WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION?

(From different sources)

Technology education is the study of technology, in which students "learn about the processes and
knowledge related to technology". As a field of study, it covers the human ability to shape and change the
physical world to meet needs, by manipulating materials and tools with techniques.
(https://www.definitions.net/definition/TECHNOLOGY+EDUCATION)

Technology education (TE) in the United States is a field of elementary and secondary education that
until the 1980s was commonly referred to as industrial arts. Its focus is on promoting technological knowledge
and skills. (https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/technology-
education)

The technology education course is commonly associated with primary and secondary education (k-12),
however the first introduction in many public schools typically takes place during middle school (junior high
school) learning years, where students complete projects and discover topics related to product design, research
and development, invention, problem solving and work safety.

At the secondary education level, the tech ed curriculum is more advanced and will teach students
additional skills that are useful in the workplace or post-secondary education. Knowledge and skills at this level
include understanding fundamental technological education concepts, technological competence, creative and
flexible problem solving, critical thinking, and understanding the need to adapt to technological advances in the
workplace and the world in general.

Technology Education (TE) is the study of the purposeful application of knowledge (such as Information
and Communication Technology, Materials & Structures, Operations & Manufacturing, Strategies &
Management, Systems & Control and Technology & Living), skills and experiences in using resources to create
or add value to products and systems to meet human needs.(www.edb.goc.hk)

TE subjects are introduced at different points of time with varying emphases to cope with the social,
economic and technological development both locally and globally.

The history of TE could be backtracked to the development of the Junior Technical Schools in 1930s, a
number of technical subjects in the late 1950s, the prevocational schools and related subjects in the late 1960s,
the computing subjects in 1980s, the New Technical Curriculum in 1997, and the Technology Education Key
Learning Area in 2000.

Key Competencies

TE aims at preparing students to be valuable human capital amidst the rapidly emerging technologies. It enables
students to develop technological capability, understanding and awareness critically appraise the impacts of
technology on the individual, family, environment and society become competent and confident members of the
world of technology and the society at large.

Learning and Teaching

The TE curriculum is designed to match students’ interests and intellectual development at different key stages:
 Key Stages 1 and 2: Awareness and Exploration
 Key Stage 3: Exploration, Experiencing and Familiarisation
 Key Stage 4 and beyond: Exploring Orientation for Life-long Learning and Specialisation

The learning and teaching of TE is

 purposeful
 progressive and iterative in nature
 Involving the coordination of the mind (problem-solving) and hands (hands-on experiences).
 Achieving the Goals of TE
Our Students Our Teachers
Primary 1 – Primary 3
Please refer to the section on General Studies for Please refer to the section on General Studies for
Primary Schools Primary Schools
Primary 4 – Primary 6
Please refer to the section on General Studies for Please refer to the section on General Studies for
Primary Schools Primary Schools
Secondary 1 – Secondary 3
 (of both genders) have equal opportunities to  provide equal learning opportunities in TE for
gain access to broad and balanced learning both genders
experiences in TE  move away from subject-based teaching and
 engage in authentic, hands-on problem-solving specific skills training to hands-on problem-solving
learning activities using easily available materials teaching
and equipment  integrate student learning within TE KLA and
 develop their knowledge and skills to cope with with other KLAs through different knowledge areas
rapidly emerging technologies  provide life-wide learning experiences to
 develop their willingness to update their students encourage students to appraise their
knowledge and skills in technology from time to time solutions
 appraise the impacts of technology and develop use a variety of methods to assess students’
critical thinking ability learning processes and outcomes
Secondary 4 and above
 study through different knowledge areas in  provide multiple channels for students to study
technology, such as information and communication technology through different knowledge areas
technology, design & planning, system & according to their aptitudes, interests and abilities
management, sciences & technology, etc. according  provide students with a wide range of learning
to their aptitudes, interests and abilities, in order to experiences (including workplace learning
prepare themselves for their future studies and career experiences) so that students are better prepared for
 engage in authentic, hands-on problem-solving their future studies and work
learning activities related to various applications of  provide learning opportunities for students to
knowledge areas in TE, such as programming, explore innovative and sustainable development in
networking, home management, design and make, technology.
graphical communication, marketing, etc. in order to
acquire skills, concepts and underlying principles,
etc. of the applications
 develop a global outlook on the innovative and
sustainable development of technology
 THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY IN DISTANCE LEADERSHIP

Within the field of education the effective use of technology can provide many benefits. Technology has
a multitude of uses in such diverse areas as professional development, curriculum modifications, distance
learning, and the teaching of skills necessary to have a successful career in our technologically integrated world.
Yet, without educational technology leaders acting as strong advocates, the field of education would be unable
to successfully integrate technology into a school system, local school site, or classroom.
Thus, in order to reap the benefits of technology, there is a need for expert individuals to assume
leadership roles and promote technology for educational purposes. In this essay, the nature and impact of
effective leadership will be examined within a framework of educational technology, specifically in regards to
the integration of technology into a classroom or other learning environment. This examination consists of two
parts. First, I will examine effective leadership by defining the roles and skills consistent with excellence in
leadership; I will also examine prevalent theories, models, and other discourses from the literature on
leadership. Second, I will examine the real impact of technology leadership in action, specifically how leaders
use technology to achieve improvements in such areas as school performance.
Defining Effective Leadership: The Role and Skills of a Technology Leader Educational technologists
may have a multitude of responsibilities placed upon them as they are often designated as the primary
educational technology leader within an educational environment. The role that these leaders serve is best
represented by the way that effective technology leadership is defined and presented within the literature of the
field. The role of an educational technology leader within a school is a unique role in comparison to that of
basic organizational management. For example, it can be expected of all leaders to be responsible for, as
Schrum and Levin (2009) state, "changing the culture of a school".
However, a technology leader has a further defined role from that of a general school leader or
administrator. Schrum and Levin (2009) discuss the role of the educational technology leader as one who
integrates modern technology focused on collaboration, such as wikis and online discussions, into the school
and its respective classrooms. Thus one can see that a technology leader has a more focused and often
demanding role within the school; they must continually modernize the school in terms of its possession of
technology resources and more importantly the use of those technologies for the goal of improved, modern
instruction. This role is not to be taken lightly, and must be fulfilled by individuals who not only understand and
enact effective principles of leadership, but also have a working knowledge of technology and its classroom use.
Having defined the primary role of an educational technology leader, to integrate technology into the classroom,
one must examine the skills required to be a leader in this ever changing field.
Educational technology leaders are in a unique position and as such require a focus on two sets of skills:
organizational leadership skills and skills related to the use of technology. One framework for viewing the
required skills of an educational technology leader is provided by Northhouse (2010) and is drawn from
previous work known as the three-skill approach (Katz, 1955). In this model, effective leaders are defined as
focusing on three skill areas, known as technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills, in various amounts
based on their position within an organization (Northhouse, 2010). In applying this conceptual framework from
Northhouse (2010) and Katz (1955) to our studies on educational technology, one canassume that while
technology leaders must be competent in terms of human and conceptual skills, the primary focus of a
technology leader is on technical skills. Thus, as a prime condition for being an effective advocate of
technology within an organization, that individual must have knowledge of the existing technology and skills
necessary to demonstrate and model the effective use of technology. In the case of a local school site, a
technology leader must have a large knowledge base of useful technologies to draw upon to solve specific
problems, such as providing teachers with professional development or using technology to improve classroom
instruction.

References:
Date retrieved: December 5, 2019
www.research.net
www.edb.gov
www.techedlab.com
www.irrodl.com
www.britannica.com
www.academia.edu
www.epicor.com