature high school and middle school competitive events, a one-day Education Fair, and the DuPont Leadership Academy. Visit www.tsaweb.org/content.asp?contentid=407 for complete information. Or contact Donna Andrews, TSA Conference Manager, at: [email protected]; 703-860-9000 (ex. 15); 703-758-4852 fax. May 16-18, 2007 DeVilbiss, Binks and Owens Com munity college will present a Spray Finishing Technology Workshop in Toledo, OH. Two continuing education units June 29-July 3, 2007 The sixth CRIPT International Primary Design and Technology Conference will be held in Birmingham, England. It brings together • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 educators from all continents to discuss the latest developments in this worldwide developing area. Papers for publication must be sent by March 31, 2007. Contact Professor Clare Benson at clare.benson@ uce.ac.uk for further details or visit www. ed.uce.ac.uk/cript. July 8-13, 2007 The World Conference on Science and Technology Education, hosted by the International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE) and the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA), will be held in Perth, Western Australia. Information can be found at www.worldste2007.asn.au/. July 16-19, 2007 The Texas CTE Professional Development Conference for the Clusters of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) and Manufacturing—“AchieveTexas, Embracing The Challenge”—will be held at the Wyndham Arlington-DFW Airport South Hotel in Arlington, Texas. For more information, visit www.ingenuitycenter. com or contact Julie Moore at 903-5667378 or [email protected]. July 25-28, 2007 The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ NBPTS National Conference & Exposition, Making Connections: Linking Teaching and Leadership, will take place at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. Details are available at www.nbpts.org/ about_us/events. October 11-13, 2007 The state of New Hampshire will host the NEATT conference in Worcester, MA. For immediate updates, check the TEAM website at http://maineteched.org. List your State/Province Association Con ference in TTT and TrendScout (ITEA’s electronic newsletter). Submit conference title, date(s), location, and contact in formation (at least two months prior to journal publication date) to kcluff@ iteaconnect.org. • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 You & ITEA Mark Your Calendar Now for ITEA’s 70th Annual Conference! Plan to attend this historic 70th ITEA Conference in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah. Conference dates are February 21-23, 2008. The conference theme is Teaching “TIDE” with Pride! Technology, Innovation, Design, Engineering—four simple words forming the acronym TIDE. TIDE indicates that technology education is not just about computers. The concepts and principles underlying TIDE, while not designed as preparation for any one specific career or area of future study, articulate the content and strategies included in the study of technology and engineering. These concepts and principles provide a base for the pursuit of a wide range of future endeavors that utilize the TIDE knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Now is also the time to consider presenting at the Salt Lake Conference—the deadline for submission of the Application to Present is June 15, 2007. The form can be accessed from the ITEA website at http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/ survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB225T6VQPX9B. When developing presentation proposals for the 2008 ITEA Conference, applicants should focus on the TIDE concept as they address one of the following conference theme strand areas: • Strand 1: Developing Professionals • Strand 2: Realizing Excellence • Strand 3: Planning Learning • Strand 4: Measuring Progress ITEA Council Leadership Current officers for the ITEA Councils: Council for Supervisors Greg Kane Lynn Basham Barry Burke, DTE President Past-President Secretary/Treasurer Council on Technology Teacher Education Richard Seymour President Marie Hoepfl Vice President Brian McAlister Treasurer Phillip Reed Secretary Michael DeMiranda Past President Technology Education for Children Council Jared Berrett President Janis Churchill Secretary Wendy Ku Treasurer Terri Varnado VP Communications Sharon Brusic VP Program • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Work Measurements: Interdisciplinary Overlap in Manufacturing and Algebra I By Mary Annette Rose Carefully planning, estimating, and controlling manufacturing costs requires engineers to employ a variety of algebra concepts and skills. M anufacturing and pre-engineering curricula help students develop knowledge and skills directly relevant to the roles and responsibilities of industrial and manufacturing engineers. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005), …industrial engineers determine the most effective ways to use the basic factors of production—people, machines, materials, information, and energy—to make a product or to provide a service… To solve organizational, production, and related problems efficiently, industrial engineers carefully study the product requirements, use mathematical methods to meet those requirements, and design manu facturing and information systems. They develop management control systems to aid in financial planning and cost analysis, and design production planning and control systems to coordinate activities and ensure product quality (Nature of the Work, p.16). Students analyzed drilling procedures by measuring the performance time and calculating the labor costs associated with three different drilling tools. • Curricular content within high school manufacturing courses familiarize students with many of the techniques that engineers use to optimize productivity while mini mizing costs, such as designing fixtures, planning work flow, and taking work measurements. The knowledge and skills required to mathematically model and analyze data generated from these activities are taught within high school algebra curriculum. This timely coincidence presents an opportunity for technology and algebra teachers to plan and coordinate interdisciplinary learning activities that reinforce mutual goals for their students. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Interdisciplinary Project The following interdisciplinary learning activity was originally implemented as a Tech Prep project at Norview High School, Norfolk, Virginia. The project occurred over three days within 1 ½-hour blocks; total activity time was 4 ½ hours. This cooperative learning project required students enrolled in Manufacturing Technology and Algebra I to share their technical and mathematical expertise for the purpose of demonstrating how this knowledge and skill applies in real-world contexts. As with other interdisciplinary projects (Wicklein & Schell, 1995, for example), the goal was to require students to actively apply their content knowledge outside their respective disciplinary boundaries, and thereby increase their interest in studying manufacturing and algebra. Initial discussions between the manufacturing and algebra teachers generated a substantial list of key opportunities to apply algebra concepts within the manufacturing technology curriculum. Consideration of students’ developing expertise and a comparison of semester calendars quickly identified a window of opportunity to mutually enhance curricular goals by solving equations relevant to methods, planning, and work-measurement tasks of manufacturing engineers. Specifically, groups of students compared the performance and cost characteristics of three increasingly sophisticated manufacturing processes by using symbolic representation and algebraic processes. For example, students analyzed drilling processes by measuring the performance time and calculating the labor costs associated with three different drilling tools, including a human-powered hand drill, a portable electric drill, and a drill press. Learning Objectives Upon completion of the interdisciplinary activity, Manu facturing Technology and Algebra I students were able to: 1.Identify and discuss the responsibilities of manufacturing engineers regarding methods, planning, and work measurement. 2.Safely perform manufacturing processes using three different tools that vary in their level of technical sophistication. 3.Organize real-time data gathered through work measurements of manufacturing processes into matrices. 4.Apply formulae and solve equations and inequalities. 5.Discuss the interconnected nature of manufacturing engineering and algebra. 6.Draw conclusions about the appropriateness of tool selection based on the results of work measurements. • Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA, 2000/2002) Standard 12. Students will develop the abilities to use and maintain technological products and systems. Standard 19. Students will develop an under standing of and be able to select and use manufacturing technologies. Selected Expectations from Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) In Grades 9-12 all students should— • Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics • Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others • Use symbolic algebra to represent and explain mathematical relationships • Develop fluency in operations with real numbers, vectors, and matrices, using mental computation or paper-and-pencil calculations for simple cases and technology for more complicated cases Figure 1. Alignment to national standards. As indicated in Figure 1, these objectives reflect Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA, 2000/2002) and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000). Planning the Activity Preparing for this activity involved several logistical concerns, such as planning the optimal sequence of content, evaluating safety precautions, and envisioning efficient and understandable strategies for coordinating 40 students. The most time-consuming aspect of planning, however, was preparing multiple workstations to accommodate groups of four to five students within the manufacturing lab. Each workstation included the tools, tooling, and materials to perform an operation, such as drilling or irregular sawing. Three workstations were aligned to demonstrate three different levels of sophistication of the same process; Table 1 illustrates five such combinations of tools. In addition, each workstation included a stopwatch for measuring process time, safety glasses and safety guards, a calculator, and a The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 time-analysis sheet that incorporated prompts for student names and a 3 x 3 table for recording the operation cycle time for three tools. A customized methods instruction or operation sheet was included at each station. As illustrated in Table 2, methods sheets included step-by-step instructions taken to perform a specific process. Day 1—Building Expertise Instruction on the first day of the activity occurred within separate classrooms. The two teachers independently: (1) introduced the interdisciplinary learning activity; (2) enhanced students’ knowledge, skills, and confidence within their own content domain; and (3) assigned students to roles. Within the manufacturing class, this meant that students were assigned to the role of methods engineer, industrial trainer, and maintenance supervisor. As methods engineers, students prepared and tested the tooling (fixtures or templates) for three interrelated workstations. As trainers, students prepared to teach their algebra peers how to safely perform three operations according to the methods instruction sheet. Students also served as maintenance supervisors by learning how to repair and return workstations to preoperation setups. Concurrently, algebra students were informed that they would apply their new algebraic understanding of variables and inequalities to real-time data that would be acquired during a joint project with manufacturing students. To prepare for this activity, algebra students: 1. Reviewed the formula and variables for computing a mathematical average or mean. 2. Identified the variables, equations, and inequalities employed for this time and cost activity. 3. Reviewed axioms for transforming equations and solving inequalities. 4. Applied the rules for organizing a matrix (e.g., each variable forms a column) to the variables of this activity. In addition, algebra students were informed that during the activity they would assume the role of a workstation operator, time analyst, or cost estimator. Workstation operators would learn how to safely perform an operation from a manufacturing student, and then perform this operation a minimum of three times. Time analysts would measure the time it takes to complete three cycles (performances) of an operation, then demonstrate how to represent and calculate the average time it takes to complete an operation. Cost estimators would teach manufacturing students how to organize data into a matrix and how to solve for an unknown variable using a formula (is that inequality) for comparing the cost of capital investment in tools to the costs of labor. Time analysts would measure the time it takes to complete three cycles of an operation. Technological Sophistication Level Moderate Process Low Drilling a hole Hand Drill Power Drill Drill Press Driving a screw Screwdriver Brace and Bit Screw Shooter Irregular cutting Coping Saw Saber Saw Band Saw Crosscutting Hand Saw Back Saw - Miter Box Radial Arm Saw Ceramic cutting Tile Saw Roto-Zip Spiral Saw Circular Tile Saw Table 1. Process stations. • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 High Operation Drill hole in Spacer Tool Drill Press Part Name and Number Spacer, F-3 Tool Cost $399.00 Part Description ¾" x 2" x 4" pine with centered 1/8" hole Tooling 1/8" Twist Drill Bit Fixture (positions stock on table) Safety Rules 1. Always wear eye protection. 