Vol 66, No. 4 - International Technology and Engineering Educators ...

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Technology 

the 

TEACHER 

T h e V o i c e o f T e c h n o l o g y E d u c a t i o n 

December/January 2007 

Volume 66 • Number 4 

Integrating Virtual 

Reality Into Technology 

Education Labs 

Also: 

Special Needs and the Need for Fun 

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Contents 

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2007 • VOL. 66 • NO. 4 

9 

Integrating Virtual Reality 

Into Technology Education 

Labs 

Discusses the hardware, software, 

resources, and concepts needed to 

integrate VR into a classroom with a 

minimal investment of resources. 

Sylvia Tiala, DTE 

Departments 

1 ITEA 

Online 

2 

5 

7 

In the News 

and Calendar 

You & ITEA 

Design Brief 

14 Resources 

in Technology 

20 Classroom 

Challenge 

NEW! 

24 

27 

Features 

A Model for the Integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, 

and Mathematics 

The authors suggest cohorts of teachers from all academic areas, including technology 

education, work together to provide a comprehensive integrated curriculum, with technology 

leading the process and content. 

Aaron C. Clark and Jeremy V. Ernst 

Special Needs and the Need for Fun 

An Indiana technology teacher shares his successes in tailoring a class to special needs 

students. 

Ronald D. Yuill, DTE 

Publisher, Kendall N. Starkweather, DTE 

Editor-In-Chief, Kathleen B. de la Paz 

Editor, Kathie F. Cluff 

ITEA Board of Directors 

Ken Starkman, President 

Ethan Lipton, DTE, Past President 

Andy Stephenson, DTE, President-Elect 

Ed Denton, DTE, Director, ITEA-CS 

John Singer, Director, Region I 

Lauren Withers Olson, Director, Region II 

Julie Moore, Director, Region III 

Richard (Rick) Rios, Director, Region IV 

Rodney Custer, DTE, Director, CTTE 

Joe Busby, DTE, Director, TECA 

Vincent Childress, Director, TECC 

Kendall N. Starkweather, DTE, CAE, 

Executive Director 

ITEA is an affiliate of the American Association 

for the Advancement of Science. 

The Technology Teacher, ISSN: 0746-3537, 

is published eight times a year (September 

through June with combined December/January 

and May/June issues) by the International 

Technology Education Association, 1914 

Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 

20191. Subscriptions are included in 

member dues. U.S. Library and nonmember 

subscriptions are $80; $90 outside the U.S. 

Single copies are $8.50 for members; $9.50 

for nonmembers, plus shipping—domestic 

@ $5.00 and outside the U.S. @ $11.00 

(Airmail). 

E-mail: kdelapaz@iteaconnect.org 

World Wide Web: www.iteaconnect.org 

Advertising Sales: 

ITEA Publications Department 

703-860-2100 

Fax: 703-860-0353 

Subscription Claims 

All subscription claims must be made within 60 

days of the first day of the month appearing on 

the cover of the journal. For combined issues, 

claims will be honored within 60 days from 

the first day of the last month on the cover. 

Because of repeated delivery problems outside 

the continental United States, journals will 

be shipped only at the customer’s risk. ITEA 

will ship the subscription copy but assumes 

no responsibility thereafter. The Technology 

Teacher is listed in the Educational Index and 

the Current Index to Journal in Education. 

Volumes are available on Microfiche from 

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Ann Arbor, MI 48106. 

Change of Address 

Send change of address notification promptly. 

Provide old mailing label and new address. 

Include zip + 4 code. Allow six weeks for 

change. 

Postmaster 

Send address change to: The Technology 

Teacher, Address Change, ITEA, 1914 

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PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

Now Available on the 

ITEA Website: 

Did you know that the ideas, activities, worksheets, and presentations 

shared by the teachers on the IdeaGarden listserv are archived on the 

ITEA website for all ITEA members to use This is just one of the practical 

benefits found in “Members Only.” Other resources found in Members 

Only are: 

• The Technology Teacher Archives 


TEACHER 

T h e V o i c e o f T e c h n o l o g y E d u c a t i o n 

the 

Editorial Review Board 

Co-Chairperson 

Dan Engstrom 

California University of PA 

Steve Anderson 

Nikolay Middle School, WI 

Stephen Baird 

Bayside Middle School, VA 

Lynn Basham 

MI Department of Education 

Clare Benson 

University of Central England 

Mary Braden 

Carver Magnet HS, TX 

Jolette Bush 

Midvale Middle School, UT 

Philip Cardon 

Eastern Michigan University 

Michael Cichocki 

Salisbury Middle School, PA 

Mike Fitzgerald 

IN Department of Education 

Marie Hoepfl 

Appalachian State Univ. 

Laura Hummell 

Manteo Middle School, NC 

Co-Chairperson 

Stan Komacek 

California University of PA 

Frank Kruth 

South Fayette MS, PA 

Linda Markert 

SUNY at Oswego 

Don Mugan 

Valley City State University 

Monty Robinson 

Black Hills State University 

Mary Annette Rose 

Ball State University 

Terrie Rust 

Oasis Elementary School, AZ 

Yvonne Spicer 

Nat’l Center for Tech Literacy 

Jerianne Taylor 

Appalachian State University 

Greg Vander Weil 

Wayne State College 

Katherine Weber 

Des Plaines, IL 

Eric Wiebe 

North Carolina State Univ. 

