Cow Power - Curriculum Links
Technological knowledge Strand
Technological Modelling (Explanatory Paper)
- Technological modelling refers to modelling practices used within technological developments, and includes functional modelling and prototyping.
- Functional modelling allows for the ongoing evaluation of design concepts for yet-to-be-realised technological outcomes.
- Prototyping allows for the evaluation of the fitness for purpose of the technological outcome itself.
- Through technological modelling, evidence is gathered to justify decision making within technological practice.
- Modelling is crucial for the exploration of influences on the development, and for the informed prediction of the possible and probable consequences of the proposed outcome.
- Technological modelling is underpinned by functional and practical reasoning.
- Functional reasoning focusses on 'how to make it happen' and 'how it is happening'.
- Practical reasoning focusses on 'should we make it happen?' and 'should it be happening?'
- Decisions as a result of technological modelling may include the: termination of the development in the short or long term, continuation of the development
Focus Questions
- Outline some of the modelling practices which could have been employed during the development of the system and discuss the functional and practical reasoning which could have underpinned their selection
Technological Products (Explanatory Paper)
- Technological products are material in nature and exist in the world as a result of human design.
- Understanding the relationship between the properties of materials and their performance capability is essential for understanding and developing technological products.
- Technological knowledge within this component includes the means of evaluating materials to determine appropriate use to enhance the fitness for purpose of technological products.
- It includes understandings of new materials formulation and their potential impacts on future product function.
- The impact of material use and development on product life cycles/expectancy is also included with regards to understanding material sustainability in its broadest sense.
Focus Questions
- The importance of the relationship between material properties and their performance capability is reflected in the following statement relating to the choice of wood in the construction of the Biodigestor:
"Timber water tanks, chemical tanks, and reservoirs are the only truly sustainable choice for the storage and treatment of water and a wide range of other products.The natural lifecycle cost of a wood tank has minimal impact on the environment when compared to its concrete, steel and plastic alternatives. In fact, the production of dry lumber actually has a negative net carbon emission rating, as wood stores carbon dioxide."
Ref: www.timbertanks.co.nz/
Discus this choice in terms of likely criteria for the evaluation of the overall fitness for purpose of the system.
Technological Systems (Explanatory Paper)
- Technological systems are a set of interconnected parts (technological products and processes) that serve to transform, store, transport or control materials, energy and/or information.
- These systems exist in the world as the result of human design and function without further human design input.
- Understanding how these parts work together is as important as understanding the nature of the each individual part.
- Technological knowledge, within this component, will include an understanding of input, output, transformation processes, and control.
- Understanding the notion of the 'black box' is included in this component, in terms of understanding, and of developing, complex systems that involve integrated sub-systems.
- This component includes understandings of redundancy and reliability within system design and performance and therefore an increased understanding of the operating parameters of systems.
- Specialised languages provide important representation and communication tools. Understanding these specialised languages is important in system development, maintenance and troubleshooting
Focus Questions
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A schematic of a functional Biodigester system which could utilise organic human waste from homes in the Lyttleton area of Christchurch for the generation of domestic electricity is shown right:
Use this diagram as a starting point to accurately flowsheet the BioGenCool system. This diagram and more detail relating to this process can be found here (Word, 382Kb).
A PowerPoint introduction on flowsheeting can be found here (PowerPoint, 2Mb).
This process flow diagram can also be used to focus on ideas and terminology used in NCEA Technology achievement standards relating to production and process technology.
Level 2 AS90360 – Inform own technological practice through characterisation of an existing production process.
Key terminology used in this standard includes:
Characterisation of an existing production process
- quality control strategies
- sub-setting and/or flow-sheeting
- defining batch, continuous or semi-continuous operating characteristics
- recognising the limitations imposed by legislation, regulations, codes of practice, and societal elements such as religious belief
- key stages
- defining inputs, outputs and yields
- defining purpose of the operation (storage, transport, delay, inspection, or transformation operation with description of the transformation)
- defining levels of key operating variable(s) to be maintained, eg temperature, linear measurement, volume, and
- recognising the nature of the most limiting (bottleneck) aspect of the stage.
In characterising an existing production process students are expected to identify quality parameters for key stages and quality control strategies.
