Goal: Explorations in Technology

The goal of the middle/junior high school program is to assist students in exploring and preparing for appropriate educational and technological choices.

The program consists of three levels or courses. One is available for each grade level of the school structure. Each level, whether offered for 9, 12, 18, or 36 weeks, includes the four basics of technology: resources, processes, systems and impacts. Students study these four components within the changing context of each level.

• The first level stresses resources and problem solving. Students discover that resources undergirding technology are the same no matter where they are applied. Problem solving, the inherent process of technology, becomes a way of thinking and creating new ideas.

• The second level accentuates creativity in problem solving. Students build models of existing inventions and explore possibilities for future inventions and innovations.

• The third level emphasizes technological systems. By simulating these systems, assessing their impacts, and relating these discoveries to the experiences of the two previous levels, students acquire a global view of technology.

The rich experiences of the three-level sequence help learners acquire knowledge and the process skills of technology. These experiences also help learners discover and explore the personal interests, aptitudes, and abilities necessary to make wise decisions regarding educational and career opportunities.