Editorial Policy 

As the only national and international association dedicated 

solely to the development and improvement of technology 

education, ITEA seeks to provide an open forum for the free 

exchange of relevant ideas relating to technology education. 

Materials appearing in the journal, including 

advertising, are expressions of the authors and do not 

necessarily reflect the official policy or the opinion of the 

association, its officers, or the ITEA Headquarters staff. 

• TrendScout Archives 

• TIDE Watcher and IdeaGarden Listserv Information 

• ITEA Governance Information 

• Insurance Programs and Other Discounted Member Services 

• Career/Professional Recognition Information 

Let your membership work for you. Check it out at 

www.iteaconnect.org/Membership/membersonly.htm. 

www.iteaconnect.org 

Referee Policy 

All professional articles in The Technology Teacher are 

refereed, with the exception of selected association 

activities and reports, and invited articles. Refereed articles 

are reviewed and approved by the Editorial Board before 

publication in The Technology Teacher. Articles with bylines 

will be identified as either refereed or invited unless written 

by ITEA officers on association activities or policies. 

To Submit Articles 

All articles should be sent directly to the Editor-in-Chief, 

International Technology Education Association, 1914 

Association Drive, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191-1539. 

Please submit articles and photographs via email 

to kdelapaz@iteaconnect.org. Maximum length for 

manuscripts is eight pages. Manuscripts should be prepared 

following the style specified in the Publications Manual of 

the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition. 

Editorial guidelines and review policies are available by 

writing directly to ITEA or by visiting www.iteaconnect.org/ 

Publications/Submissionguidelines.htm. Contents copyright 

© 2006 by the International Technology Education 

Association, Inc., 703-860-2100. 

• The Technology Teacher • December/January 2007

In the News & Calendar 

Join ITEA in San Antonio! 

Mark your calendar now for the one event you must attend 

in the new year. ITEA’s 69 th Annual Conference in San 

Antonio—March 15-17, 2007—promises to be one of the 

best ever. Special preregistration pricing is available until 

February 10, 2007, and special room rates are available at 

the conference hotels until February 16, 2007. The latest 

conference information is available at www.iteaconnect.org/ 

Conference/conferenceguide.htm. In addition, the complete 

Preliminary Program is located in the center section of this 

issue of TTT. 

Educator Fellowship Act. The Triangle Coalition administers 

the program under the direction of the Department 

of Energy. The application deadline is January 8, 2007. 

Apply online at https://applicationlink.labworks.org/ 

applicationlink/default.htm. For more information about 

the Einstein Fellows program, visit www.trianglecoalition. 

org/ein.htm or contact Andrea Bodmann at bodmanna@ 

triangle-coalition.org. 

“I See Ice” Viewer 

Water is very abundant in the solar system. However, it is 

usually in a frozen state. From Mercury, the planet closest 

to the Sun, out to the Kuiper Belt, source of many comets, 

and beyond, scientists see evidence for ice, and maybe even 

liquid water. A new “I See Ice” activity on NASA’s Space 

Place website explains why we are interested in all this ice 

and shows detailed and interactive images of all the places 

ice has been found so far. Go to http://spaceplace.nasa. 

gov/en/kids/ice/, or for the Spanish language version, go to 

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sp/kids/ice/. 

Apply Now For the 2007-08 Albert Einstein 

Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program 

Attention K-12 teachers: Are you an experienced educator 

who is ready to make a difference on a national scale If 

so, consider applying for an Albert Einstein Distinguished 

Educator Fellowship and prepare for a year of unique 

opportunities. As an Einstein Fellow you will spend a school 

year in Washington, DC, sharing your expertise with policy 

makers. You may serve your Fellowship with Congress or 

one of several government agencies such as the Department 

of Energy, NASA, the National Science Foundation, the 

National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, or the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology. 

The goal of the Einstein Fellows program is to provide 

an opportunity for teachers to inform national policy 

and improve communication between the K-12 STEM 

education community and national leaders. Selection 

is based on excellence in K-12 mathematics, science, 

or technology teaching; demonstrated leadership; an 

understanding of national, state, and local education policy; 

and communication and interpersonal skills. The Fellowship 

program was created in 1990 with support from the 

MacArthur Foundation. Congress formalized the program 

in 1994 by passing the Albert Einstein Distinguished 

Introducing Engineering the Kid-Friendly Way 

A new book of interest to technology educators, Those 

Amazing Engineers, is an engaging, colorful, fun-to-read 

introduction to engineering. Ideal for teachers interested 

in making kids aware of what engineers do, this new book 

is chock full of fascinating examples geared to readers 

aged 8-12. From robots to rockets, from supercomputers 

to shampoo, the book shows how engineers make a big 

difference in our lives. 

