Indicators of Progression in Technology
Components of Nature of Technology
The Indicators of Progress within the Nature of Technology section are divided into two components:
Characteristics of Technology
Technology is a purposeful intervention-by-design human activity that results in technological outcomes that impact in the world. Technology provides potential to enhance the capability of humans to transform materials, energy and information. Technology uses and produces technological knowledge. Technological knowledge is aligned to function and validation occurs within technological communities when it is shown to support the successful development of a technological outcome. Technology is historically positioned and inseparable from social and cultural influences and impacts. Contemporary Technological Practices increasingly rely on collaboration between people within the technology community and with people across other disciplines.
Characteristics of Technological Outcomes
Technological outcomes are material products and systems developed for a specific function through Technological Practice. A technological outcome is evaluated in terms of its fitness for purpose. Technological outcomes can be described by their physical and functional properties. When these properties are known, a technological outcome can be interpreted when embedded in its social and historical context. The function or use intended by the technologist that developed it is known as its ‘proper’ function. If a technological outcome does not carry out its ‘proper’ function successfully it is described as a mal-function. ‘Alternative’ functions are successful functions that have been evolved by end-users.
More information on each of these components can be found in the Nature of Technology Explanatory Papers.
The Indicators of Progression for the components of Technological Knowledge and Nature of Technology are in draft form and should be used to support discussion and formative assessment only. Updated versions of these Indicators for summative and reporting purposes will be provided in 2010.
