This article presents an overview of how to relate reading to a content area, specifically technology education. The author notes that, with the new focus on Common Core English Language Arts State Standards and state-developed standards, technology and engineering teachers should include disciplinary literacy in their curriculum. Academic…

In order for technology and engineering education (T&EE) students to meet the design challenges of this century, T&EE teachers will need to deepen their content pedagogy in the areas of science and math. This raises the question: Will the need to deepen content pedagogy initiate a process of change that transforms technology and engineering…

In a middle school classroom, the science of fluidics was introduced using the rig. Afterwards the students were able to make informed choices about using air or water as the medium inside their syringes. The three kits available through the NFPA were explored, reverse-engineered, discussed, and analyzed as a lead-in to the in-house culminating…

A low-cost and portable colorimeter kit has been designed and developed as an educational tool at Penn State University by Dr. Daniel Sykes for K-12 schools' integrated STEM learning. This scientific instrument allows students to learn how scientists utilize light as a means to study the chemical and physical properties of materials with an…

The world of man-made design is all around, in everyday objects and appliances people use without a second thought. In this exercise, students have an opportunity to challenge the common refrigerator's design--and improve it. This approach can be used with many other appliances.

Handling dangerous substances has come to define a society. People drive around with the explosive equivalent of twenty sticks of dynamite in their gasoline tanks without batting an eye. They use open flames to cook their food and heat their homes. Propane barbecue tanks are sold everywhere in the country, and left outside their homes for several…

As science, technology education, and engineering programs suffer budget cuts, educators continue to seek cost-effective activities that engage students and reinforce standards. The featherweight challenge is a hands-on activity that challenges students to continually refine their design while not breaking the budget. This activity uses one of the…

A simple machine does one of two things: create a mechanical advantage (lever) or change the direction of an applied force (pulley). Fluid foils are unique among simple machines because they not only change the direction of an applied force (wheel and axle); they convert fluid energy into mechanical energy (wind and Kaplan turbines) or vice versa,…

Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of the environment. Results from environmental research and pursuant governmental regulations are changing the way companies do business and how transportation systems address the future. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been at the forefront in leading environmental…

Nanotechnology is now making it possible to create radically new tiny machines and sensors on par with the size of dust motes. This technology is rapidly progressing and will make profound impacts on the nation's global competitiveness. It promises to be a most pervasive technological advance, comparable to what computers did for an individual's…

There is concern about the diminishing availability of skilled personnel that can operate in the wide variety of disciplines associated with port operations. Increasing cargo volume, combined with a shrinking workforce, could potentially create alarming situations in the future, hence the motivation to publicize to current students the breadth and…

This article describes the "Kick Stick" activity from Design Squad Nation, in which kids turn a wooden paint stirrer and circuit into a motorized, spinning arm--then use it to kick a Ping-Pong[R] ball across the floor. Teachers can enrich their students' exploration of circuits and emphasize the engineering design process with "Design Squad…

Artists have used a variety of materials over the years for sculpting. They have been quick to use unusual pieces of technology to make a vibrant and unique statement, just as painters have created and used a wide variety of colors and derived pigments for their canvases. In this article, the author discusses a design challenge that gives students…

STEM studies and technological literacy are hot topics at the national and state level. At the October 20, 2009 Massachusetts STEM Summit, Lt. Governor Tim Murray spoke of the need for greater efforts in preparing our students for their technological future. In workshops throughout the day, speakers reiterated the same thing in many ways: neither…

Design and drafting are subjects long taught in technology education, and subjects that retain high status in the profession. Admittedly, since the initial publication of Standards for Technological Literacy in 2000, design has taken on a larger role and meaning in the technology education profession. However, design continues to be delivered…