Technology Teacher

Office at West Stokes High School

2009-01-08T18:06:00.000-08:00

Hard at work! Teaching is a demanding job! You gotta love it...and I do!!!

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Modular Resource Areas for Technology Education

2008-08-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Tech Ed Learning Project
In a Technology Education high school lab setting, I am experimenting with using computers and workstations to develop a knowledge-based project for students called "Modular Resource Areas"

This project will be called Modular Resource Areas for Technology Education and will consist of 12 Labs with a Modular Project Box and a Resource Computer in each lab.
The Modular Project Box or Boxes will employ project boxes near the workstation where students can make, bring, and develop materials and models that will help the "module user" to gain new knowledge or add to and synthesize that which is already known. The project box will provide a hands-on link and will employ psychomotor skills to serve in this knowledge-based project. It will also apeal to and help those with different learning styles perform well. It will also serve as stepping stones to larger Project Based Learning projects, and Lab Performance projects. North Carolina now requires that a student complete a graduation project and this project can go in the student's class portfolio and help to give them an example of a service type of project that is informs and educates others.

Students will do a textbook and syllabus/blueprint research project to gain an understanding of the several different elements that make up technologies and technological systems which are to be studied. This will result in an initial Tech Ed bibliography of their subject matter which can be added to later by them or by other students.

Other Feature(s):

Multiple learning projects could be operating at one station
It will be employed in the learning environment of a North Carolina, high school, Fundamentals of Technology Class

They will develop this project as a service project for their own class, their sister classes and for those who will follow them. Other classes will have the opportunity to add on to this project.

Teacher Research and Reflections
It would be good for me as a teacher to research the literature that is out there regarding this project and a project that has been, or is being done, similiarly to this project. I have done extensive research in a middle school setting when I set-up a new modular technology lab and built it from scratch through a grant and with the permission of Wake County and the CTE program. Modular labs have some problems because they are a juggling act, however I think that the creativity and the design element in this project will allow them to create a RESOURCE lab that will not be the focal of the class but will augment their learning because it gives them a learning product.

The many products that come from this project should be posted on this blog and a school blog as permitted, and be available to other schools in their work as possible

If you have any such information on this project and my ideas then please send that research to me.
Thanks.
Dean White

2008-08-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is a snipet of things that I found at website during a recent workshop.
National Inventors' Hall of Fame

Museum of Ancient Inventions

Greatest Engineering Achievements

Inventors' Workshop at Exploring Leonardo

How Stuff Works

The Garden Grew!

2008-07-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Cabbage and carrots grew in this "square foot gardening" project.

Tree and Garden Projects

2008-04-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have been doing an afternoon tech ed project at the International School of Moshi -Arusha campus here in Tanzania East Africa. Its a project in trees, and it falls under the fields of learning in Agrobusiness, Forestry, and Biotechnology.
We are working as a group of parents on this project with teachers, admin, students, and our ISM community. The blog at www.ismtrees.blogspot.com and www.ismgarden.blogspot.com were set up by me to communicate about this fun learning project.
I am also trying to use tree projects in adult tech ed and appropriate tech/community developmenj projects in the village of Ilkilorit where we are living now here in Arusha town. I will be trying to work with friends in the Tanzania Forestry Service to tap their knowledge and experience base; to collect seed samples; and to learn about indigenous tree species. As we gather our own seed samples and try to plant those, we are trying in our school clubs and workgroups to gather information resources that can help us and others develop tree projects. Below is a pic of a vegatable farm and seedbed garden to experiment with farming and appropriate and sustainable agriculture techniques. Also see the blogs! I also picked up Rodale Press' book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew and will be reading that and Wangari Maathai's autobiography entitled Unbowed

Technology Teacher Notes Now up and Blogging!

2008-03-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

You know blogging is like jogging (and running).
It gets your blood pumping, and lets you experience new places, and meet new people!
So here is my first blog.
Check out the website link at www.technology-teacher.net
Hope you have a good day
Dean