S T A N D A R D
S
tudying about the history of tech-nology in the early school grades is important because it provides students with a basic understanding of how the world around them came about. This foundation will be important as they progress through school.Students will learn how technology has evolved from early civilizations when the first humans created primitive tools by chipping away the edges of flint stones. Making and using tools were among the first tech- nologies; they were — and still are — a means to extend human capabilities and to help people work more comfortably. Students will realize that humans have become more than just toolmakers. Over time, people have improved their capability to create products or systems for providing shelter, food, clothing, communication, transportation, weapons, health, and culture.
In order to be aware of the history of technology, students in Grades K-2 should learn that
A. The way people live and work has changed throughout history because
of technology.Once people learned to
provide shelter for themselves — first with simple huts and later with houses, castles, and skyscrapers — they were no longer forced to seek natural shelter, such as caves. The invention of the plow and other agricultural technologies, along with such simple devices as fish hooks and the bow and arrow made it easier for people to feed themselves, which freed up time for other pursuits. People’s ability to communicate with one another over space and time has been improved by the use of such tools and processes as smoke signals, bells, papermaking, telephones, and the Internet. G R A D E S
K-2
The History of Technology
7 S T A N D A R D
T
hroughout history, people havedeveloped various products and systems to help in their pursuits. To understand this concept, students in Grades 3-5 might study, for instance, the evolution of construction. They could trace the development of structures from the earliest people to Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts, sailing ships, to modern day skyscrapers. In this way, students will come to see how the history of civilization has been closely linked to technological developments.A variety of activities based on historical periods can help students learn how people improved their shelter, food, clothing, communication, transportation, health, and safety, and, therefore, promoted their culture. For example, to develop an understanding of the evolution of communication, students could replicate different forms of communication, starting with cave drawings and carvings and moving on to maps and charts, then to photography, and finally to graphic design. They could trace the progression of
artificial light from primitive cave fires to candles, and on to gaslights and electric light bulbs, and finally neon lights, fluorescent lights, and lasers.
By the time they complete the elementary grades, students will have gained a perspec- tive on the importance of technology through its historical development. In addition, they will have gained an understanding of the importance of tools and machines throughout history.
In order to be aware of the history of technology, students in Grades 3-5 should learn that
B. People have made tools to provide food, to make clothing, and to
protect themselves. The products and
systems developed did not always work. Often many attempts and variations were tried before an idea became a reality. For example, the development of pottery stretched over 10,000 years. People learned to mix various clays to make stronger items and to fire pottery in ovens to harden the clay faster. Various containers, such as jugs, vases, and cups were designed and developed for holding things, such as water, milk, seed, and grains. Not all of the designs worked, and variations in some may be seen in every ancient civilization. G R A D E S
4
V I G N E T T E
This example explores the history of communication and provides an oppor- tunity for students to begin to develop and put to use their under- standing of how the evolution of technologies relates to the history of humankind. [This example highlights some elements of Grades 3-5
STLstandards 3, 4, 6, 7, 13, and 17.]
Understanding historical perspectives becomes critical when educators consider that their students have never known much technology that is more than a few years old. This point became clear to Mr. S when he realized his fourth-grade students had never heard of the railroad telegraphers’ Morse Code mentioned during their lesson on westward expansion. Mr. S chose communication systems as a way to help his students explore the history of technology.
To begin the study, Mr. S provided background information, and the students conducted basic research. The students then created a time line, which depicted communication methods from prehistoric times to the present. Their time lines included such milestones as drums, messengers, whistles, mirrors, telephones, fax machines, and e-mail. The class separated into teams, and each group researched particular types of communication and then shared their findings with the other teams. The class experimented with earlier forms of communication (e.g., sending messages by foot, whistling, and using mirrors) between their school and the school down the street. After discussing the results of these basic forms of communication, the students concluded that more modern forms would be necessary for their project.
The students were given an opportunity to work with modern types of communication when their school was celebrating the networking of all 18 classrooms to the Internet. Mr. S approached his fourth graders with the challenge of testing the new system to see if it worked as well as, or better than, previous communication systems.
To do this, the class composed a message that read, “Our school has just completed networking our classrooms to the Internet, so please help us celebrate by sending back this message A.S.A.P. using the way it was sent (e.g., inter-school mail, telephone, letter, e-mail, and fax). This is a test of our new communication system. Thanks for participating in our celebration.” In teams, the students sent the message to 10 other schools in the district. Each team used a different mode of communication and recorded the amount of time it took for the recipient to respond. One team used the inter-school hand-delivered mail system, another used the telephone, a third mailed letters via the postal service, a fourth e-mailed the message, and a fifth used the office fax machine.
All 10 schools replied to the message using the same form of com- munication in which they received it. The students then were able to compare the response rate and accuracy for each type of communication and then assess the pros and cons of each. Finally, Mr. S’s students
prepared reports for other classes with information about appropriate forms of communication for a given purpose (e.g., postal mail for formal
invitations and e-mail for informal notes, reports). As a result of this exercise, Mr. S’s class learned a great deal about the historical changes and improvements in communication, which were brought about by technology.