Technology and the Diversity of Limits

Sometimes you do activities in school that require special items to help keep you safe. Think of an activity you have done that needed some type of safety equipment.

1. Describe the activity.

   Students may suggest a lab that uses chemicals or flame. Some students may play sports that require safety equipment such as helmets in football and shin guards in soccer. Other answers are acceptable as well.

2. Describe the safety equipment you needed.

   Common safety equipment in middle schools may include safety goggles for labs that use chemicals or flame or gloves for labs that use chemicals. In some schools, students use lab aprons when chemicals are present. Sports may require helmets, padding, or guards. Other reasonable answers are acceptable.

3. List other actions you needed to take to make sure you stayed safe while doing the activity.

   Students are often required to stand up while doing laboratory experiments. If flame is involved, they may have to tie back long hair. They may also have to make sure to not leave chemicals or flame unattended. Other reasonable answers are acceptable.

Did you think you were able to find a solution to all the safety concerns in Step 10? Why or why not?

Students may not believe they were able to find a “perfect” solution for all concerns. As mentioned earlier, some solutions might require a change to the design that is unacceptable to the designer. For example, although some small toys may be a choking hazard for children under age three, designers may not want to make their toys bigger because the toys would no longer appeal to older children.

Do you think engineers can eliminate all risks from their products? Why or why not?

Engineers cannot eliminate all risks from their products. They likely cannot anticipate all the ways users may incorrectly use the final product; due to costs, they may decide to use a less predictable material; if they spend too long designing the product, it may miss its deadline date and thus lose money.

In the first four activities of this chapter, you have used a technology notebook. You have recorded ideas and answers. You might have drawn a picture. Maybe you recorded some data or evidence about how well a solution worked. You have revised answers. Why do you think having a technology notebook is useful?

Students should recognize that technology notebooks are a way of keeping track of information such as the tasks they have completed, what they have learned, and how their thinking has changed.

Elaborate activities help you expand your understanding of a concept. You may be learning more details about the concept. You may be learning about ideas related to the concept. You could be applying the concept to a different situation. How did this activity match the characteristics of an Elaborate activity? Hint

In this activity, students learned about an idea related to the concept of technology design. They learned how safety is involved in the process.