Understanding Technology: Historical, Societal, and Functional Contexts

2. 3 Contexts of Technology

3. Recall the major contexts in which technology can be viewed. • Summarize the major ages in human history. • Give examples of the positive and negative impacts technology has on society. • Explain the seven common functional areas of technology.

4. Technological Contexts • Historical • Societal • Functional

5. Historical Context • Technology • Has always been with humans • Can always be improved • Has gradually developed over time

6. Stone Age • Up to about 3500 BC • Inventions were developed without knowledge of science • Creativity was used to develop tools from stone • Use of fire was mastered

7. What do you think these stone tools were used for?

8. Bronze Age • About 3500 to 1000 BC • Farming was developed • People began to settle in villages and cities • Metal tools replaced stone ones • Building techniques were developed

9. Iron Age • About 1000 to 500 BC • Iron became primary toolmaking material • Agriculture techniques improved • Large buildings and monuments were built • Road systems were developed

10. How does this street compare to today’s streets? What are the reasons for the differences?

11. Industrial Age • About 1750 to late 1900s • Demand for craftsmen grew • Focus shifted from farming to manufacturing • Factories increased rapidly • New transportation and communication technologies • New power sources • Division of labor was introduced

12. How do you think everyday life changed as society moved into the Industrial Age?

13. Information Age • Late 1900s to present day • Rapid changes in technology • Computer was developed • Information processing and automation became common • People started to become very connected to technology

14. What are some inventions that have contributed to the Information Age? How have these changed the way we live?

15. Societal Context • Technology impacts society • Society impacts technology • Societal need • Available resources • Value placed on technology

16. What are some reasons you value technology?

17. Scope of Society • Societies have grown over time • Growth is due in large part to technology

18. Technology and the Individual • Technology changes the way we live and view the world • Increasing demand for new technology • Different views on: • Communication • Exchange of information • Education

19. How have cell phones and the Internet changed people’s expectations about information?

20. Technology and Society • First World countries • Industrialized • Have resources and desire for technology • Third World countries • Technologically delayed • Poor in resources and human will

21. Technology and Society (Cont.) • Technology, by itself, is neither good nor bad • Depends on how it is used • Choices result in desirable or undesirable outcomes

22. Green Technology • Goal is to create new tools and products to meet people’s needs without taxing our environment • Focuses on repairing damage already done to environment from creation and use of older technologies

23. What impacts has globalization had on technological development?

24. Functional Context • Technology is developed for specific uses • Common functional areas for technology • Agricultural technology • Communication and information technology • Construction technology • Energy and power technology • Manufacturing technology • Medical technology • Transportation technology

25. Agricultural Technology • Planting, growing, and harvesting crops • Raising livestock • Producing technological products using living organisms • Examples: • Farming • Fishing • Biotechnology

26. Communication and Information Technology • Gathering and processing information • Sharing ideas • Examples: • Radios • Televisions • Computers

27. Construction Technology • Erecting structures • Building civil works • Examples: • Buildings • Roadways • Power transmission lines

28. Energy and Power Technology • Converting, transmitting, and using energy • Providing power, heat, light, and sound • Examples: • Electricity • Heating • Water power

29. Manufacturing Technology • Finding and extracting natural resources • Converting resources into materials • Converting materials into products • Examples: • Mining • Steelmaking • Factory work

30. Medical Technology • Promoting health • Curing illnesses • Studying the human body • Examples: • Prosthetics • Vaccinations • Illness prevention

31. Transportation Technology • Moving people • Moving cargo • Examples: • Vehicles • Terminals • Pipelines

32. Construction Managers • Plan and coordinate construction work • Manage people, materials, equipment, budgets, and schedules • Work at company office or construction site

33. Construction Managers (Cont.) • Need prior experience as construction workers, supervisors, or owners of contracting firms • Need strong background in math, science, computers, building practices, and management

34. What are the three major contexts in which technology can be viewed? • Historical context, societal context, and functional context

35. Name the major ages in human history, in chronological order. • Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Industrial Age, and Information Age

36. What are two negative impacts technology has on society? • Possible answers include: The potential for destruction, environmental problems, a decrease in human interactions

37. Identify the seven common functional areas of technology. • Agricultural technology, communication and information technology, construction technology, energy and power technology, manufacturing technology, medical technology, and transportation technology

38. Agricultural technology • Developing and using devices and systems to plant, grow, and harvest crops. This technology also includes raising livestock for food and other useful products. • Bronze Age • The stage in human history that took place after the Stone Age. • Communication and information technology • Developing and using devices and systems to gather, process, and share information and ideas.

39. Construction technology • Using systems and processes to erect structures on the sites where the structures will be used. • Energy and power technology • Developing and using systems and processes to convert, transmit, and use energy. • First World country • A region that has resources and a desire for technology.

40. Industrial Age • A period in which most Western countries changed from rural to urban, as new machines and sources of power were developed to support the industry of the time. • Information Age • The period of time in which technology changed rapidly. • Iron Age • The period from 1000 to 500 BC.

41. Manufacturing technology • Developing and using systems and processes to convert materials into products in a factory. • Medical technology • Developing and using devices and systems promoting health and curing illnesses. • Stone Age • The period of time up to 3500 BC, when stones were the main material for making tools.

42. Third World country • A region where technological advancement is slow, due to poor resources and an absence of human will. • Transportation technology • Developing and using devices and systems to move people and cargo from an origin point to a destination.