Technology education

Encyclopedia : T : TE : TEC : Technology education

Technology education is the study of the human ability to create and use tools to shape the natural environment to meet their needs. The goal of technology education is to spread technological literacy or in some countries technacy, which is accomplished by bringing laboratory activities to students. The term "technology education" is frequently shortened to "tech ed".

Contents

1 History of Technology Education
2 Objectives of Technology Education
3 Technology education versus
4 See also
5 External links

History of Technology Education

Technology Education has evolved from Industrial Arts and Manual Training. Industrial Arts programs were also known as "shop classes". Today, technology education students generally work in labs and perform laboratory activities. In the past, many referred to the work areas used in technology education as "shops", however, many teachers have encouraged students to use the term "lab".

See http://www.oswego.edu/~waite/502techhistory.html for work accomplished by Dr. William Waite's classes, Professor in the Department of Technology, SUNY Oswego, NY. This reader contributes several scholarly papers on this topic.

Objectives of Technology Education

Technology education allows learners to explore a variety of activities related to many areas of human endeavor. Learners can develop problem solving strategies and work habits that will be useful in almost any career and or occupation. Learners should develop a greater appreciation for the work of craft workers and the skill required of that work.

Within the scope of this educational program is the effort to develop “soft skills” with in the learner, as well as an opportunity for the learner to see how systems work together and the chance to put much of the academic class instruction to work in an applied way.

Many of the skills that are to be taught in technology education classes are identified in the 1991 SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) Report. Many of these soft skills may be better developed in a lab, problem solving setting than in a typical academic classroom.