Those Amazing Engineers covers engineers from aerospace 

to software and features sections on “How Do I Get There 

From Here” and “When Can I Start” that offer practical 

suggestions on individual or classroom activities that are 

stepping-stones to an engineering career. Highlights also 

include “Engineering Hall of Fame, A Kid’s Eye View” with 

kid-friendly examples such as the Slinky® and the Ferris 

wheel; and “Engineering SuperCity Stadium,” featuring all 

the types of engineers it takes to bring a baseball stadium 

to life. 

Author Charlotte Forbes, an O. Henry Award-winning 

writer, skillfully keeps the text lively and informative for 

the 8-12-year-old target audience, although older children 

and even adults can enjoy the book as well. BookWire 

praises the book as “a fun and accessible introduction to 


the engineering field,” and teachers report an enthusiastic 

response from kids. The 30-page, softcover book is available 

through Amazon.com or directly from the publisher, Trilogy 

Publications (www.trilogypublications.com). The cover price 

is $10.95 per copy, but significant discounts are available 

from the publisher for bulk purchases. 

Healthy Growth Expected for Most STEM 

Occupations Through 2014 

Information technology is expected to continue to 

be the leading growth sector within the science and 

technology specialties through 2014. Most other scientific, 

technological, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) 

occupations are expected to grow moderately, at rates 

similar to those for the entire U.S. labor force, according 

to a recent report by the Commission on Professionals in 

Science and Technology (CPST). The report, part of the 

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation-funded STEM Workforce Data 

Project, is based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

(BLS). It includes estimated 2004 and projected 2014 

employment data for over 100 STEM occupations or broad 

sets of occupations. Other STEM occupations with strong 

growth rates include forensic science technicians, medical 

scientists and epidemiologists, hydrologists, biomedical 

engineers, environmental engineers, environmental 

engineering technicians, actuaries, and market and survey 

researchers. In terms of the absolute numbers of new 

jobs, IT occupations will post the most significant gains. 

Computer specialists are expected to generate nearly 

957,000 new jobs during the decade. In all, IT workers and 

managers account for more than five percent of the total 

job growth projected by BLS for the U.S. between 2004 and 

2014. A number of STEM occupations are projected to fall 

short of the overall anticipated U.S. employment growth 

rate of 13 percent over the ten-year projection period, but 

none are projected to lose large numbers of jobs. Scientific 

and technical professionals can be found in every broad 

employment market in the U.S. economy, including goods 

distribution sectors such as wholesale trade, retail trade, 

and transportation and warehousing. The report provides 

employment data by STEM occupation and 31 employer 

categories for 2004, and the accompanying data archive 

includes projections for 2014 by industry and STEM 

occupation. The full report is available at www.cpst.org/ 

STEM/STEM7_Report.pdf. 

Source: Triangle Coalition Electronic Bulletin, September 28, 2006, 

Volume 12, Number 37. 

Calendar 

February 22-February 24, 2007 The Virginia Children’s 

Engineering Council (VCEC) will hold its 11th Annual 

Children’s Engineering Convention at the Crowne 

Plaza Richmond West, in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Billy 

Cannaday, Jr., Superintendent of Public Instruction for the 

Commonwealth of Virginia, will be the keynote speaker 

on Friday, February 23, 2007. Please contact Mary Hurst, 

Program Chair, at mcwhurst@cox.net; Donna Smith, VCEC 

President, at 804-403-3592 or dsmith5@infionline.net; or 

Janis Churchill, VCEC President-Elect, at 540-271-1531 or 

churchill@rockingham.k12.va.us for additional information. 

The general registration form and convention information 

may also be accessed at: www.vtea.org/ESTE/convention/. 

March 8-9, 2007 The Indiana Association for the 

Gifted/Indiana Department of Education will hold its 2007 

conference at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel North, 8787 

Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, IN. The theme of the 2007 

conference is “Aiming for Excellence.” Visit www.doe.state. 

in.us/exceptional/gt for details. 

March 15-17, 2007 The 69th Annual ITEA Conference 

and Exhibition, “Technological Literacy: A Global 

Challenge,” will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez 

Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Now the eighth 

largest city in the U.S., San Antonio has always been a 

crossroads and a meeting place. An historic city on the 

famed Riverwalk, the warmth you feel is not just from the 

sunny climate, but from the hearts of its residents. Proud of 

their city and heritage, they are always ready with the special 

brand of hospitality for which Texas is so famous. Come feel 

the excitement and join the fun! Visit www.iteaconnect.org/ 

Conference/conferenceguide.htm for the latest information. 

March 15-17, 2007 The PATT-17: Pupils’ Attitudes 

Towards Technology, International Design and Technology 

Education Conference, “Research on Technological Literacy 

in Theory and Practice” and the 2007 ICTE Conference 

(Asia Pacific Region) will take place concurrently with the 

ITEA Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX. Information 

on the PATT-17 Conference and the ICTE Conference 

can be found at www.iteaconnect.org/Conference/ 

PATT17sessions.pdf. 


March 29-30, 2007 The 38th Annual Wisconsin 

Technology Education Association Spring Conference 

will be held at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells 

and will feature a convention and trade show. This year’s 

theme is “Technology & Engineering: Forging A New 

Future.” Keynote speakers will be Mark Lee (former NASA 

astronaut) and Dr. James Bensen, President Emeritus, 

Bemidji State University. For more information visit www. 

wtea-wis.org/. 

