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Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned Vol. II
Technically Speaking
by Wayne Day
Anchorage School
District
Our world has become incredibly complex. Each
day more and more is added to our technological information bank. New
innovations on old ideas along with new and ingenious inventions
combine to generate an exceptionally large capacity for growth and
expansion.
"Principles of Technology" (hereafter referred
to as POT) provides a thorough and comprehensive breakdown of even
the most complex technologies. It can be compared to a Kindergartner
learning the alphabet, knowing that eventually s/he will use this
knowledge in complex combinations to communicate with others more
effectively.
With a solid background in electronics and
mechanics, I came to sincerely appreciate the information and methods
of instruction used in the POT course. I currently hold a secondary
teaching certificate in in mathematics, but I delve into science to
explain many mathematical concepts. POT applications have helped to
expand my current idea of how I will teach in the future. Even though
POT is not currently available in the Anchorage school system, the
information I have acquired will provide quality examples and ideas
for my teaching methods in the coming years.
The staff development course offered in the
Rural Academy - a full year of POT condensed to four days - allowed
those of us not familiar with some of the ideas to have questions
answered and confusions cleared up. We experienced the lab exercises
(8 labs per unit, 14 units total) and were able to discover the
benefits and work through some of the shortcomings. I found the
course to be exceptional in that Paul and Jerry, the instructors from
North Pole High, conveyed their experiences, good and bad, throughout
the course, preparing us for possible problems we might experience
when we eventually teach the course ourselves. Since I am not
certificated in vocational education, I'm not sure I will be teaching
POT immediately, but I will utilize the information in my current
teaching whenever I possibly can.
I can see how this course can become the basis
of many courses taught today, like physics, algebra, trigonometry,
and electronic theory, just to name a few. POT is an excellent "how
and why/hands-on" experience. The hands-on concept will be a valuable
experience for those kinesthetic learners who are having problems
learning in the classroom today.
Resistance
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A Sample POT Unit
POT is made up of 14 units (7 per year) and
within each unit are four systems. Each system is explained with two
labs and several math skills practice sheets. The systems
incorporated in each unit include mechanical, fluid, electrical and
thermal. I will use the Resistance Unit to illustrate how the systems
are incorporated. Two labs from each system are used:
- Mechanical Systems are explained by
force resisting motion, like brakes on an automobile. Pulleys,
strings and weights are used in these experiments.
- Fluid Systems are explained by
resistance of water and air through valves and different size
hoses.
- Electrical Systems using
carbon resistors are placed in parallel and series and compared.
Color codes on resistors are discussed here as well as how to
calculate and measure resistance.
- Thermal Systems uses different types
of insulation to interpret thermal resistance. Different types of
insulators are discussed and experimented with.
Each lab comes with a video preparing the
student and setting the stage for learning. The videos are well
documented and entertaining. They last from 8-15 minutes, and after
each unit a comprehensive post-unit video is shown, kind of
summarizing up the unit quite effectively.
The organization of the lessons and material is
in such a logical, easy to follow format that POT can be excellent
back-up material for any math and science courses taught in the
secondary and post-secondary levels. Each lesson (unit) is so
self-contained that any well motivated student can learn from the
materials, texts and videos with almost no teacher
involvement.
Rural Advantage
Reading through Lessons Taught.
Lessons Learned I was touched by the diversity of the
authors and their teaching situations. POT lends itself to all kinds
of environments. However, it is extremely important to have such a
course be well received by both student and community, so as to
achieve a closer alignment between what is learned in and out of
school. Using the community as a classroom and applying POT ideas to
everyday operations can contribute to an educational experience that
bonds the school with the community. This can be especially important
in rural Alaska.
Conclusion
Walking into the Principles of Technology
class, I had no idea what to expect. My preconception of the course
was based on my own limited experience and knowledge from prior
education on mechanical and electrical systems. Once Jerry and Paul
began explaining their triumphs and tribulations in the course and
how successful the graduates were, I felt a sense of pride. Our
education system had begun to recognize the importance of technical
knowledge, understanding it, and realizing its potential for growth.
The information I learned and experienced will benefit me and the
students I touch. The future is before us, as we mold it into what
our current conceptions dictate. POT can help us make more informed
decisions and allow us to prepare future generations for the highly
complex technological society ahead. I see much in the way of
potential for growth and development. It excites me to think that
such a quality course has finally been devised. I feel this course
will provide our society with a more technologically literate
population.
Afterwards
With the completion of just one year of POT, a
student's CQ (curiosity quotient) should be extremely high. Perhaps
some extracurricular activities could be provided to stimulate
further growth and development of technological ideas. Such
activities might include a math club, space club, young astronauts,
auto club, electronics or Morse code clubs, and other such innovative
student organizations. A newsletter (monthly or quarterly) with
problems, advice, and new ideas would be an excellent resource for
teachers. Another idea might be to invite back former students and
have them relate how the experience from the class has benefited
their current job and way of life. The possibilities are
endless!
Foreword
Ray Barnhardt
Part I *
Rural School Ideals
"My
Goodness, People Come and Go So Quickly Around
Here"
Lance C. Blackwood
Parental Involvement
in a Cross-Cultural Environment
Monte Boston
Teachers and
Administrators for Rural Alaska
Claudia Caffee
The Mentor Teacher
Program
Judy Charles
Building
Networks
Helen Eckelman
Ideal Curriculum and
Teaching Approaches for a School in Rural
Alaska
Teresa McConnell
Some Observations
Concerning Excellent Rural Alaskan Schools
Bob Moore
The Ideal Rural
Alaska Village School
Samuel Moses
From Then To Now:
The Value of Experiential Learning
Clara Carol Potterville
The Ideal
School
Jane Seaton
Toward an Integrated,
Nonlinear, Community-Oriented Curriculum
Unit
Mary Short
A Letter from
Idealogak, Alaska
Timothy Stathis
Preparing
Rural Students for the Future
Michael Stockburger
The Ideal
Rural School
Dawn Weyiouanna
Alternative
Approaches to the High School Curriculum
Mark J. Zintek
Part II *
Rural Curriculum Ideas
"Masking" the
Curriculum
Irene Bowie
On Punks and
Culture
Louise J. Britton
Literature to Meet
the Needs of Rural Students
Debra Buchanan
Reaching the Gifted
Student Via the Regular Classroom
Patricia S. Caldwell
Early Childhood Special
Education in Rural Alaska
Colleen Chinn
Technically
Speaking
Wayne Day
Process Learning
Through the School Newspaper
Marilyn Harmon
Glacier Bay
History: A Unit in Cultural Education
David Jaynes
Principals of
Technology
Brian Marsh
Here's Looking
at You and Whole Language
Susan Nugent
Inside, Outside and
all-Around: Learning to Read and Write
Mary L. Olsen
Science Across
the Curriculum
Alice Porter
Here's Looking at
You 2000 Workshop
Cheryl Severns
School-Based
Enterprises
Gerald Sheehan
King Island
Christmas: A Language Arts Unit
Christine Pearsall Villano
Using Student-Produced
Dialogues
Michael A. Wilson
We-Search and
Curriculum Integration in the Community
Sally Young
Artist's
Credits
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