Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. It encompasses many types of machines and devices, from the simple stone tools used in ancient times to today’s sophisticated nuclear rockets and computer systems. The definition of technology can be broad or narrow, and the concept can encompass all forms of human creativity and the ways in which it influences the world.
The broad, expansive definition of technology can be useful when teaching students about its history. It can help students understand the development of the earliest technologies and how they have influenced the world around us. It also allows them to consider how technological advances are made and shaped, which can lead to new opportunities for invention.
To make this lesson more interesting, introduce students to a book that explains how various technologies work. For example, How Technology Works offers a step-by-step approach to explaining how devices like laptops and phones work. It includes a series of simple, original graphics that demonstrate how these devices function by taking them apart and showing the inside.
Students can use this information to evaluate different technological solutions and select the best one to solve a specific problem. This process involves comparing design solutions based on economic, market, technical, and production criteria. It also involves communicating the results of the evaluation through graphical drawings and mathematical modeling techniques. Technology has the potential to improve business processes and reduce time, labor, and resource expenditures.