April 6, 2007 The Annual USM/ 

TEAM Spring Conference will take 

place at the John Mitchell Center, 

University of Southern Maine, Gorham 

Campus. Contact this year’s organizers, 

Dr. Robert Nannay at nannay@usm. 

maine.edu or Mark Dissell at mdissell@ 

fps.k12.me.us, for information. 

June 21-27, 2007 The PATT-18: 

Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Technology, 

International Design and Technology 

Education Conference, “Teaching and 

Learning Technological Literacy in the 

Classroom,” will be held in Glasgow, 

Scotland. For further information 

about the conference or presentation 

opportunities, contact the Conference 

Director, John Dakers at jdakers@ 

educ.gla.ac.uk. Completed papers 

(2,500–3,000 words) must be emailed 

to the above address no later than the 

November 30, 2006. 

June 24-28, 2007 The 29 th Annual 

National TSA Conference, TSA, 

Breaking Down the Boundaries, will be 

held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and 

Convention Center in Nashville, TN. 

The conference will feature high school 

and middle school competitive events, a 

one-day Education Fair, and the DuPont 

Leadership Academy. Visit www. 

tsaweb.org/content.aspcontentid=407 

for complete information. Or contact 

Donna Andrews, TSA Conference 

Manager, Technology Student 

Association at 703/860-9000 (ex. 15) or 

dandrews@tsaweb.org. 

List your State/Province Association 

Conference in TTT and TrendScout 

(ITEA’s electronic newsletter). Submit 

conference title, date(s), location, 

and contact information (at least two 

months prior to journal publication 

date) to kcluff@iteaconnect.org. 


You & ITEA 

to 1965, and at The Ohio State University from 1965 until 

his retirement in 1984, where he was Professor and Chair of 

Industrial Technology and Education for 21 years. 

Passing 

One of the twentieth century technology education leaders 

who initiated and created innovative curriculum that helped 

to transform industrial arts into technology education, 

Donald Gregory Lux, born February 21, 1924, died on 

September 27, 2006. 

He left his childhood town of Claremont, Minnesota to join 

the Navy in 1943 where he served honorably in the Pacific 

Theater of WWII. After the war, he remained in the Naval 

Reserves for 30 years, retiring with the rank of Captain. 

Don married Harriet “Pete” Harmer in 1945. They have two 

sons, Michael and Gregory, a daughter, Kathleen, and four 

grandchildren. 

He earned his Bachelors (1949) and Masters (1952) at the 

University of Wisconsin-Stout and Doctorate (1955) at The 

Ohio State University. He taught industrial arts in Louisville, 

Kentucky from 1949 to 1952, at The Ohio State University 

from 1952 to 1954, at the University of Illinois from 1954 

During the course of his professional career he was the 

major advisor for 45 doctoral students, published over 30 

articles in ten journals (including The Technology Teacher 

and its predecessors), served in administrative capacities 

such as department chair and assistant dean, served 

as a consultant, received many national honors for his 

outstanding contributions to his profession, and worked 

with the largest federal grant at the time, The Industrial Arts 

Curriculum Project, to reform industrial arts curriculum. 

As a result of his curriculum work and grant funding, he 

was the coauthor of World of Construction and World of 

Manufacturing, middle school textbooks that introduced 

to technology educators the reorganization of the subject 

matter into manufacturing and construction. He was a 

consultant on international projects in India, Iran, and 

South Korea and served as a visiting professor at Chungnam 

University in South Korea and Colorado State University. 

He held both the Epsilon Pi Tau Laureate and Distinguished 

Service citations, is a Fellow of the Academy of Technology 

Education, a Distinguished Graduate of the University 

of Wisconsin-Stout, and a member of The Ohio State 

University College of Education Hall of Fame. 

Don Lux should be remembered by technology educators 

as one of a powerful group of technology education leaders 

who, beginning in the 1950s, initiated the transformation 

of industrial arts into technology education through 

their spirited debate, which led to creating and testing 

“innovative” curriculum in the schools, and by publicizing 

the results of their curriculum development and research. 


ITEA and NASA Team 

Up Again To Advance 

Technological 

Literacy 

As an extension of the Human 

Exploration Curricular 

Project, ITEA is working 

with NASA to develop 

educational Design Challenges 

to coordinate with Space Shuttle 

Endeavour’s STS-118 mission. 

This shuttle flight is scheduled 

for June 2007 and will deliver a 

payload to the International Space 

Station. The six-person crew will 

Barbara Morgan 

include Barbara Morgan. Ms. 

Morgan is an ITEA member who 

was selected by NASA in January 1998 as the first Educator 

Astronaut. An Educator Astronaut is fully qualified as an 

astronaut and also brings to bear his or her expertise in 

K-12 education. Ms. Morgan and NASA are dedicated to 

inspiring the next generation of explorers and finding ways 

to connect space exploration with K-12 classrooms. The 

Design Challenges will be developed for elementary, middle, 

and high school students and will focus on greenhouse 

design in space. They 

will be offered both 

as a design-and-build 

challenge and as a 

design-only challenge. 

