Technology and Values
The Components within the Technological Knowledge strand
Technological Modelling
This component provides opportunity to recognise and value both functional and practical reasoning. Understanding the role of all types of values in determining whether any development should progress is critical. Decisions to terminate a development in the short or long term, to continue as planned, or to change/refine a design concept or technological outcome can be analysed against the values of different people, groups and institutions, and the value of the arguments put forward as to the ethical nature of the actions taken.
In the context of designing and developing high quality models of a cell phone to communicate their design ideas students were faced with a range of ethical issues associated with working with a client and designing for a fickle teenage market. Environmental impacts of material selection, use and disposal were all important values issues associated with this work, as were cost effectiveness when designing a commercially viable product.
Technological Products
This component allows for an in-depth exploration of the materials used in a particular product and their perceived value to the designer and user. Appropriate material development and use can be analysed with regards to the values of stakeholders. The opportunity to analyse material use and development in terms of product life cycles allows for students to explore values associated with sustainability and the way caring for the environment is considered a worthy value, or not, by different stakeholders.
In the context of developing new materials for use in a 'Kiwi Made' unit, environmental, social and ethical issues naturally arose as the unit progressed. Students were able to explore the fitness for purpose of past materials in terms of values associated with care of the environment and animals, those associated with wearing animal based materials, the values inherent in the concept of 'being in fashion' generally, and were required to identify what New Zealanders value and how and why this has changed from the past, and how and why this may change in the future.
Technological Systems
This component provides opportunity for students to explore how system development can be deemed appropriate and how acceptable it is to integrate technological systems with other systems - for example, robotic technologies integrated into human physiological systems. Understanding the values associated with a wide range of stakeholders and how they prioritise their own needs and those of others when taking positions on such issues allows students to explore their own reactions in a more informed manner. Redundancy and reliability within technological system design and performance can be critiqued in terms of how they are perceived by people and evaluated in terms of risk acceptability. Exploring the use of 'black boxes' when working with technological systems, provides opportunity for students to understand the advantages and disadvantages of 'black boxing' system compenentry. For example, understanding the possible advantages of using a black box approach to gain a holistic understanding of a complex system versus the possible disadvantages for the end-user should the system mal-function.
Understanding how the components of a technological system work together was imperative when modifying a grabbing tool for a disabled client. Exploring the specific needs of the client allowed the student to prioritise the factors that were of most value to the client and thereby ensure the final outcome was valued by the client as a 'third arm' rather than a frustrating tool.