2. Secure long hair, necklaces, and dangling objects away from the chuck. 3. Secure the stock to the table before drilling. 4. Stay at the drill press until all parts have reached a dead stop. Step Number and Description 1. With the power on, select standard stock and secure stock against the fixture. 2. Rotate the crank handle to move the drill bit completely through the stock. 3. Reverse the crank handle to extract the bit from the hole. 4. Remove the workpiece. Table 2. Example of methods instruction or operation sheet. Day 2—Work Measurements On the second day of the activity, all students met in the manufacturing lab for an overview of the roles and responsibilities of manufacturing engineers, especially as they relate to methods engineers, planning specialists, and time standard analysts. Koenig (1994) differentiates these roles: Methods engineers create the broad-based sequence for producing the part. The planning specialists then create the detailed instruction sheet from which the operator will do the work. The time standard analysts work with the method sheets to determine the time it should take to perform each operation. (p. 171) It was further explained that the manufacturing students had performed several tasks of the methods engineer in preparation for this interdisciplinary activity. Specifically, manufacturing students made and tested tooling (e.g., fixture or template), which helped workstation operators produce consistent results (size and shape). An example of a methods instruction sheet was presented and its elements were discussed. It was noted that a primary function of a methods instruction sheet was to standardize the conditions of an operation, thus facilitating the measurement of performance and the coordination of many operations. The orientation concluded by challenging students to work in cooperative groups to conduct time analyses of three operations in order to determine the average cycle time it takes for a trained worker to complete an operation. A cycle was defined as a chronological sequence of steps for a single operation outlined on the methods instruction sheet. • At this time, students were directed to move to their colorcoded workstations. Upon arrival, they were directed to introduce themselves to their group and record their names on the group’s time analysis sheet. After quickly reviewing their roles, the students assumed their responsibilities. Specifically, manufacturing students alternated between roles as the industrial trainer and maintenance supervisor. The trainer demonstrated the proper and safe performance of an operation according to the methods instruction sheet and monitored the performance of the operator. After completion of the operation, the trainer served as maintenance supervisor and reorganized the workstation to a startup condition for the next group. Algebra students alternately served as workstation operators and time analysts. The operator learned the operation from the trainer and then safely performed the step-by-step operation through three complete cycles. The time analyst used a stopwatch to accurately time and record three cycles of the operation on the time analysis sheet. Student groups continued this sequence until time measurements had been conducted on three tools. After time measurements were complete, algebra students were directed to present and explain the formula for computing an arithmetic average or mean: M=(∑T)/N where M = mean, ∑ = the sum of, T = time of operation, and N = number of operation cycles. Under the guidance of the algebra students, the manufacturing students applied the formula to solve and record the average operation time for all three operations. It was emphasized that the value of calculating the average time to complete an operation was to generate data that a manufacturing engineer could use for further mathematical analyses that could inform cost The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 estimates and decisions about tool purchases, workstation design, and production flow. Day 3—Estimating Costs Using Applied Algebra An overview of the final day’s activities included a review of manufacturing engineering roles and an examination of how algebra skills are used to inform cost-related decisions in manufacturing engineering. The review consisted of questions that guided group discussion, including: 1. What are the primary goals of a manufacturing engineer? How do the responsibilities and skills of a methods engineer, planning specialist, and time analyst differ? 2. What strategies do engineers use to ensure the consistent and efficient manufacture of products? Discuss tooling (fixtures and templates) and a methods instruction sheet. 3. What algebra concepts and procedures do time analysts employ? Discuss symbolic representation, variables, and equations. After ample time for discussion, students were reminded that a primary goal of a manufacturing company is to sell their manufactured products to make a profit. Typically, the finance department of a company oversees the balance of costs (e.g., materials, energy, labor, and equipment), market price, and profits. However, estimating, reducing, and controlling the costs of manufacturing a product lie within the purview of manufacturing engineers. So, in addition to the technical aspects of processing materials, engineers must possess the skill to apply many mathematical processes (e.g., capacity or break-even analysis) to inform Tool Operation Time1 (T) (in secs) Labor Rate2 (R) (per hour) cost decisions. For instance, the decisions engineers make about which equipment will be purchased for a workstation directly impact the cost of the labor required to perform the operation. Carefully planning, estimating, and controlling manufacturing costs requires engineers to employ a variety of algebra concepts and skills, including using symbolic expressions to represent costs, organizing costs into matrices, and solving equations to estimate costs. At this point, workstation groups were offered the following challenge: Conduct a cost analysis of three tools that could be selected for a manufacturing operation. Specifically, this analysis should determine at what point (i.e., number of cycles) the cost of labor is greater than the cost of the tool, then offer recommendations about the purchase of equipment or the process of conducting a cost analysis. Students were reminded to assume the role of cost estimators. Specifically, algebra students explained and demonstrated how to identify the variables of the problem, assign symbols to all variables, organize the data into a matrix, represent the problem as an inequality, and then solve the inequality. Manufacturing students constructed a matrix, recorded proper values, and then calculated the solution to the problem as represented in Table 3. Upon completion of the calculations, each group discussed and responded to the following questions: 1. When might a manufacturing engineer select a less costly or more costly tool for an operation? 2. What workstation costs were not included in this cost analysis? Discuss costs related to the characteristics Labor Cost3 (L) (per sec) Labor Cost (LC) (per operation) R / 3600 LxT Tool Cost (TC) 1 2 3 Time = Average or mean time of three trials Labor Rate = Minimal Wage 3 3600 seconds = 60 minutes = 1 hour 1 2 Table 3. Matrix of process time, labor costs, and tool costs. 10 • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 When is Labor Cost ≥ Tool Cost? LC(N) ≥ TC N = # of operations of the tool, including reliability (maintenance costs), learnability (training costs), and energy efficiency (energy costs). 3. How might the inequality change to account for these other cost factors? Assessment Student learning was assessed using three strategies: a group performance assessment, a group product assessment, and an individual objective test. The performance of workstation groups was assessed using a rubric. The rubric included criteria for each major responsibility related to student roles, i.e., methods engineer, industrial trainer, maintenance supervisor, workstation operator, time analyst, and cost estimator. For instance, the explanations and demonstrations offered by the manufacturing students during their stints as industrial trainers were assessed for the accurate and complete description of the procedure to safely operate a specific tool. The workstation group was also assessed on the accuracy and completeness of its matrix (see Table 3), as well as the group’s response to the discussion questions. Finally, newly formed understandings of manufacturing (e.g., tooling and cycle time) and algebra concepts (e.g., matrix and variables) and procedures (solving inequalities) were assessed through an objective test implemented separately within their respective classrooms. Conclusion Manufacturing engineering provides a relevant context from which to envision interdisciplinary learning experiences because engineers integrate their knowledge and skills of manufacturing and algebra processes in order to plan the efficient manufacture of products. The interdisciplinary activity described here required manufacturing and algebra students to alternately share (teach) their disciplinary expertise and apply this new skill directly to an engineering scenario. This project enabled manufacturing and algebra students to take systematic measurements of manufacturing operations and then analyze this data using algebraic processes. Casting students in the role of teachers appeared to have a positive influence upon the students’ motivation and achievement. For instance, manufacturing students who had previously demonstrated apathy toward course goals rose to the challenge of teaching algebra students how to safely operate equipment. Undoubtedly, this positive teaching experience boosted self-confidence and contributed to manufacturing students’ willingness to accept instruction from other students as well as their persistence in learning how to accurately apply algebraic processes. 11 • Although there were several learning benefits to implementing this interdisciplinary project, there were also challenges. Planning interdisciplinary projects requires additional planning time to negotiate a mutually agreeable learning activity with mathematics teachers. Familiarizing oneself with the algebra curriculum prior to initial discussions will facilitate this process. Additional time is also needed to prepare instructional materials and make adjustments in the learning environment to safely accommodate increased class size. Interdisciplinary learning activities are well worth the effort because they offer excellent opportunities to enhance student learning while positioning the technology program as a strong advocate for mathematics education. References Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2005). Engineers. Occupational outlook handbook, 200607 Edition. Retrieved May 18, 2006, from www.bls.gov/ oco/ocos027.htm. International Technology Education Association. (2000/2002). Standards for technological literacy: Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author. Koenig, D.T. (1994). Manufacturing engineering: Principles for optimization, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics: An overview. Reston, VA: Author. Wicklein, R.C. & Schell, J.W. (1995). Case studies of multidisciplinary approaches to integrating mathematics, science, & technology education. Journal of Technology Education, 6(2). Retrieved May 20, 2006, from http:// scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte-v6n2/wicklein.jtev6n2.html Mary Annette Rose, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Technology at Ball State University, Muncie, IN. She can be reached via email at [email protected]. Special thanks are extended to Risa Gatlin, algebra teacher, who jointly implemented this project with the author. This is a refereed article. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Resources in Technology Designer Babies: Sugar Phosphate Backbone By Stephen L. Baird Base pair The forces pushing humanity towards attempts at self-modification, through Nitrogeous base biological and technological advances, are powerful, seductive ones that we will be hard-pressed to resist. A lmost three decades ago, on July 25, 1978, Louise Brown, the first “test-tube baby” was born. The world’s first “test-tube” baby arrived amid a storm of protest and hand-wringing about science gone amok, humananimal hybrids, and the rebirth of eugenics. But the voices of those opposed to the procedure were silenced when Brown was born. She was a happy, healthy infant, and her parents were thrilled. The doctors who helped to create her, Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards, could not have been more pleased. She was the first person ever created outside a woman’s body and was as natural a baby as had ever entered the world. Today in vitro fertilization (IVF) is often the unremarkable choice of tens of thousands of infertile couples whose only complaint is that the procedure is too difficult, uncertain, and expensive. What was once so deeply disturbing now seems to many people just another part of the modern world. Will the same be said one day of children with genetically enhanced intelligence, endurance, and other traits? Or will such attempts—if they occur at all—lead to extraordinary problems that are looked back upon as the ultimate in twenty-first century hubris? (Stock, 2006.) 