A second Phase will 

coordinate with the 

Design Challenge to offer 

a science experiment 

on the growing of 

seeds. Watch for more 

information as this 

project develops. 

Engineering 

byDesign (EbD): 

A Model for Career 

Clusters 

While the philosophical foundation of Standards 

for Technological Literacy is that all students 

need to study technology, the focus of the EbD 

model program is on the practical implementation 

of the standards. An important aspect of that practical 

implementation is serving as a model for developing themes 

in the STEM and IT Clusters. EbD delivers this, and so 

much more. The courses in the program create awareness 

and competence over time as they build on learned 

knowledge and skills. In the Pathway Program, schools 

adopt the articulated sequence of courses in a STEM and/ 

or IT-themed academy. The EbD components can also 

be modularized and adapted to ensure that career themes 

are aligned with Cluster Knowledge and Skills. In these 

ways, EbD provides authentic learning to students who 

are looking toward future careers in technology as well as 

those students who are uncertain about their future plans. 

In fact, EbD provides a valuable basis for any future career, 

and may encourage some students to consider careers in 

technology. The offerings of EbD are many and varied, and 

are indisputably based on standards. To find out more about 

the implications EbD holds for your program, contact 

Barry Burke, ITEA-CATTS Director, at (301) 482-1929 or 

via email at bburke@iteaconnect.org 

A previous space launch. 


Design Brief 

Design Brief: Engineering DNA 

(Deoxyribonucleic Acid) 

By Lisa Goel 

Base Pair 

A 

T 

This activity integrates technology 

G 

C 

DNA 

Backbone 

(genetic, manufacturing, material, 

mechanical, and biomedical 

engineering) art, and science, for 

students in Grades K to 12. 

Context 

What is DNA What is its purpose DNA (deoxyribonucleic 

acid) is the basic unit of our physical and genetic makeup. 

It houses information expressed through our physical 

attributes, such as the color of our eyes, hair, skin, our 

height, etc. The design challenge presented here is to 

engineer DNA. In order to do this, students must first 

understand the basics of DNA. (Figure 1.) DNA is made up 

of two strands (refer to Figure 1) that are attached by base 

pairs. The structure of DNA looks like a spiral or coiled 

ladder. There are four bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), 

cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Amongst these base pairs, 

adenine (A) bonds to thymine (T), and guanine (G) bonds 

to cytosine (C). The bonding character between AT and GC 

differs in that A and T bonding consists of two long bonds 

and G and C has three shorter bonds. 

Figure 1: DNA structure. AT has two bonds and GC has three 

bonds. 

The goal of this activity is to reconstruct DNA by 

investigating its structure and components. Students will 

be able to appreciate our genetic building blocks. Students 

will design, construct, and test various DNA structures. 

Using the engineering design process, students will be 

able to awaken their creativity and design ability towards 

understanding the genetic makeup of human beings. 

Challenge 

The engineering challenge here is to design, create, and test 

engineered DNA. Students should focus their efforts and 


creativity towards understanding the interactions between 

the bond strengths, the coiling of the DNA, and the different 

base pair matchups of the DNA. Students will have to 

utilize their creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, 

and analytical skills when designing and constructing their 

own DNA. It is recommended that students do this activity 

individually. 

Materials 

Students should be encouraged to bring household items 

for constructing their DNA. Necessary items are as follows: 

wire-based materials that have the ability to bend and 

fold easily (pipe cleaners, wire hangers, copper wire, etc), 

glue, tape, Velcro, string, scissors—virtually anything that 

has adhesive or sticky properties. The adhesive material 

will serve as bonds. For constructing the base pairs, 

students should use their creativity and pick materials that 

are distinguishable in four different ways. For example, 

construction paper of four different colors, or different types 

of fabrics, rubber, and cardboard. Each student will need a 

cylindrical rod, no smaller than 0.5 inches in diameter. 

pairs with two bonds. As with any engineering sketch, it is 

important to label each area and list what materials will be 

needed for constructing their DNA. 

The next step is the construction of the DNA. Using 

Figure 1 as a guideline as to how DNA should look, students 

should begin construction. First, create the backbone of the 

DNA by using pipe cleaners or wire. Then students should 

pick out what type of fabric, cardboard, or paper they want 

to use to represent their base pairs. There are four base pairs 

as mentioned earlier: ATGC. The fabric of choice should 

be cut into four distinct shapes to represent each base pair. 

Finally, an adhesive should be decided upon with which 

to attach the base pairs; this will represent the bonds. For 

instance, students may choose yarn to represent the bonds. 

Using their sketches and materials, students should engineer 

multiple DNA strands with different base pairings. It is 

important to note that AT has two bonds and GC has three 

bonds (i.e., AT will be attached by three pieces of yarn, and 

GC will be attached by two pieces of yarn). Once the DNA 

has been created, students should test each DNA. 

To test the DNA, students first coil their DNA around a 

cylindrical rod. Then students should hold the DNA—one 

end in each hand—and slowly pull the DNA strands apart 

from one another. While pulling the two DNA strands apart, 

students should note their observations. 

Procedure 

Some sample household 

items. 

Teachers should begin the design challenge with an open 

discussion with students by introducing DNA to the class. 

