Weird Richard News Update

Sent Date

02-16-02

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TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY UPDATE

A weekly newsletter for families and educators committed to
building brighter futures for kids in a technology-rich society.
THIS WEEK: Part 7, the final installment of our technological
literacy series as we delve into CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES!!

This week's sponsor message from Edventures Online, the ultimate
tool for technological literacy for your students!!

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TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY THIS WEEK

This is the seventh and final week addressing the significant
technologies identified by the ITEA in the Designed World
section of the "Technology for All Americans" project. This
week, we'll look at Standard #20-- Students will develop an
understanding of and be able to select and use construction
technologies.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES - AN OVERVIEW

When we think of the basic necessities of living, we think of
food, shelter, and clothing. Construction technologies are the
natural result of thousands of years of people striving to
create better, more effective, more efficient shelter from the
elements. When you look around at the incredible feats of
engineering that are now accomplished, what began as a simple
quest to stay warm and dry has been taken to extraordinary
lengths.

Here is a short list of issues that your students should be
aware of by the time you complete a unit on construction
engineering. Age appropriate guidelines for these issues are
available online at the ITEA website:

1) We live, work, and go to school in different types buildings.
2) The type of structure determines how things are assembled.
3) Modern communities are PLANNED according to guidelines.
4) Structures need to be maintained.
5) Structures and buildings are complex and contain subsystems.
6) Materials for construction are becoming more advanced.

Just as in our other treatments of the technologies that pervade
our society, the first step towards creating a technologically
literate student is elevating awareness. Since construction
technology surrounds us everywhere we go it can be very
effective to simply discuss the steps necessary to create a
building, the people involved in it, and the technology
required. Don't forget to include discussion relating to the
complex chain of events that must take place before construction
ever takes place such as budgeting, planning and zoning and
building permits!

TRY THIS AT HOME OR IN YOUR CLASS!

This week's activity utilizes simple LEGO materials since they
are perfect for demonstrating construction techniques and for
illustrating design principles. If you do not have LEGO
materials, you can substitute any simple construction toy, or
even use a paper and pencil.

Civil Engineering and City Planning

Preparation: Read through the activity and gather an appropriate
number of elements for your group size. You will need to have
enough LEGO parts to provide a successful learning experience.
Plan for a suitable alternative to the LEGO parts if you don't
have any.

1. Begin by leading a group discussion on city planning. City
planning is the process that determines what buildings will be
built or torn down, where streets and roadways will be built,
and all of the things that go into shaping the character and
makeup of a city.

2. Divide students into teams of two. Each team should have a
large LEGO baseplate and sufficient bricks to lay out a city
plan.

3. Challenge each team to build a city plan on a large
baseplate. Each city should include a power plant, shopping
mall, sewer treatment facility, garbage disposal site, medical
care facility, gas stations, police station, and a fire station.
Each city should include a well designed network of roads.

4. Upon completion, have each team present their plan and
comment on the plan they have modeled. Each team must think of
one suggestion for improvement.

5. Conclusion. Once the activity is completed, have your
students clean up and put away the materials. Conclude your
activity with a followup discussion about what they feel they
learned about city planning.

This activity was provided by PCS Learning Labs, experts in
technological literacy and LEGO use. Thanks!
http://www.edventures.com/l/12/tlu13b/index.html

NEXT WEEK WE START A NEW SERIES-- STAND BY!!

We hope that this seven part series on the "Designed World" has
been useful. Try to find a moment to integrate some of this
information into your daily routine with your students or family
this week. Together, we can build a brighter future for
students around the world by preparing them to use technology as
naturally as they use a pencil and paper!

Until next week!

Technological Literacy Update

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