12 • Artist Darryl Leja Courtesy of National Human Genome Research Institute (NNGRI) www.accessexcellence.org/RC/VL/GG/dna.html Eugenics Repackaged or Consumer Options? Figure 1. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions, or blueprints, for making all the structures and materials the body needs to function. Soon we may be altering the genes of our children to engineer key aspects of their character and physiology. The ethical and social consequences will be profound. We are standing at the threshold of an extraordinary, yet troubling, scientific dawn that has the potential to alter the very fabric of our lives, challenging what it means to be human, and perhaps redesigning our very selves. We are fast approaching the most consequential technological threshold in all of human history: the ability to alter the genes we pass to our children. Genetic engineering is already being carried out successfully on nonhuman animals. The gene that makes jellyfish fluorescent has been inserted into mice The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 embryos, resulting in glow-in-the-dark rodents. Other mice have had their muscle mass increased, or have been made to be more faithful to their partners, through the insertion of a gene into their normal genetic make-up. But this method of genetic engineering is thus far inefficient. In order to produce one fluorescent mouse, several go wrong and are born deformed. If human babies are ever to be engineered, the process would have to become far more efficient, as no technique involving the birth of severely defective human beings to create a “genetically enhanced being” will hopefully ever be tolerated by our society (Designing, 2005). Once humans begin genetically engineering their children for desired traits, we will have crossed a threshold of no return. The communities of the world are just beginning to understand the full implications of the new human genetic technologies. There are few civil society institutions, and there are no social or political movements, critically addressing the immense social, cultural, and psychological challenges these technologies pose. Until recently, the time scale for measuring change in the biological world has been tens of thousands, if not millions of years, but today it is hard to imagine what humans may be like in a few hundred years. The forces pushing humanity toward attempts at self-modification, through biological and technological advances, are powerful, seductive ones that we will be hard-pressed to resist. Some will curse these new technologies, sounding the death knell for humanity, envisioning the social, cultural, and moral collapse of our society and perhaps our civilization. Others see the same technologies as the ability to take charge of our own evolution, to transcend human limitations, and to improve ourselves as a species. As the human species moves out of its childhood, it is time to acknowledge our technological capabilities and to take responsibility for them. We have little choice, as the reweaving of the fabric of our genetic makeup has already begun. The Basic Science Biological entities are comprised of millions of cells. Each cell has a nucleus, and inside every nucleus are strings of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA carries the complete information regarding the function and structure of organisms ranging from plants and animals to bacterium. Genes, which are sequences of DNA, determine an organism’s growth, size, and other characteristics. Genes are the vehicle by which species transfer inheritable characteristics to successive generations. Genetic engineering is the process of artificially manipulating these inheritable characteristics. 13 • Genetic engineering in its broadest sense has been around for thousands of years, since people first recognized that they could mate animals with specific characteristics to produce offspring with desirable traits and use agricultural seed selectively. In 1863, Mendel, in his study of peas, discovered that traits were transmitted from parents to progeny by discrete, independent units, later called genes. His observations laid the groundwork for the field of genetics (Genetic, 2006). Modern human genetic engineering entered the scientific realm in the nineteenth century with the introduction of Eugenics. Although not yet technically considered “genetic engineering,” it represented society’s first attempt to scientifically alter the human evolutionary process. The practice of human genetic engineering is considered by some to have had its beginnings with in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978. IVF paved the way for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), also referred to as preimplantation genetic selection (PGS). PGD is the process by which an embryo is microscopically examined for signs of genetic disorders. Several genetically based diseases can now be identified, such as Downs Syndrome, Tay-Sachs Disease, Sickle Cell Anemia, Cystic Fibrosis, and Huntington’s disease. There are many others that can be tested for, and both medical and scientific institutes are constantly searching for and developing new tests. For these tests, no real genetic engineering is taking place; rather, single cells are removed from embryos using the same process as used during in vitro fertilization. These cells are then examined to identify which are carrying the genetic disorder and which are not. The embryos that have the genetic disorder are discarded, those that are free of the disorder are implanted into the woman’s uterus in the hope that a baby will be born without the genetic disorder. This procedure is fairly uncontroversial except with those critics who argue that human life starts at conception and therefore the embryo is sacrosanct and should not be tampered with. Another use for this technique is gender selection, which is where the issue becomes slightly more controversial. Some disorders or diseases are genderspecific, so instead of testing for the disease or disorder, the gender of the embryo is determined and whichever gender is “undesirable” is discarded. This brings up ethical issues of gender selection and the consequences for the gender balance of the human species. A more recent development is the testing of the embryos for tissue matching. The embryos are tested for a tissue match with a sibling that has already developed, or is in danger of developing, a genetic disease or disorder. The purpose is to produce a baby who can be a tissue donor. This type of The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 procedure was successfully used to cure a six-year-old-boy of a rare blood disorder after transplanting cells from his baby brother, who was created to save him. Doctors say the technique could be used to help many other children with blood and metabolic disorders, but critics say creating a baby in order to treat a sick sibling raises ethical questions (Genetic, 2006). The child, Charlie Whitaker, from Derbyshire, England, was born with Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a condition that prevented him from creating his own red blood cells. He needed transfusions every three weeks and drug infusions nearly every night. His condition was cured by a transplant of cells from the umbilical cord of his baby brother Jamie, who was genetically selected to be a donor after his parents’ embryos were screened to find one with a perfect tissue match. Three months after his transplant, Charlie’s doctors said that he was cured of Diamond Blackfan Anemia, and the prognosis is that Charlie can now look forward to a normal quality of life (Walsh, 2004). Is this the beginning of a slippery slope toward “designer” or “spare parts” babies, or is the result that there are now two healthy, happy children instead of one very sick child a justification to pursue and continue procedures such as this one? Policymakers and ethicists are just beginning to pay serious attention. A recent working paper by the President’s Council on Bioethics noted that “as genomic knowledge increases and more genes are identified that correlate with diseases, the applications for PGD will likely increase greatly,” including diagnosing and treating medical conditions such as cancer, mental illness, or asthma, and nonmedical traits such as temperament or height. “While currently a small practice,” the Council’s working paper declares, “PGD is a momentous development. It represents the first fusion of genomics and assisted reproduction—effectively opening the door to the genetic shaping of offspring (Rosen, 2003). In one sense PGD poses no new eugenic dangers. Genetic screening using amniocentesis has allowed parents to test the fitness of potential offspring for years. But PGD is poised to increase this power significantly: It will allow parents to choose the child they want, not simply reject the ones they do not want. It will change the overriding purpose of IVF, from a treatment for fertility to being able to pick and choose embryos like consumer goods—producing many, discarding most, and desiring only the chosen few. The next step in disease elimination is to attempt to refine a process known as “human germline engineering” or “human germline modification.” Whereas preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) affects only the immediate offspring, 14 • germline engineering seeks to affect the genes that are carried in the ova and sperm, thus eliminating the disease or disorder from all future generations, making it no longer inheritable. The possibilities for germline engineering go beyond the elimination of disease and open the door for modifications to human longevity, increased intelligence, increased muscle mass, and many other types of genetic enhancements. This application is by far the more consequential, because it opens the door to the alteration of the human species. The modified genes would appear not only in any children that resulted from such procedures, but in all succeeding generations. The term germline refers to the germ or germinal cells, i.e., the eggs and sperm. Genes are strings of chemicals that help create the proteins that make up the body. They are found in long coiled chains called chromosomes located in the nuclei of the cells of the body. Genetic modification occurs by inserting genes into living cells. The desired gene is attached to a viral vector, which has the ability to carry the gene across the cell membrane. Proposals for inheritable genetic modification in humans combine techniques involving in vitro fertilization, gene transfer, stem cells, and cloning. Germline modification would begin by using IVF to create a single-cell embryo or zygote. This embryo would develop for about five days to the blastocyst stage (very early embryo consisting of approximately 150 cells. It contains the inner cell mass, from which embryonic stem cells are derived, and an outer layer of cells called the trophoblast that forms the placenta. (It is approximately 1/10 the size of the head of a pin.) At this point embryonic stem cells would be removed. (Figure 2) These stem cells would be altered by adding genes using viral vectors. Colonies of altered stem cells would be grown and tested for successful incorporation of the new genes. Cloning techniques would be used to transfer a successfully modified stem cell nucleus into an enucleated egg cell. This “constructed embryo” would then be implanted into a woman’s uterus and brought to term. The child born would be a genetically modified human (Inheritable, 2003). Proponents of germline manipulation assume that once a gene implicated in a particular condition is identified, it might be appropriate and relatively easy to replace, change, supplement, or otherwise modify that gene. However, biological characteristics or traits usually depend on inter actions among many genes and, more importantly, the activity of genes is affected by various processes that occur both inside the organism and in its surroundings. This means that scientists cannot predict the full effect that any gene modification will have on the traits of people or other organisms. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Artist Darryl Leja Courtesy of National Human Genome Research Institute (NNGRI) www.accessexcellence.org/RC/VL/GG/blastocyst.html Sperm Egg (ovum) Fertilized egg Blastocyst Inner cell mass in cross section Figure 2. A preimplantation embryo of about 150 cells produced by cell division following fertilization. The blastocyst is a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophoblast), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass). There is no universally accepted ideal of biological perfection. To make intentional changes in the genes that people will pass on to their descendants would require that we, as a society, agree on how to classify “good” and “bad” genes. We do not have the necessary criteria, nor are there mechanisms for establishing such measures. Any formulation of such criteria would inevitably reflect particular current social biases. The definition of the standards and the technological means for implementing them would largely be determined by economically and socially privileged groups (Human, 2004). Summary “Designer babies” is a term used by journalists and commentators—not by scientists—to describe several different reproductive technologies. These technologies have one thing in common: they give parents more control over what their offspring will be like. Designer babies are made possible by progress in three fields: 1. Advanced Reproductive Technologies. In the decades since the first “test tube baby” was born, reproductive medicine has helped countless women conceive and bear children. Today there are hundreds of thousands of humans who were conceived thanks to in vitro fertilization. Other advanced reproductive technologies include frozen embryos, egg and sperm donations, surrogate motherhood, pregnancies by older women, and the direct injection of a sperm cell into an egg. 2. Cell and Chromosome Manipulation. The past decade has seen astonishing breakthroughs in our knowledge of cell structure. Our ability to transfer chromosomes (the long threads of DNA in each cell) has led to major developments in cloning. Our knowledge of stem cells will make many new therapies possible. As we learn more about how reproduction works at the cellular level, we 15 • will gain more control over the earliest stages of a baby’s development. 