What This Means for Instruction

• Science and technology are different, yet there are areas of overlap where each contributes to the other. Teachers of science must integrate scientific inquiry and technology design with opportunities for students to learn concepts and principles from the fields of science including biological sciences, physical sciences, and Earth and space sciences. The authors cited here offer the following suggestions:
• Understand the distinction between technology education and educational technology. (Dugger and Naik; International Technology Education Association)
• Know that studying technology is more than just the use of computers in science. It is about understanding engineering design and the limitations of technology in solving society’s problems. (Hurd; Bybee; International Technology Education Association; National Science Education Standards)
• Use design activities to provide an experiential context for students in the early grades to promote student familiarity with science concepts and ideas before they are able to engage in scientific inquiry. (National Science Education Standards; Haury)
• Design problem-based learning via computer-assisted instruction that requires students to understand a problem, discover facts contributing to the problem, collect data, and develop solutions. (Chang)
• Use computer simulations that will enable students to create their own models and representations of understanding. Help students understand that models are not depictions of reality but devices to construct understanding. (Snir, Smith & Grosslight)
• Use both real-world systems phenomena and hard-to-directly-experience phenomena. Provide appropriate conceptual and representational scaffolding so that students can use their everyday experiences and enhance these experiences to construct robust understanding of complex systems. (Jacobson and Wilensky)
• Engage students in investigating the relationship between science and technology and the effect this relationship has on society’s capacity to anticipate and assess risks and benefits of technological decisions. (Bybee; Hurd)
• Find the balance between creating science and technology tasks that allow students to find authenticity and meaning, and providing appropriate instructional guidance to assist students in recognizing the science and technology knowledge associated with the task. (Stein, McRobbie, Campbell & Ginns; Kolonder)
• Use instructional materials available from engineering societies to support learning about science, technology and design. (Gorham)