Describe the basic characteristics of DNA. Teachers should 

encourage students to question the properties of DNA 

and the role it plays in our lives. Once the foundation of 

DNA has been laid out, students should begin their design 

challenge: to engineer their own DNA. The first step is to 

sketch the types of DNA that they would like to engineer. 

Students should focus on making three types of DNA, one 

that is very strong, one that is very weak, and one that is a 

mix of strong and weak. When designing the DNA, students 

should keep in mind what properties would make the DNA 

strong and weak. Students should be able to recognize 

that base pairs with three bonds are stronger than base 

Analysis and Redesign 

Students should be encouraged to answer questions such 

as: How long did it take to pull the DNA apart Was it hard 

to pull the two strands apart If it was not hard, what could 

be done to make it stronger How could they improve their 

design to make it stronger or weaker Teachers should guide 

students to think critically about their designs through these 

types of questions. 

Evaluation/Feedback 

Students should present their DNA and observations to 

the class. Teachers should end the activity by asking more 

questions about what students have learned. This will 

provide a nice wrap-up to the activity. 

Lisa Goel, MS in Biomedical Engineering, 

is currently working on the Technology 

Operations and Business Innovation team at a 

nano-medical diagnostic company, Nanobiosym, 

Inc. She can be reached via email at lisagoel@ 

gmail.com. 


Integrating Virtual Reality Into 

Technology Education Labs 

By Sylvia Tiala, DTE 

(Permission granted: Randy Pausch) 

Virtual reality provides a 

means to deliver standardsbased 

curriculum to today’s 

technologically savvy students. 

Figure.1. Carnegie Mellon University’s Alice interface downloaded 

from www.alice.org 

Desktop Virtual Reality (Ausburn & Ausburn, 2004) 

is an instructional tool that can be used to deliver 

standards-based instruction (International Technology 

Education Association, 2000/2002) while tapping 

students’ interests. Although there are no plug-and-play 

virtual-reality (VR) solutions currently available to the K-12 

teacher, there are easy ways to teach concepts employing 

VR (interactive, three-dimensional, stereographic computer 

images). Experimenting with hardware and software can be 

time-consuming for the K-12 teacher. This article discusses 

the hardware, software, resources, and concepts needed to 

integrate VR into a classroom with a minimal investment of 

resources. 

Today’s students are technologically savvy. They use 

computers to play video games, post web pages, publish 

weblogs, and chat online. Seventy percent of children in 

the U.S. between ages 3 and 17 have access to computers 

(Child Trends 2003; DeBell and Chapman, 2003). Seventy 

percent of today’s college students play video games (Riegle, 

2004). The technologies used to produce video games are 

closely associated with desktop virtual reality (Ausburn 

& Ausburn, 2004). Computer-assisted drafting programs 

(CAD) and graphics programs are used to generate 

and animate three-dimensional (3D) computer models. 

Technologies used to create three-dimensional models for 

video games are also used to create virtual-reality models. 

Video gaming enthusiasts don helmets or goggles that 

have small computer monitors mounted in them. Similar 

head-mounted displays (HMDs) are used in virtual-reality 

activities. Input devices, such as mice, triggers, or thumb 

sticks, allow gamers to interact with a video game. These 

input devices can also be used in VR. Virtual-reality 

technologies tap students’ motivation to use computers 

while delivering standards-based curriculum. 


Standards-based Instruction 

Virtual reality, HMDs, and trackers can be easily and 

inexpensively integrated into the technology education 

laboratory to address ITEA’s Standards for Technological 

Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (STL) 

(2000/2002). Virtual reality, like video games, integrates 

software and hardware residing on a local computer or 

network into a communication system. Studying this 

communication system directly addresses students’ 

understanding of “The Nature of Technology” (STL 

Standards 1, 2, and 3). Students generating 3D computer 

models (STL Standard 11) used in virtual reality come 

to understand the design process (STL Standards 8 

and 9) while using, troubleshooting, and maintaining 

a technological system (STL Standard 11). Exposure to 

desktop virtual reality introduces students to technologies 

used in movie animation, electronic gaming (Novak, 

2005), chemistry (Illman, 1994), surgery, flight simulation 

(Shulman, 1999), marketing, engineering, military training, 

and robotics (Briggs, 1996; Wong & Wong, 1996). “The role 

of society in the development and use of technology” (STL 

Standard 6) can be explored within the context of these 

related technologies. 

Desktop Virtual Reality System Setup 

Software 

Software applications drive the selection of computer 

hardware and the associated peripherals in any VR system. 

Alice, a freeware computer program from Carnegie-Mellon 

University, available for download from www.alice.org, may 

be used as the starting point for desktop VR. Alice integrates 

into graphics and web-design classrooms easily since 

computer workstations running modern CAD and graphics 

packages will easily run Alice. Alice’s interface, shown 

in Figure 1, is used as the starting point for a first-time 

introduction to virtual reality for the following reasons: 

• Three-dimensional objects are built and ready for 

animation. 

• Alice is free from Carnegie-Mellon University and is 

regularly updated. 

• Programming skills needed to implement higher-level 

VR systems are introduced while students create their 

own animated environments. 