3. Genetics and Genomics. With the mapping of the human genome, our understanding of how DNA affects human development is only just beginning. Someday we might be able to switch bits of DNA on or off as we wish, or replace sections of DNA at will; research in that direction is already well underway. Human reproduction is a complex process. There are many factors involved in the reproduction process: the genetic constitution of the parents, the condition of the parents’ egg and sperm, and the health and behavior of the impregnated mother. When you consider the enormous complexity of the human genome, with its billions of DNA pairs, it becomes clear that reproduction will always have an element of unpredictability. To a certain extent we have always controlled our children’s characteristics through the selection of mates. New technologies will give us more power to influence our children’s “design”—but our control will be far from total (Designer, 2002). Since the term “designer babies” is so imprecise, it is difficult to untangle its various meanings so as to make judgments about which techniques are acceptable. Several different techniques have been discussed, such as screening embryos for high-risk diseases, selecting the sex of a baby, picking an embryo for specific traits, genetic manipulation for therapeutic reasons, and genetic manipulation for cosmetic reasons. Although, to date, none of these techniques are feasible, recent scientific breakthroughs and continued work by the scientific community will eventually make each a possibility in the selection process for the best possible embryo for implantation. Arguments for Designer Babies 1. Using whatever techniques are available to help prevent certain genetic diseases will protect children from suffering debilitating diseases and deformities and reduce the financial and emotional strain on the parents. If we want the best for our children, why shouldn’t we use the technology? 2. The majority of techniques available today can only be used by parents who need the help of fertility clinics to have children; since they are investing so much time and money in their effort to have a baby, shouldn’t they be entitled to a healthy one? 3. A great many naturally conceived embryos are rejected from the womb for defects; by screening embryos, we are doing what nature would normally do for us. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 4. Imagine the reaction nowadays if organ transplantation were to be prohibited because it is “unnatural”—even though that is what some people called for when transplantation was a medical novelty. It is hard to see how the replacement of a defective gene is any less “natural” than the replacement of a defective organ. The major difference is the entirely beneficial one that medical intervention need occur only once around the time of conception, and the benefits would be inherited by the child and its descendants. Arguments Against Designer Babies 1. We could get carried away “correcting” perfectly healthy babies. Once we start down the slippery slope of eliminating embryos because they are diseased, what is to stop us from picking babies for their physical or psychological traits? 2. There is always the looming shadow of eugenics. This was the motivation for some government policies in Europe and the United States in the first half of the twentieth century that included forced sterilizations, selective breeding, and “racial hygiene.” Techniques that could be used for designing babies will give us dangerous new powers to express our genetic preferences. 3. There are major social concerns—such as: Will we breed a race of super humans who look down on those without genetic enhancements? Will these new technologies only be available to the wealthy—resulting in a lower class that will still suffer from inherited diseases and disabilities? Will discrimination against people already born with disabilities increase if they are perceived as genetically inferior? 4. Tampering with the human genetic structure might actually have unintended and unpredictable consequences that could damage the gene pool. 5. Many of the procedures related to designing babies involve terminating embryos; many disapprove of this on moral and religious grounds. As our technical abilities progress, citizens will have to cope with the ethical implications of designer babies, and governments will have to define a regulatory course. We will have to answer some fundamental questions: How much power should parents and doctors have over the design of their children? How much power should governments have over parents and doctors? These decisions should be made based on facts and on our social beliefs. 16 • Activity What better place to expose our students to a developing technology that could eventually change the genetic makeup of the human species and affect the dynamics of politics, economics, morals, and cultural beliefs of our society than the technology education classroom? Winoa Morrissette-Johnson, a high school teacher in Alexandria, Virginia has designed an excellent two-day lesson plan that will allow students to: 1. Discover ethical issues surrounding the practice of genetic engineering in reproductive medicine. 2. Understand key terms and concepts related to the science of genetic engineering. This lesson plan can be accessed at: http://school.discovery. com/lessonplans/programs/geneticengineering/ References Designer Babies. (2002). The Center for the Study of Technology and Society. Retrieved September 14, 2006 from www.tecsoc.org/biotech/focusbabies.htm Designing Babies: The Future of Genetics. (2005). BBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2006 from http://news.bbc. co.uk/1/hi/health/590919.stm Genetic Engineering and the Future of Human Evolution. (2006). Future Human Evolution Organization. Retrieved September 19, 2006 from www.human-evolution.org/ geneticbasics.php Human Germline Manipulation. (2004). Council for Responsible Genetics. Retrieved October 18, 2006 from www.gene-watch.org/programs/cloning/germlineposition.html Inheritable Genetic Modification. (2003). Center for Genetics and Society. Retrieved October 05, 2006 from www.gene-watch.org/programs/cloning/germlineposition.html Rosen, C. (2003). The New Atlantis. A Journal of Technology and Society. Retrieved October 14, 2006 from www. thenewatlantis.com/archive/2/rosen.htm Stock, G. (2005). Best Hope, Worst Fear. Human Germline Engineering. Retrieved October 05, 2006 from http:// research.arc2.ucla.edu/pmts/germline/bhwf.htm Walsh, F. (2004). Brother’s Tissue “Cures” Sick Boy. BBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://news. bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3756556.stm The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her Stephen L. Baird is a technology education teacher at Bayside Middle School, Virginia Beach, Virginia and adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University. He can be reached via email at Stephen.Baird@ vbschools.com. • April 2007 Classroom Challenge The Jet Travel Challenge By Harry T. Roman Changing the basis of the process or product itself is called revolutionary innovation, or a paradigm shift. Introduction The foundation for all creative efforts is a real problem that needs to be solved. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” says the old bromide. Here is a real-world problem that tends to grate on every airplane traveler’s nerves. Who has not been dismayed by the long lines and seemingly chaotic activities that precede boarding a full airplane? How many of you have wondered if there might not be a better way to do all this? Surely, the one who can solve this problem is going to make many travelers happy. So why not challenge your students to create some alternatives to this now frustrating routine? In this challenge, the students should be open to: • Learning about airliner operation, and why and how the boarding process got to be the way it is. • Changing the way this boarding process is currently performed. • Developing new ideas for how airports are organized and run to promote a quicker, less frustrating way to board passengers. 17 • Who has not been dismayed by the…seemingly chaotic activities that precede boarding a full airplane? Essentially, the students are absolutely free to design a whole new way to board airline passengers. They can make the following assumptions: • Airport security rules will not be affected by their new process. • Passenger safety is not diminished in any way by changes. Getting Started Students should first understand why the loading of airliners is done the current way so as to gain perspective about how the process evolved and why. Is the passengerloading process the same for all airlines and different types of airplanes? The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 be the same). Variations, modifications, or incremental improvements to an existing process or product is called evolutionary innovation. Changing the basis of the process or product itself is called revolutionary innovation, or a paradigm shift. Electric ranges were evolutionary changes to cooking on stoves. Microwave ovens were paradigm shifts to cooking. Students might consider redesigning the interior of the jetliner. Can the students speak to airline professionals or aero nautical engineers to learn about passenger-loading processes? Perhaps it may be possible to invite one or more such individuals into the classroom to talk about airplane design, operation, loading, and exiting. A visit to a local airport is also a possibility to observe airline operations firsthand. Might information be available from airplane manu facturers? Perhaps contacting the manufacturers might disclose relevant information about how airliners are designed and operated. Is there a college nearby that offers aeronautical engineering courses where professors and students might be able to provide additional information? For instance, why not let the students also consider: • Having passengers board the plane from multiple entry points on the plane. • Redesigning the interior of the jet airliner itself to accommodate easier passenger access and loading. • Designing the boarding process for these changes. How might the considerations above affect the traditional boarding process now used to convey passengers to the plane entrance? There was a time when passengers boarded an airliner by walking directly onto the airplane parking area and climbed up a steel boarding stair ramp. What might multiple loading points for boarding passengers mean in terms of where and how they board the airliner? Does this mean a redesign of existing airports? Can such massive and expensive redesigns of airports be minimized through an elegant solution to this problem? To further stimulate your thinking, what might happen to airplane design and operation if the plane was an empty shell, loaded with separate floors/sections for cargo, luggage, Are the problems that boarding passengers experience due to the need to store carry-on bags efficiently; or is it the need to load the plane from back to front, so folks won’t block each other if they board in random fashion? Is the need to check each and every passenger’s ticket the real problem? It is important to get to the heart of the problem, the root cause of the time delay. Information is also likely to be found on the Internet, your school library, and industry periodicals and magazine articles. These additional sources should be referenced. A thorough search of the literature should be conducted. This will yield some ideas and preliminary recommendations for changes. Breaking the Paradigm Don’t be reticent about pushing the envelope of this challenge. It should not be restricted to simply improving an established boarding process (because that is the way it has always been and everyone assumes it will always 18 • Solving this problem would make many passengers happy. