Technology
Technology is increasingly recognised as a learning area vital to New Zealand’s future and is now an approved subject for University Entrance. Not only does it provide technological literacy essential for informed participation in today’s world, it also provides skills useful in a variety of tertiary courses and paves the way to exciting career opportunities.
Students learn best by doing. Through studying Technology, they are encouraged to be innovative, creative and to show initiative. The also learn the importance of planning, purposeful design, effective resource management, developing skills, satisfying a client’s need and the significance of contributing to the community both socially and economically.
This technological practice is broadly described and illustrated as: Developing design ideas through problem solving which involves initiating, exploring and refining design ideas, informed by research, leading to the development of an outcome in response to a brief.
Literacy Credits: Technology Achievement Standards offer Literacy credits at Levels 1 and 2.
KEY CONCEPTS
Technological Practice
Students develop an outcome that involves the generation of design ideas through the testing and refinement of these into a design for a potential outcome. This is achieved through such things as research, experimentation, functional modelling and prototyping. Original and creative thinking results in the effective design of a product or environment.
Nature of Technology
Students will develop knowledge which is linked to how society impacts on the design. This is through learning about technological outcomes and how they have both a physical and functional nature.
Technological Knowledge
Students develop technological knowledge through understanding how and why things work. Understanding performance and function of the outcome is essential when developing quality outcomes.
At School:
Junior Technology
A range of contexts are provided through Materials – Soft Materials and Hard Materials, Food Technology, Digital Technologies and Biotechnology.
Year 10 Technology
Year 10 students select through options from the following Technological areas: Design and Visual Communication (Graphics), Food Technology, Digital Technologies (ICT) and Materials with Enterprise Studies.
Senior Courses
For NCEA it is expected that students will have completed Technology to a satisfactory standard at previous levels. Further information can be found on the Technology area of the Ultranet. Courses area available in the following areas:
- Early Childcare Education
- Spatial Technologies - Graphics
- Food and Nutrition
- Digital Technologies
- Materials Technology