• Components of Alice have cross-curricular ties to 

math (moving objects along three-axis or absolute 

versus relative coordinate systems), science 

(reflectivity or opaqueness of objects and sound 

wave frequencies) and language (learning a computer 

language). 

• Alice is easy to download and use with directions from 

the Alice website. Built-in tutorials and a beta version 

of Dann, Cooper, and Pausch’s (2005) instructional 

text, Learning to Program with Alice (www.alice.org), 

provide additional support. 

• Results of programming can be seen immediately. 

Experience shows that students can animate single 

characters proficiently after five hours of practice. Many 

students will be able to develop interactive animations that 

integrate head-mounted displays by the end of a twelveweek 

semester. Multi-character, three-minute interactive 

animations are easily accomplished. 

Sound Effects 

Figure 2. Head-mounted display. 

Sound effects add another dimension to animations and can 

be added directly to an Alice environment after plugging 

in an external microphone. Science concepts relating to 

sound waves and careers in sound production applicable 

to movie production, animation, and audio recording can 

be addressed while creating Alice worlds. Figure 1 shows a 

rabbit, a frog, and a beach chair. In this animation the frog 

jumps out from under the chair and hops toward the lake. A 

sponge repeatedly dipped into a pail of water was used for 

the sound effect of a frog jumping. Students can experiment 

with recording, echoing, speed, and volume of sound to get 

the desired effects. 

Head-Mounted Displays 

An HMD, like that shown in Figure 2 (iO Display Systems’ 

i-glasses PC), projects a VR world in front of a person’s 

eyes and is needed for stereo imaging in a desktop VR 

system (www.i-glassesstore.com; www.stereographics.com). 

Images appear three-dimensional by projecting slightly 

different views of the same object into the left and right 

eye (StereoGraphics Corporation, 1997; Bungert, 1998). 

Source: Sylvia Tiala 

10 • The Technology Teacher • December/January 2007

3D Computer Graphic 

2D Computer Graphic 

Figure 3. Three-dimensional objects versus two-dimensional objects. 

Care should be taken when selecting an HMD, as people 

can experience nausea, fatigue, and dizziness if the HMD’s 

resolution and refresh rates are too low. StereoGraphics 

Corporation (1997), General Reality Company (n.d.a; n.d. 

b), Bungert (1998), or other experts should be consulted 

for technical considerations inherent in choosing a viewing 

device. 

Stereo images and three-dimensional (3D) graphics are both 

required for VR applications. It is important to understand 

the difference between 3D graphics and stereo graphics, as 

some software/hardware vendors interchange these terms. 

Three-dimensional objects, like those shown in Figure 

3, have width, height, and depth, while two-dimensional 

objects have only width and height. Three-dimensional 

objects are critical components for desktop VR worlds. 

Many computer-aided-drafting packages (CAD) and 

modeling/animation packages generate 3D objects and 

virtual worlds that a user can move through. The viewer is 

able to see the front, back, top, sides, and bottom of objects 

and their respective positions within a world. 

Stereoscopic views are created when software and hardware 

split lines or pixels of a computer image into left and 

right images and send these to a display screen or HMD. 

Stereo graphic cards in conjunction with HMDs and CAD/ 

illustration software capable of generating stereo images 

(alternating left and right views) are used to import stereo 

images into a desktop VR. Although current versions of 

Alice do not support stereo imaging, connecting an HMD to 

a computer is useful for conveying concepts related to stereo 

imaging and hardware/software interfacing. 

Tracking Devices 

Tracking devices like that shown in Figure 4, add an element 

of interactivity to a computer-generated world. Trackers 

connected to HMDs send signals to a receiver. The receiver 

sends positioning information to the computer and adjusts 

the user’s view depending on where the head is located and 

how it is positioned in a virtual reality. There are several 

things to consider when selecting tracking devices. Cost 

is the major factor, as trackers range in price from several 

hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Degreesof-freedom 

refers to what types of motion a tracker will 

register. Pitch, roll, and yaw and placement along the x, 

y, and z coordinates are measured with a six-degree-of- 

Figure 4. Tracking device. 



freedom tracker that places the viewer inside a world 

indicating head position and orientation. Since many lowend 

trackers are limited to ten feet or less of motion, range 

of operation should also be considered. 

Integrating trackers into a desktop VR system provides 

an opportunity to teach students about relative, absolute, 

and polar coordinate systems and calibrating scientific 

instruments for accurate readings. Maui Innovative 

Peripheral’s Cymouse, shown in Figure 5, is an inexpensive, 

six-degree-of-freedom tracker that is easily integrated with 

Alice, using mouse emulation. Some modification may be 

needed to affix the tracker securely onto a computer yet 

allow for removal and safekeeping. Tracker range is limited 

to several feet due to cord lengths and tracker/receiver 

sensitivity. Integrating this hardware into the VR system 

allows students to see how the 3D software, peripheral 

hardware, and programming skills combine to produce an 

interactive computer-generated world. 

Assessments 

Figure 5. Cymouse tracker with receiver. 

Students can be assessed under the three broad categories 

of 1) memorization, 2) application, and 3) synthesis. 