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 about taking on this challenge? How do you envision solving this very real, very practical problem? What a great segue for learning about airplanes, airports, aeronautical engineering, and the science of moving people efficiently and safely through time and space. and people? Is there anything similar to this concept, say, from the railroads, trucking, and freight hauling industries that might be borrowed or adapted? Can the loading of passengers be modularized? What might happen if a passenger and his/her seat are already a distinct module before they even get on the plane? Could the seat and person sitting in it simply move to the proper location on the plane…automatically? Maybe your carry-on baggage is stored under the seat you are sitting in, and no overhead storage is allowed at all. Can you visualize what this change in perspective might do to airliner design and loading efficiency? Harry T. Roman recently retired from his engineering job and is the author of a variety of new technology education books. He can be reached via email at htroman49@aol. com. Think about this: A train is nothing more than a collection of cars that are connected together for a specific purpose and for a certain length of time. The train is assembled in a modular and somewhat automated fashion, and disassembled the same way. Can this concept be adapted to the airline industry? What might happen to the layout of airports if such sweeping changes were made to airplane design? How do you think this might affect the way that aeronautical engineers design airplanes? What would you be concerned about if the plane came in separate sections that could be preassembled and then loaded or slid into place just before takeoff? This is a multi-dimensional problem challenge that everyone in the class can identify with, and should be able to reasonably consider. It is certainly a challenge that would lend itself to a team-based approach. Maybe the solution set here is to first improve the existing process and then redesign the modern jet airliner. I wonder what airline companies have on the drawing board. Airliners originally only had one level, and now the super jumbo variety have multiple levels. They once only had a single aisle; and now they have multiple aisles on wide-body models. Reality often starts with dreams that are eventually made technically, economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable. So what do you and your students think • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • april 2007 Teaching Engineering at the K–12 Level: Two Perspectives By Kenneth L. Smith and David Burghardt There must be a more direct infusion of appropriate mathematics and science with the unique technological content (tools, machines, materials, processes) for an effective engineering education program to exist. defended as the science community defending their mantra, “think like a scientist” as a noble skill. Well, science, until applied to enhance the designed world through engineering processes and techniques, has limited value in my opinion. Knowledge is a good thing; however, knowing how to apply such knowledge skillfully to improve human existence is a more worthy goal. The confusion over what technology education offers remains. There is great work being accomplished by the CATTS organization. Standards-based resources are being created that address content in technology education, mathematics, and science (MST). But I believe that the individuals who are calling for strong support for a national engineering education program, which I fully support, are correct and offer the next phase in the evolution of this dynamic content area. BURGHARDT: There seem to be several organizations 1. A major shift seems to be occurring in the amount of interest and action being given by the engineering community to teaching about engineering at the K–12 level. Please describe what you see happening. SMITH: I believe the shift has come from technology education professionals who have held a long-time belief that we missed the opportunity to pursue a national focus on engineering education as part of the Technology for All Americans Project. While that initiative was a major challenge and excellent work, it should have been our call to arms for launching a set of national standards for Engineering Education for All Americans. The arguments for such a movement have been clearly presented for the past ten years or more. Engineering as a valuable part of general education for all children is as easily 20 • that are becoming important to this effort—the ASEE K–12 division, the National Center for Technological Literacy at the Boston Museum of Science, the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (an NSF-supported center), the National Academy of Engineering, and Project Lead the Way. Within the engineering education community, more faculty are becoming interested in engineering education at the K–12 and college levels. This is in contrast to their emphasis on content disciplinary interests in years past. For instance, I have been teaching elementary and middle school teachers engineering design problem-solving methodology for the past ten years as part of a master’s degree in STEM education at Hofstra University. Engineers in industry are also very interested in having a voice, in participating in the K–12 educational process. We have had excellent support from corporate engineers on a number of grants for middle and high school teachers. This support ranges from serving on advisory boards to actually participating in workshops with teachers and students. There is a tremendous desire to The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 help, and in the process of learning to help, the engineering community (academic and corporate) is beginning to become aware of the multiple demands placed on teachers. I believe the desire to help has a multiplicity of sources, some stemming from the wish that more students would consider engineering as a career choice, others from the desire that students become more technologically able and literate whether or not they intend to be future engineers. There is a move in some states, such as Massachusetts, to have (and assess) engineering and technology standards K–12. The Boston Museum of Science is creating engineering curriculum materials for elementary school teachers. Certainly curriculum materials exist for middle and high school teachers that have an engineering influence, such as the middle school text Mike Hacker and I coauthored, Technology Education—Learning by Design. Project Lead the Way has taken a strong role in providing engineering/technology education curriculum material at the high school and now middle school levels. 2. There is an ongoing discussion about what con stitutes engineering education and what constitutes technology education. What is your quick perspec tive of the commonalities and differences? SMITH: The technological literacy standards project offers two significant features that serve both fields well. That is, the standards have been written to address what students should know and be able to do. This approach is solid and should be cherished. I strongly feel that Chapters 5 and 6 in the standards document (Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (STL) [ITEA, 2000/2002]) offer the most direct connection to engineering education. These chapters focus on the concept of design and the abilities to apply the design process to create new products and systems. This is what the engineering community does for us. The process of design and engineering delivers the valuable resources humans use each day as defined in Chapter 7, the designed world technologies. Both fields require a fundamental understanding of technological development and the impact that it has created for society. However, engineering education takes the issue of authentic application of science and mathematics to a much more sophisticated and real level. That is, the “engineering process” requires a deeper understanding and sophistication of mathematics and scientific principles in order to effectively design and construct a useful product or system. I suggest that the work done in Maryland as part of the 1993 Maryland Curricular Framework for Technology Education be explored further with respect to nine fundamental “core technologies” 21 • identified by the engineering community at that time. These nine core technologies offer a sound foundation of study throughout a K–12 engineering program. These core technologies could be included easily with Standard 2 in the STL document—The core concepts of technology. These fundamental technologies include: mechanical, structural, fluid, electrical, electronics, optical, thermal, biotechnical, and materials. This rigor in engineering education, especially in mathematics and science, would require a very different approach to teacher preparation. That presents the most significant difference between the two programs. Currently, technology education teachers are “unarmed” with respect to delivering a quality, rigorous, and challenging engineering program. There must be a more direct infusion of appropriate mathematics and science with the unique technological content (tools, machines, materials, processes) for an effective engineering education program to exist. I believe the CATTS materials being developed using the Engineering byDesign™ approach have established a strong foundation for a new program—engineering education. The use of national standards in mathematics, science, and technology to develop instructional materials is essential for a successful engineering education initiative along with a fundamental course exploring the nine core technologies as described above. BURGHARDT: I believe there are tremendous commonalities that lie in the study of the human-made world, such as the impact of technology on society and how it transforms society, technological literacy, and with design as a problem-solving technique. However, there has not been enough thought given to engineering design from a pedagogical perspective. I believe this problem-solving strategy can be effectively used from kindergarten to high school, though not all engineering educators may share this view. The major difference between the two disciplines relates to mathematics; not math as a content area, but as a way of modeling systems. In general, technology education practice has a “build and test” approach to design, while engineers want to develop physical models of the actual physical system, then create mathematical models that describe the physical models. This is much of what engineering education focuses on—engineering analysis, the creation of physical models, and expressing these models in mathematical terms. This allows for predicting system behavior and understanding the factors that affect performance. The actual physical design is tested, just as in the technology education approach, and its performance is compared to the theoretical model. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 3. Is there enough difference in what the engineering community is doing that would create a need for K–12 engineering standards that are different from Standards for Technological Literacy? Why or why not? SMITH: Again, I think the most direct solution for a meaningful and appropriate engineering education program is to generate a national standards document that blends “selected” standards in mathematics (NCTM), science (AAAS), and technology (STL) at all grade levels to ensure an appropriately rigorous and sophisticated program that helps students “think like an engineer.” It is the process of DESIGN that engineers perform in their work that has such significant value for all Americans, even though most will not pursue a career in engineering. Most Americans do not pursue a career in mathematics or science, yet we have established the knowledge and skills in these domains as essential, especially at higher levels of sophistication. I ask, “Why?” I believe it is more valuable to establish a content area that offers a reason to know how to apply appropriate mathematics and science in the solution of authentic and challenging problems facing humanity, not just continued acquisition of knowledge about the natural world. There must be a place in general studies that allows students to “put it all together.” Such a place would be the engineering education classroom/ laboratory. BURGHARDT: I realize there is an effort within the engineering education community to develop K–12 engineering standards. I do not think this is wise. While the Standards for Technological Literacy document fails to address all the concerns of the engineering education community, it does address many of them. I think this could be an ideal time to revise Standards for Technological Literacy. STL does not address the engineering modeling concerns, does not link to math or science standards (as AAAS Project 2061 does), and there are inconsistencies in the organizational format that could be improved. The differences and commonalities could be melded into one document that would unite the engineering and technology education communities to build a broader base of support. 4. Series of courses are now evolving that are mathematics-, science-, and technological literacybased for the elementary through secondary level. Are those courses needed to stimulate and give practice to students thinking about being future engineers, technologists, architects, and more—or is some other type of course work needed? 22 • SMITH: I strongly believe that the current effort by the CATTS consortium, using the Engineering byDesign™ process, is a viable solution for instructional resources in engineering education. These materials have blended national standards in mathematics, science, and technology at appropriate levels of understanding. I have had the opportunity to participate as an author and reviewer of these new documents and find them to be worthy of critical review by professionals in engineering and education to determine the instructional value for a new program—engineering education. I believe this body of work to have significant merit. These courses, when completed, could offer the best possible collection of materials to deliver a more rigorous, challenging, and exciting program for students in our schools. Of course, there is always room for editing and refinement of such materials, with constant updates as appropriate. I also encourage the use of ABET guidelines in the creation of these or future instructional materials. BURGHARDT: I do not believe there is a research base to support the contention that K–12 STEM courses are needed to encourage students to consider careers as engineers and technologists, no matter how intuitive that appeal may appear. Certainly such research is needed, but in previous generations students considered these career paths without specialized courses. I would argue for teachers learning and having students use the engineering design approach to problem solving as a way of thinking. This allows for a link to core academic disciplines—math, science, and language arts—and a continuous connection to the designed, human-made world. This can be incorporated into the existing K–5 school day, a day already overcrowded with push-ins, pull-outs and nonacademic, though important, agenda items. There is a lot of repetition in children’s educational experience, especially when teachers use test prep questions as curriculum. Design can be introduced as a pedagogical strategy. At the middle and high school levels, integrative engineering and technology STEM courses could be useful in providing contextualization of mathematical and scientific concepts. The more engineering and technology education courses that are STEM-based, the broader will be the support base for these courses. 