Supporting Learning Environment Level 5

To support students to develop understanding of characteristics of technological outcomes at level 5, teachers could:

• guide students to analyse a range of examples of how technological outcomes have been evaluated as fit for purpose according to its appropriateness to the time and context of its development. Examples should be drawn from within students own and others’ technological practice and allow students to examine the criteria used to make the judgment
• guide students to explore a range of examples of technological outcome failure and support them identify those that are examples of malfunction. Malfunction refers to a single event failure of a technological outcome as opposed to failure due to ‘wear’ or reaching the end of the outcome’s designed lifespan
• guide students to analyse examples of technological outcome malfunction to gain insight into how such events can inform decisions about the future of the outcome. Decisions may be made to withdraw or modify the technological outcome or retain the outcome with modified operational parameters. Operational parameters refer to the boundaries and/or conditions within which the outcome has been designed to function.

Explain why time and context are important criteria for judging the fitness for purpose of technological outcomes

Identify issues/values/events for a specific time period

Brainstorm events/issues/values for a specific time period/decade and discuss how they influenced the products developed during that time

Provide a range of examples (both actual and images) of a technological outcome as it has evolved over time e.g. telephone, music player

Have students sort the examples into the order they perceive they evolved (timeline) suggesting actual years/decades. Research to confirm order and identify likely driving need/societal demands that influenced the functional properties of the technology. Compare two of the examples to identify their functional differences & provide an explanation of these.

Evaluate past technological outcomes in the light of experiences subsequent to their development and/or contemporary understandings

Students to investigate an historical technology e.g. turntable, steam cars,

Students identify original proper function of the technology and predict what needs to be modified for the technology to be considered fit for purpose today. Predict modifications necessary for the technology to be fit for purpose in 10-20 years.

Explain what is meant by the malfunction of technological outcomes
.

Brainstorm, and record understandings of the term malfunction.

Establish a common understanding or definition of ‘malfunction’ across a range of contexts.

Identify personal experiences of technology malfunction

Predict what the future could have been like if a popular technological outcome had malfunctioned

If this product had malfunctioned in the past, how would it have informed future technological outcomes and our lives?
e.g. The USB drive, the laptop, antibiotics, post it notes

Explain the cause/s of particular technological outcome malfunction

Pick an example of a technological malfunction (disaster), what caused it, what were the consequences for the ongoing development of the technology.

Current news clips of e.g. recalled products, airline disasters
Many websites specialise in technology malfunctions e.g.
Google search ‘recalled products NZ’ for a list of current products

www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/
prerel/prerel.html

www.emints.org/ethemes/
resources/S00001563.shtml