Supporting Learning Environment Level 6

To support students to develop understanding of characteristics of technological outcomes at level 6, teachers could:

• support students to discuss particular technological outcomes as a product and a system and support them to understand that the categorization of product or system is not an inherent property of the outcome, but rather how it is perceived by people in order to describe, and/or analyse it
• guide students to explore examples of socio-technological environments to explain how technological outcomes (products and systems) and non-technological entities and systems (people, natural environments, political systems etc.) interact together . Examples should be drawn from past, present and possible future socio-technological environments. Socio-technological environments include such things as communication networks, hospitals, transport systems, waste disposal, recreational parks, factories, power plant etc.
• support students to understand that interactions in socio-technological environments are complex and result in dynamic relationships between technological outcomes, entities and systems. Guide students to explore the influences and impact of these relationships on the way technological outcomes are developed and manufactured.

Explain why some technological outcomes can be described as both a product and a system

Provide a scaffold in the form of a diagram (graphic organizer) that shows a technological outcome e.g. ipod as being described as both a system and a product.

Students diagrammatically identify the systems (and components of that system) that make up the product e.g. ipod
Extend the diagram out from single product to the supporting systems e.g. ipod-itunes store, music library, shareware, accessories.

http://store.apple.com/nz

Describe socio-technological environments and the relationships of technological outcomes involved

Students explore how a technological outcomes interacts with the socio-technological environments where they are situated

Predict the impact if the technological outcomes was located in a different socio-technological environments

Students identify historical cases where technological outcomes have impacted positively and where they have impacted negatively on the socio-technological environments where they were situated

Identify reasons for this impact (both positive and negative) and what could have been done to ensure that the impact was always positive

Discuss the interactions between technological outcomes, people, and social and physical environments within particular socio-technological environments

Students explore how people, and social and physical environments interact with technological outcomes, how these interactions make change within and between particular socio-technological

Examples that could be explored include: personal music systems; sharing music/movies; recreational parks (Mahurangi, pest control gates)
Present findings using a seminar presentation to class

Explain why understanding socio-technological environments allow technological outcomes to be better understood.

Students explore examples of where peoples understandings the socio-technological environment where a technological outcome was to be placed ensured that the outcomes was accepted into that environment.

Encourage students to explore both historical and contemporary examples

Students explore examples of where peoples understandings the socio-technological environment where a technological outcome was to be placed prevented its eventual placement /acceptance within that environment.

Encourage students to explore both historical and contemporary examples