5. How would you compare the student outcomes expected from engineering courses with what you would expect from a technological literacy course in our schools? SMITH: Student outcomes would be based on performance from the standards that would be established. As I mentioned, a new set of standards that combines mathematics, science, The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 and technology has been used in the new CATTS documents. Assessment limits along with unit and end-of-course assessments have also been created with these resources. Student expectations and performance would be based on this new collection of standards as identified in the various units found in each course. These units have been developed using the Planning Learning document from ITEA, which provides excellent direction for the “Big Ideas” in each unit. Continued use of the current ITEA Planning Learning resources combined with “selected” standards at appropriate grade levels from mathematics, science, and technology education would present a clear and direct description for student outcomes in a new engineering education program, K–12. Currently, technology education programs in our schools reflect the STL standards only. I view this as a significant limitation. A viable engineering education program will require a math, science, technology (MST) synthesis with ABET guidelines from standards, instruction, and assessment of student work. I believe a new model has to be developed. There are a few universities that are exploring this need. Johns Hopkins in Baltimore has an active group working to survey and move forward with a program description for Engineering Education as part of their Engineering School. In effect, this would offer individuals interested in engineering the opportunity to complete a rigorous new program with significant emphasis in mathematics and science abilities, combined with dynamic courses in materials, fluids, optical, structural, and mechanical systems (similar to the core technologies discussed earlier). Development of these courses would be based around standards in mathematics, science, and technology. The current STL standards would be used and valued, but the inclusion of mathematics (NCTM) and science (AAAS) must be addressed as well. BURGHARDT: I think of these as two different types of I continually encourage my current technology education teachers to pursue additional core subject endorsements via the Praxis II examination or course work at a local college for mathematics and/or science. I strongly believe this is essential for delivery of a rigorous and challenging program, certainly in technology education, but especially a new program in engineering education. 6. Would you expect the background of a person The benefits of multiple certifications for teachers in our fields are quite evident. As our nation tries to ensure highly qualified instructors in all content areas as part of NCLB legislation, every local school district must strive to encourage teachers to obtain as many certifications as possible, especially in the core subject fields. For technology education or engineering education, that must include mathematics and/or science endorsements. Hopefully, our teachers will realize this need and respond. I also hope our teacher preparation institutions will review their programs and make appropriate changes. We have so much to gain through this one strategy—more education and certification. courses; both are very useful and important educationally. I would describe technological literacy courses as ones discussing the history of technology in society, the impacts, good and bad, that technology has had, and discussing technologies from a “how it works” perspective. An engineering course could include “how it works” information, but in general would address technical content from a design and modeling approach. Engineering analysis would be an important element to the course, and there would be strong connections to math and science. There is a particularly strong connection to mathematics because of the modeling aspect. equipped to teach engineering-oriented courses to be any different than for technological literacy courses? Why? There is no doubt that if a math, science, and technology-based engineering education program were developed, the preservice and inservice requirements for instructors would have to change. I have always agreed with my colleagues who have felt our technology education teachers are not prepared to teach a comprehensive engineering education program. They are simply unarmed for the task. I have lobbied for a long time that our teacher preparation institutions rethink their approach and course offerings for preparing technology education teachers. This would be especially true if these institutions were to prepare engineering education instructors. 23 • BURGHARDT: Yes, based on the differences in student learning outcomes as noted previously. The teacher needs a good analytical background so he/she is comfortable with modeling and predictive analysis. The overlap in teacher technology education and engineering curriculum is strong in the technological literacy area. However, the academic background of many technology education teachers does not include engineering predictive analysis, the background needed for modeling. There would need to be an increase in the mathematics requirements for technology education teachers as, in general, the current math requirements are not sufficient to teach them predictive modeling analysis. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Conclusion: SMITH: There are many educators around the country who feel strongly that engineering education is a content area whose time has come and has been long overdue. I want to mention one such person, who presented his ideas in a recent article in Science Magazine, Vol. 311, March 2006. His name is Ioannis Miaoulis. He has a science background, but presents his interest in engineering education with great passion. I too share this passion. Ioannis has led the way for engineering standards to be developed and adopted in Massachusetts. His campaign has moved to a national effort. He has led the way for a National Center for Technological Literacy, a non-profit organization with substantial funds to date, and has developed an elementary school curriculum and an engineering course for high school students. Ioannis states that his dream is “to have the human-made world be a part of the curriculum in every school in the country within the next decade.” I share this passion and dream. I believe substantial work has been accomplished towards this goal. However, much work remains to be done. I only hope a national focus will be embraced and fast-tracked into our schools. The dividends will be enormous for our place in a highly competitive global economy. BURGHARDT: As we analyze the differences and similarities of engineering and technology education, the real focus needs to be on students and how we can improve their understanding of and appreciation for the technological world while deepening their knowledge in mathematics and science. A tall order, but one I think STEM-based engineering/ technology education can meaningfully contribute to. INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT Graphic Communications and Digital Imaging Technology 24 • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her Kenneth L. Smith is Instructional Supervisor for Career and Technology Education at St. Mary’s County Public Schools, Leonardtown, Maryland. He can be reached at klsmith@ smcps.org M. David Burghardt, Ph.D. is a professor of Engineering and Co-Director of the Center for Technological Literacy at Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. Ad Index Autodesk.........................................................C-4 CNC Mastercam...........................................C-2 Goodheart-Willcox Publisher....................... 19 Pitsco, Inc......................................................... 38 Kelvin Electronics..............................................4 Learn. Do. Earn. .................................................i Millersville University.................................... 24 Old Dominion University.............................. 31 SolidWorks.....................................................C-3 • April 2007 Designing and Building a Cardboard Chair: Children’s Engineering at the TECA Eastern Regional Conference By Charles C. Linnell Being able to design and build a cardboard chair in four hours that will support a student, be ergonomically correct, and include in the design the five forces that affect engineered structures is no simple feat. Introduction In February of 2006 the Technology Education Collegiate Association (TECA) held its annual eastern regional conference in Virginia Beach, VA. One event that has seen growing interest and participation is the elementary competition. It is sponsored by the Technology Education for Children Council (TECC), an affiliate council of ITEA. For the last four years the elementary competitions have all been different and challenging, usually based on an elementary design theme. These elementary competitions are important for future technology education teachers because they allow them to transfer and adapt the technological content and skills they are learning in their universities to a unique venue: the elementary classroom. Normally, technology education teachers are assigned to a middle or high school; rarely do they have an opportunity to work with elementary students or their teachers. These 25 • competitive elementary events promote the inclusion of the Grades K–2 and 3–5 Standards for Technological Literary: Content for the Study of Technology (STL) (ITEA, 2000/2002) and their benchmarks. This gives the preservice teachers, who may be interested in teaching technology to children, an opportunity to explore age-appropriate teaching strategies and techniques. Almost all children, at one time or another, have used cardboard to make an imaginary house, fort, vehicle, furniture, or even a space station. A new appliance usually comes shipped in a nice cardboard box. Children often use the discarded cardboard box for designing and making just about every kind of structure they can imagine. Children can also use the cardboard to make usable furniture, such as tables, shelves, and chairs that they can actually sit on. A good design-and-build activity for an elementary classroom would have cooperative groups or individual children making cardboard chairs. This activity could be used to incorporate: the design process, measuring and mathematics, safely using tools, group processing at the beginning and end of the project, and a discussion of different manufacturing processes. As teachers would observe students’ progress they could ask questions such as: What makes some cardboard structures stronger than others? Why do other designs support more weight? What’s the best way to orient, combine, and join the cardboard for maximum strength? How do you design a chair that you can lean back on? What’s the best way to hold the different parts of the chair together? How do you keep the chair from wobbling and twisting when you sit on it? How do you keep the seat or back from tearing and breaking? These are some of the questions that the teams of technology education students from nine different universities had to solve as they were designing and building cardboard chairs at the 2006 TECA Eastern Regional elementary competition. The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Teams from nine universities competed to produce a functional cardboard chair. Each team began by developing a plan of procedure with idea sketches. The latest competition required the teams (four or five to a team) from universities up and down the East Coast to design and produce a functional cardboard chair. The chair needed to be strong enough to support a college student and designed using basic ergonomic principles. The competitors were to explain how the five forces that affect engineered structures were considered when designing and building their chairs. The five forces are: compression, tension, bending, shear, and torsion (Hutchinson and Karsnitz, 1994). These forces are shown in Figure 1. began by developing a plan of procedure with idea sketches, which progressed to more detailed measured drawings. They started by analyzing the materials and tools provided. Each team was provided with ten sheets of 40" x 50", single wall, 5/32" thick, standard corrugate material. The Competition Teams were given four hours to complete the project, so, in order to finish the chair and follow the