What is Technology Education?

The first thing that comes to mind for many people when they hear "Technology Education" is computers, cellphones, and other electronic gadgets.  While these items are all important pieces of modern technology that can be used as tools in the technology class room, there is much more to technology education.



In 6th grade, students will begin to understand technology in terms of a much broader definition.  Most simply put, technology education can be described as...

The study of the way that humans change the world around them to solve problems and meet their wants and needs .



This means that students who study technology education realize that the types of technologies available change over time, but understand that something as simple as a wheel, and as complex as a smart phone are both forms of technology.  By studying principles of design, and becoming more comfortable with problem solving and concepts in technology, students are better able to understand the important role of technology in our lives in the past and in our future.


Why Study Technology Education?
(From the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association)

We live in a technological world. Living in the twenty-first century requires much more from every individual than a basic ability to read, write, and perform simple mathematics. Technology affects every aspect of our lives, from enabling citizens to perform routine tasks to requiring that they be able to make responsible, informed decisions that affect individuals, our society, and the environment.

Citizens of today must have a basic understanding of how technology affects their world and how they exist both within and around technology. Technological literacy is fundamentally important to all students. Technological processes have become so complex that the community and schools collaborate to provide a quality technology program that prepares students for a changing technological world that is progressively more dependent on an informed, technologically literate citizenry.