guidelines of the competition, time management was important. Each team Each team had a large table for a work surface and was supplied with the necessary tools, including an X-acto® knife, metal yardstick, markers, white glue, hot glue gun, double-stick tape, and regular masking tape. Time was a factor, and the teams had to work fast and efficiently. They delegated certain tasks to students, or groups of students, who had strengths in areas such as design and fabrication. Each team began brainstorming ideas for getting maximum support from a minimum amount of corrugate material. Compression is when the load is applied to the top of a structure. Tension is load applied along the structure in a pulling action. Shear is when forces are exerted on the same plane but opposite. Torsion describes forces that try to twist the structure apart. Here are the five forces that designers need to consider when building an engineered structure. Bending is like a bookshelf loaded down with heavy books. Figure 1 26 • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Teams needed to capitalize on the strength of the cardboard by combining it and/or forming it into different shapes. All the teams seemed to realize that in order to support the weight of a student, they would need to capitalize on the strength of the cardboard by combining it and/or forming it into different shapes, structural beams, or columns. The teams also had to consider the five forces affecting the structure in their design. When the chair was to be tested, how would they keep it from twisting (torsion)? How would the chair keep from pulling apart (tension)? What would keep the parts of the chair from sagging or tearing (bending and shear)? What would keep it from collapsing when a student sat on it (compression)? Many of these structural design questions were tested through trial and error, and through a process of elimination each team selected what it considered its optimum design and began building. Elementary Applications The K–2 and 3–5 STL elementary standards and benchmarks are excellent for providing guidelines for teachers to introduce design and technological content into their daily instruction. Teaching that all human-made things have to be designed and that there is a difference between the natural world and the human-made world is important for providing a foundation of technological understanding for children and their teachers. Middle school and high school technology classrooms and labs are common. However, elementary teachers who include design and technological activities in their curriculum are rare. This is probably because the standard preservice elementary curriculum is already packed with teaching methods and elementary subject-specific courses, i.e., mathematics, language arts, reading, science, social studies, health, and more. There are some schools and organizations in the USA that are promoting and teaching elementary technology education. For example, in Virginia there is a thriving Children’s Engineering Educators organization of elementary teachers and administrators who provide excellent inservice opportunities as well as an annual 27 • Teams selected what they considered their optimum design and began building. Children’s Engineering Convention held each year in Richmond (Children’s Engineering Educators, LLC, 2006). Having helped facilitate the elementary competition at the TECA Eastern regional, the author has observed growing enthusiasm in preservice technology education teachers for elementary/children’s engineering and design activities. During the competition, the level of creativity and innovation visibly increases as the university students adapt elementary applications from their own experiences and from the K–2 and 3–5 STL standards. Traditionally, the technology education students are “learn by doing” types who like to design solutions to problems by using tools and techniques. It is also important for them to see the relevance of including design and technological activities in the elementary curriculum, letting children experience that all human-made things first have to be designed, and then people have to use tools and skills to make what was designed. But, this is nothing new in elementary education. In the early twentieth century boys and girls were taught about industry and learned about tools and their uses in the elementary classroom by teachers who were predominantly female (Zuga, 1996). Completing the Competition Being able to design and build a cardboard chair in four hours that will support a student, be ergonomically correct, and include in the design the five forces that affect engineered structures is no simple feat. It required teamwork and communication among the participants. The finished products were all very impressive. Some were The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Some chairs did not withstand the rigorous testing. References The finished products were all very impressive. designed with function as the primary goal. These chairs were very solid and structurally sound. Some were designed to be first aesthetically pleasing, and second structurally sound. Some of these chairs did not withstand the rigorous testing. All of the technology education students who participated in the competition completed their chairs and left with another way to align technology education with elementary education. Children’s Engineering Educators, LLC, (2006). About CEE. Retrieved September 26, 2006, from Children’s Engineering Educators, LLC Web site www. childrensengineering.com/aboutus.htm Hutchinson, J. and Karsnitz, J. (1994). Design and problem solving in technology. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers Inc. International Technology Education Association (ITEA) (2000/2002). Standards for technological literacy: Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author. Zuga, K. F. (1996). Reclaiming the voices of female and elementary school educators in technology education. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 33(3), 23-43. Charles C. Linnell, Ed.D., is an associate professor of Teacher Education at Clemson University, Clemson, SC. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. Some chairs were very solid and structurally sound. 28 • The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Interview with Dr. William A. Wulf W illiam A. Wulf has served as President of the National Academy of Engineers since 1996. His second term will be completed in July, 2007, at which time he will return to the faculty at the University of Virginia. He has built a reputation as NAE’s “education president” because of the changes that he has brought about in staffing, emphasizing education in all parts of engineering, and his careful guidance in leading by example. Dr. Wulf was the cochair of the NAE Task Force charged with conducting a formal review of Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology. During his tenure with the academies, Dr. Wulf has overseen hundreds of projects and reports that have provided guidance to our country in technology and engineering initiatives. Dr. Wulf agreed to respond to the following interview questions. The formal review of Standards for Technological Literacy was completed in the year 2000. Having had time to reflect upon the standards and watch changes occurring in engineering and education, how do you feel about the quality and direction of those standards? I had the occasion to reread the standards just a few weeks ago in connection with a personal project to define a college-level course on technological literacy for liberal arts majors. It was a pleasant reminder of both the content of the standards and the process ITEA and the NAE used to refine them. To answer your question—I still feel very good about them. There seems to be confusion between what constitutes engineering at the K–12 level versus what constitutes technological literacy at that same level. What is your perspective related to the terminology and work being completed using these terms? Let me start by clarifying what I mean by “engineering” and “technology” when I am being precise, although I realize that the general public doesn’t make a clear distinction and I’m not always as precise as I should be. 29 • First, note that scientists use the word “science” to mean two quite different things. Sometimes they mean the process, the scientific method, by which we they establish truth about the natural world. At other times they mean the body of knowledge resulting from that process—Newton’s Laws, the Germ Theory of Disease, etc. Engineering is the process that we use to design artifacts to satisfy human wants and needs. Technology is the collection of artifacts and the associated knowledge that results from that process. Some of both are needed in K–12—indeed are needed by the general public! Students and citizens don’t need to be engineers or know how every artifact works in detail. However, we live in the most technologically dependent society of all time, and a degree of technological literacy is essential to simply being a citizen capable of informed discussion of many of the major issues facing our democracy. What are the larger engineering challenges that you see The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Scientists use the word “science” to mean two quite different things. facing us as a society in the years ahead? Perhaps it is simply because I have been at the NAE for over ten years, and hence at the nexus of engineering and public policy—but, more than anything else, I see a strong need for engineers and engineering thinking to be more involved in the formation of public policy. The number of critical public policy issues that involve technology is huge—consider energy policy (including a hydrogen economy), climate change, plans to remediate the Everglades, exploration of space, national and homeland security, etc. In each of these cases a critical question is whether or not we can engineer technology to solve one or more aspects of the problem. Unfortunately both our policymakers and the public are technologically illiterate. In many cases they are easily duped by simplistic descriptions of “solutions” that are actually technical nonsense. 30 • The number of critical public policy issues that involve technology is huge. I remember when we were working on Standards for Technological Literacy, I said many times that it would be nice to have technological literacy courses, but I would be happiest if technology were in existing civics classes, history classes, etc. I feel even more strongly about that now. “I would be happiest if technology were in existing civics classes, history classes, etc.” The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 What would you like to see happen at the K–12 level of education in order to address these challenges? I think I answered this above, but to reiterate, my ideal would be for technological literacy to diffuse into the entire K–12 curriculum—in effect mirroring the way that engineering and technology impact all aspects of modern life. NAE has completed projects that have researched and reported work in publications such as Technically Speaking, The Engineer of 2020, and Tech Tally. What do you see as the next major effort needed to advance the study of technological literacy? In the short run, we are planning to do a couple of things. One is to translate the standards into more concrete suggested curriculum and supporting materials. The other is to create and test an instrument for measuring technological literacy. I think of both as exploratory feasibility demonstrations, not final definitive ones. We are not the right people to do the latter. In the longer run, we will have to nurture this field in ways that I cannot predict; we’ll just have to see what is needed at each moment. The important thing to keep in mind is that this is going to be a decadeslong effort. Moreover, we need to expand beyond K–12 to include, for example, undergraduate and informal education. . Thomas Jefferson said that we could not have a democracy without an informed citizenry—that is, citizens of a democracy need to understand the issues facing them in order to be wise stewards of that democracy. I am afraid that is not the case now, and our democracy is at risk as a result. This is simply too important to think that any short-term action is going to fix the problem. 31 • Citizens of a democracy need to understand the issues facing them in order to be wise stewards of that democracy. Graduate Study M.S. and Ph.D. Programs Darden College of Education Courses Available Via Televised and Video-Streamed Distance Technologies Technology Education Career and Technical Education Human Resources - Training For more information: Dr. John M. Ritz 757-683-4305 [email protected] http://education.odu.edu/ots/ The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her • April 2007 Benefits to students: World-Class Teaching Cutting-Edge Innovation Course Accessibility International Perspectives Inspiring Leaders 2007 Directory of ITEA Institutional Members GEORGIA For further information, contact the faculty member listed. INDIANA 1,2,4 A Georgia Southern University Dept. of Teaching and Learning PO Box 8134, College of Education Statesboro, GA 30460-8134 912-871-1549 http://studentorg.georgiasouthern. edu/techedu [email protected] Dr. N. Creighton Alexander, DTE LEGEND Degrees 1 Bachelor’s Degree 2 Master’s Degree 3 Fifth Year Program 4 Sixth Year Program 5 Advanced Standing Certificate 6 Doctoral Degree 7Continuing Education Seminars/ Workshops/Conferences 1,2,6,7 B,C,D,E The University of Georgia Dept. of Workforce Education, Leadership and Social Foundations 223 River’s Crossing Building Athens, GA 30602-4809 706-542-4503 • FAX 706-542-4054 www.uga.edu/teched/index.html [email protected] Dr. Robert Wicklein, DTE Financial Aid Offered A Undergraduate Scholarships B Research Assistantships C Teaching Assistantships D Scholarships E Fellowships F Other ILLINOIS ARKANSAS 1,2,3,5,6,7 A,B,C,D,E University of Arkansas Dept. of Curriculum & Instruction/ Technology Education 214 Peabody Hall Fayetteville, AR 72701 4758-4758-4758 • FAX 479-575-3319 http://vaed.uark.edu/3668.htm [email protected] Dr. Michael Daugherty AUSTRALIA 1,2,6,7 Griffith University School of Education and Professional Studies Mt Gravatt Campus 170 Kessels Road Nathan Queensland 4111 Australia www17.griffith.edu.au/cis [email protected] Dr. Margarita Pavlova 32 • Chicago State University Technology and Education 9501 S. King Drive, ED 203 Chicago, IL 60628 773-995-3807 www.csu.edu/CollegeofEducation/ TechnologyEducation [email protected] Sylvia Gist Eastern Illinois University School of Technology 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920-3099 217-581-3226 [email protected] Dr. Mahyar R. Izadi 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D Illinois State University Dept. of Technology 210 Turner Hall , Campus Box 5100 Normal, IL 61790-5100 309-438-7862 • FAX 309-438-8628 www.tec.ilstu.edu [email protected] Dr. Chris Merrill The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her 1,2 A,B,C,D Ball State University Dept. of Technology Applied Technology Building Rm 131 Muncie, IN 47306-0255 765-285-5641 • FAX 765-285-2162 www.bsu.edu/technology [email protected] Dr. Jack W. Wescott, DTE 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D,E Indiana State University Industrial Technology Education College of Technology Terre Haute, IN 47809 800-468-5236 • FAX 812-237-2655 http://web.indstate.edu/ite/home.html [email protected] Dr. Anthony F. Gilberti 1,2,6 A,B,D,C,E Purdue University Dept. of Industrial Technology 401 N. Grant Street, Knoy Hall West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021 765-494-1101 www.tech.purdue.edu/it [email protected] Dr. Niaz Latif IOWA 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D University of Northern Iowa Dept. of Industrial Technology 1222 West 27th Street Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0178 319-273-2561 • FAX 319-273-5818 www.uni.indtech.edu [email protected] [email protected] Dr. Mohammed Fahmy Dr. Charles Johnson KANSAS 1,2,7 A,B,D Fort Hays State University Technology Studies Department 600 Park Street Hays, KS 67601-4099 785-628-4315 • FAX 785-628-4267 www.fhsu.edu/tecs [email protected] Dr. Fred Ruda • April 2007 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D Pittsburg State University Dept. of Technology Studies 1701 S. Broadway Pittsburg, KS 66762 620-235-4371 • FAX 620-235-4020 www.pittstate.edu/tst [email protected] Dr. John L. Iley KENTUCKY 1,2,3,7 A,B Alcorn State University Dept. of Advanced Technologies 1000 ASU Drive #360 Fayette, MS 39096-7500 601-877-6493 [email protected] Dr. David K. Addae MASSACHUSETTS MISSOURI 1 A,D,F Berea College Dept. of Technology and Industrial Arts CPO 2188 Berea, KY 40404 859-985-3033 x5501 • FAX 859-986-4506 www.berea.edu/tec/tec.home.html [email protected] Dr. Gary Mahoney 1,2,7 Fitchburg State College Dept. of Industrial Technology 160 Pearl Street Fitchburg, MA 01420-2697 978-665-3255 www.fsc.edu [email protected] Dr. James Alicata 1,2,3 A,B,D Eastern Kentucky University Dept. of Technology 521 Lancaster Avenue 307 Whalin Technology Complex Richmond, KY 40475-3102 859-622-3232 • FAX 859-622-2357 www.technology.eku.edu [email protected] Dr. William E. Davis 1,2,3,6,7 A,B,C,D,E Lemelson-MIT Program Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams MIT School of Engineering 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E60-215 Cambridge, MA 02139 617-253-3352 www.web.mit.edu/invent [email protected] Joshua Schuler MAINE MICHIGAN 1,2,7 A,D University of Southern Maine Department of Technology 37 College Avenue Gorham, ME 04038-1088 207-780-5440 • FAX 207-780-5129 [email protected] Dr. Fred Walker 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D,E Eastern Michigan University School of Technology Studies 122 Sill Hall Ypsilanti, MI 48197 734-487-1161 • FAX 734-487-7690 www.emich.edu [email protected] John Boyless, Director MARYLAND 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D,E University of Maryland Baltimore County 1000 Hilltop Circle E 210/ME Department Baltimore, MD 21250 410-455-3308 • FAX 410-455-1052 www.umbc.edu [email protected] Dr. Anne Spence 33 • MISSISSIPPI 1,2,5,6,7 A,C,D University of Maryland-Eastern Shore Dept. of Technology 11931 Art Shell Plaza-UMES Campus Princess Anne, MD 21853-1299 410-651-6468 • FAX 410-651-7959 www.umes.edu/tech [email protected] Dr. Leon L. Copeland, Sr. A,B MINNESOTA 1,2,5,7 A,B St. Cloud State University Environmental & Technological Studies 720 – 4th Ave. S. Headley Hall 203 St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498 320-308-3235 • FAX 320-654-5122 www.stcloudstate.edu/ets [email protected] Dr. Anthony E. Schwaller, DTE The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her 1,2,7 A,B,C,D University of Central Missouri Dept. of Career and Technology Education 120 Grinstead Building Warrensburg, MO 64093-5034 660-543-4304 • FAX 660-543-8031 www.cmsu.edu/x58257.xml [email protected] Dr. Ben Yates, DTE MONTANA 1,2 A,C Montana State University Dept. of Education 118 Cheever Hall Bozeman, MT 59717 406-994-3201 • FAX 406-994-6696 www.montana.edu/wwwad [email protected] Scott Davis NEBRASKA 1,2 A,C,D Wayne State College Dept. of Technology and Applied Science 1111 Main Street Wayne, NE 68787-1600 402-375-7279 • FAX 402-375-7565 www.wsc.edu [email protected] Dr. Judy Lindberg NEW JERSEY 1,2,7 A,D,F The College of New Jersey Dept. of Technological Studies PO Box 7718 Ewing, NJ 08628-0718 609-771-2543 • FAX 609-771-3330 www.tcnj.edu/~tstudies/ [email protected] Dr. John Karsnitz • April 2007 NEW YORK NORTH DAKOTA OKLAHOMA 7 F Hofstra University Center for Technological Literacy 113 HU Gallon Wing Room 243 Hempstead, NY 11549-1130 6482-6482-6482 • FAX 516-463-4430 www.hofstra.edu/Academics/ SOEAHS/TEC/ [email protected] Dr. David Burghardt 1,2,7 A,C,D University of North Dakota Dept. of Technology PO Box 7118 Grand Forks, ND 58202-7118 701-777-2249 [email protected] Dr. Dave Yearwood 1,2,7 A,C,D,F Southwestern Oklahoma State University Dept. of Industrial and Engineering Technology 100 Campus Drive Weatherford, OK 73096-3098 580-774-3162 • FAX 580-774-7028 www.swosu.edu/academics/tech/ [email protected] Dr. Gary Bell 1,2,5 The College of Saint Rose Dept. of Applied Technology Education 432 Western Avenue Albany, NY 12203-1490 518-454-5279 www.strose.edu [email protected] Dr. Travis Plowman A,D,F 1,2 NY State University at Oswego Dept. of Technology Washington Blvd. 209 Park Hall Oswego, NY 13126-3599 315-312-3011 www.oswego.edu/tech [email protected] Philip Gaines 1,2,7 A,D Valley City State University Dept. of Technology 101 College St SW Valley City, ND 58072 701-845-7444 • FAX 701-845-7245 http://teched.vcsu.edu [email protected] Dr. Don Mugan OHIO C NORTH CAROLINA 1,2,7 A,B,D Appalachian State University Dept. of Technology Kerr Scott Hall, ASU Box 32122 Boone, NC 28608-2122 828-262-6352 www.tec.appstate.edu/te/technology_ education.html [email protected] Dr. Jerianne Taylor 1,2,6,7 B,C North Carolina State University Mathematics, Science & Technology Education Box 7801 Raleigh, NC 27695-7801 919-515-1748 • FAX 919-515-6892 http://ced.ncsu.edu/mste/tech_index. html [email protected] Dr. William J. Haynie 34 • 1,2,7 Kent State University College of Technology PO Box 5190 Kent, OH 44242-0001 330-672-2040 www.tech.kent.edu/tech [email protected] Dr. Lowell S. Zurbuch A,B,C 1,2,6,7 A,B,C,D,E Bowling Green State University Dept. of Visual Communication & Technology Education 260 Technology Bowling Green, OH 43402 419-372-2437 www.bgsu.edu [email protected] Dr. Larry Hatch PENNSYLVANIA 1,2,3,6 A,B,C,D,E The Ohio State University Technology Education 1100 Kinnear Road, Room 100 Columbus, OH 43212-1152 614-292-7471 • FAX 614-292-2662 www.teched.coe.ohio-state.edu [email protected] Dr. Paul E. Post 1,7 A,D Ohio Northern University Dept. of Technological Studies Room 208 Taft Memorial Building Ada, OH 45810 419-772-2170 • FAX 419-772-1932 www.onu.edu/a+s/techno/ [email protected] Dr. David L. Rouch The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her OHIO 1,2,5,7 A,B,D California University of Pennsylvania Applied Engineering & Technology 250 University Avenue California, PA 15419 724-938-4085 • FAX 724-938-4572 www.cup.edu/eberly/aet/ [email protected] Dr. Stanley Komacek 1,2,7 A,F Millersville University Dept. of Industry & Technology PO Box 1002 Millersville, PA 17551-0302 717-872-3316 • FAX 717-872-3318 http://muweb.millersville.edu/~itec [email protected] Dr. Perry R. Gemmill RHODE ISLAND Johnson & Wales University School of Technology 138 Mathewson Street Providence, RI 02903 401-598-2500 Heidi Januszewski • April 2007 1,2,7 A,D Rhode Island College Dept. of Educational Studies/ Technology Education Program 600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue Providence, RI 02908-1991 401-456-8783 www2.ric.edu/educationalStudies/ technology_bs.php [email protected] Dr. Charles H. McLaughlin, Jr. SOUTH CAROLINA UTAH 1,2,7 Brigham Young University Technology Teacher Education Room 230 SNLB Provo, UT 84602 801-422-6496 www.et.byu.edu/tte/ [email protected] Dr. Steven Shumway WISCONSIN A 1,2,6 A,B,C,D,E Utah State University Engineering and Technology Education 6000 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-6000 435-797-1795 www.ete.usu.edu [email protected] Dr. Kurt H. Becker 1 Clemson University Dept. of Teacher Education 207 Tillman Hall Clemson, SC 29634-0705 864-656-7647 • FAX 864-656-4808 www.hehd.clemson.edu [email protected] Dr. William D. Paige, DTE VIRGINIA SWEDEN Linkoping University Centre School Technology Education Campus Norrkoping Norrkoping SE60174 [email protected] Thomas Ginner TEXAS 1,2,7 A,D The University of Texas at Tyler Dept. of HRD and Technology 3900 University Blvd. Tyler, TX 75799 903-566-7310 • FAX 903-566-4281 www.uttyler.edu/technology [email protected] Dr. W. Clayton Allen UNITED KINGDOM Edge Hill University St. Helens Road Ormskirk Lancashire L39 4Qp [email protected] Charles O’Brien 35 • 1,2,5,6,7 B,C,E,F Old Dominion University Occupational and Technical Studies 228 Education Norfolk, VA 23529-0001 757-683-4305 • FAX 757-683-5227 http://education.odu.edu/ots/ [email protected] Dr. John M. Ritz, DTE WASHINGTON 1,2,7 A,B,C,D,F Central Washington University Dept. of Industrial and Engineering Technology Hogue Technology 400 E. University Way Ellensburg, WA 98926-7584 3218-3218-3218 • FAX 509-963-1795 www.cwu.edu/~iet/programs/ie/ teched.html [email protected] Dr. Scott Calahan The Te c hnolo gy Te ac her Milwaukee Area Technical College 700 W. State Street Milwaukee, WI 53233-1443 414-297-6711 www.matc.edu/21cutep [email protected] Dale Dulberger 1,2,7 A,B,C,D University of Wisconsin-Stout School of Education PO Box 790 Menomonie, WI 54751-1441 715-232-5609 • FAX 715-232-1441 www.uwstout.edu/soe [email protected] Dr. Brian McAlister WYOMING 1 A,D University of Wyoming Casper College Center 125 College Drive Casper, WY 82601 307-268-2406 • FAX 307-268-2416 www.uwyo.edu/uwcc [email protected] Dr. Rod Thompson 2007 ITEA Museum Member For further information contact the staff member listed. MASSACHUSETTS Museum of Science 1 Science Park Boston, MA 02114 617-589-0170 • FAX 617-589-0187 www.mos.org Inga Laurila [email protected] • April 2007 Engineering Design: A Standards-Based High School Model Course Guide Assists educators in teaching the learning process that students require in order to gain the problem-solving skills that they will need for life in the technologically complex twenty-first century. Original price: $29.50 Special reduced price: $5.00 Call today to order this essential tool for your classroom. 703-860-2100. While supplies last! Mention code 0407 when ordering. Shipping charges apply. T-Bot the robot Snap out and assemble the parts. Build this four axis, hydraulic powered robot. Learn all kinds of STEM principles. Success guaranteed. Shop online or call 1-800-835-0686 ITEA’s ALL-NEW 2007-2008 Technological Literacy Product Guide is now available online at www.iteaconnect.org/Publications/ productguide.htm Prefer a print copy? Call 703-860-2100 to request one. TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT Don’t miss out on this excellent resource for keeping up to date with what’s available to assist you in the quest to make all students technologically literate! www.pitsco.com/tbot Although the San Antonio conference is over, your opportunity to assist the Foundation for Technology Education continues! By making a $25 donation to FTE, in addition to helping to move the cause of educating technology teachers forward, you will also receive a 128MB USB flash drive, imprinted with the FTE logo. Flash drives are the fastest and easiest way to share files, data, presentations, and more! The Foundation for Technology Education (FTE) was established in 1986 as a nonprofit 501 (c )(3) organization and initiated a program of giving in 1993, in which awards are presented during the ITEA Annual Conference. FTE awards support programs that will: make our children technologically literate; transfer industrial and corporate research into our schools; produce models of excellence in technology teaching; create public awareness regarding the nature of technology education; and help technology teachers maintain a competitive edge in technology. Call 703-860-2100 to make a donation today! 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