Memorization involves remembering in which menu, 

window, and object elements reside within the Alice 

program. Written worksheets, teacher observation, and 

informal questioning can be used to assess students’ abilities 

to identify objects residing in the local Alice gallery or to 

choose specific regions of the Alice interface. This lowest 

level of assessment is applied as students follow written and 

verbal directions while learning a new computer application. 

Application can be measured using informal questioning 

techniques, rubrics, and Alice projects. Consulting with 

math and science instructors may help make student 


assessments more rigorous across the curriculum. Students 

should be able to apply basic math and science concepts 

related to coordinate systems and animation to their Alice 

worlds. Exercises and projects are included in Learning to 

Program with Alice (Dann, Cooper & Pausch, 2005) or can 

originate with students and teachers. Students should be 

able to create storyboards, orient and move objects, and add 

sound to their projects. Advanced students should be able 

to use programming questions and control statements, add 

camera and animation controls, create visible and invisible 

objects, and use random motion events in their worlds. 

Summative and formative assessment strategies are used 

to assess students’ synthesis of Alice concepts. Rubrics 

and presentations can be used to evaluate students’ final 

projects. Rubrics assessing students’ abilities to work as a 

team and communicate with peers can be added if team 

projects are utilized. Projects might include developing 

animations to show centrifugal force, developing 

advertisements for a favorite book, or creating a video 

game to help children learn colors. Advanced students are 

encouraged to set up individual learning plans directed at 

their post-secondary career ambitions. Students interested 

in engineering may be encouraged to design new mounts 

for trackers on HMDs, explore video cards, or connect and 

troubleshoot input devices. Students interested in game 

design and animation are encouraged to look at higher level 

animation and programming languages as they design, 

animate, import, and export 3D graphics. Assessment may 

include design notebooks, daily logs, interviews, portfolios, 

competition entries, and presentations. 

Implementing Desktop VR 

Integrating virtual reality into technology education 

instruction is an exciting educational prospect. Technologies 

associated with VR can be used to create engaging lessons. 

Computer games and virtual worlds designed with Alice 

can be used to implement the International Technology 

Education Association’s Standards for Technological 

Literacy. Scientific and mathematical concepts utilized 

with virtual-reality technologies enable teachers to 

provide cross-curricular connections. Students learn from 

hands-on experience and in non-traditional classroom 

contexts as called for by the American Association for the 

Advancement of Science (1993) and the National Council 

of Teachers of Mathematics (2000-2004). Virtual reality 

provides a means to deliver standards-based curriculum to 

today’s technologically savvy students. Studying VR may 

motivate students to gain a deeper understanding of the 

communication systems they routinely use. 


References 

American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

(1993). Benchmarks for science literacy: Project 2061. New 

York: Oxford University Press. 

Ausburn, L. J. & Ausburn F. B. (Winter, 2004). Desktop 

virtual reality: A powerful new technology for teaching 

and research in industrial teacher education. Journal of 

Industrial Teacher Education, 41(4). Retrieved June 23, 

2004 from http://scholar.lib.t.edu/ejournals/JITE/v41n4/ 

ausburn.html. 

Bungert, C. (1998). Basics/quick info: All at once—stereo-3D 

in a nutshell. Retrieved July 14, 2004 from www.stereo3d. 

com/quick.htm. 

Briggs, J. C. (1996). The promise of virtual reality. The 

Futurist 30, September 1, 1996. Retrieved September 13, 

2003 from http://project.cyberpunk.ru/idb/virtualreality_ 

promise.html. 

Carnegie Mellon University. (2004). Alice (Version 2.0b) 

[Computer Software]. Retrieved August 19, 2004 from 

www.alice.org. 

Child Trends. (2003). Home computer access and 

internet use. Retrieved September 13, 2005 

from www.childrendsdatabank.org/indicators/ 

69HomeComputerUse.cfm. 

Dann, W., Cooper, S., & Pausch, R. (2005). Learning to 

program with Alice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: 

Pearson/Prentice Hall. 

DeBell, M. & Chapman, C. (2003). Computer and internet 

use by children and adolescents in 2001 (NCES 

2004-014). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 

Retrieved September 13, 2005 from http://nces.ed.gov/ 

pubs2004/2004014.pdf. 

General Reality Company. (n.d.a). Choosing an HMD. 

Retrieved July 14, 2004 from www.genreality.com/ 

howtochoose.html. 

General Reality Company. (n.d.b). Head-mounted displays. 

Retrieved July 14, 2004 from www.genreality.com/ 

hmds.html. 

Illman, D. (1994, March 21). Researchers make progress 

in applying virtual reality to chemistry. Chemical & 

Engineering News, 72, 22-25. 

International Technology Education Association. 

(2000/2002). Standards for technological literacy: Content 

for the study of technology. Reston, Virginia: Author. 

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000/2004). 

Principles and standards for school mathematics: 

Executive summary [online]. Available: http://standards. 

nctm.org. 

Novak, J. (2005). Game development essentials: An introduction. 

Clifton Park, NY: Thompson, Delmar Learning. 

Riegle, R. (2004). Video games & online learning: The future 

of teacher education. Address delivered at the Video 

Games and Learning Major Forum, AACTE 56 th Annual 

Meetings and Exhibits. Retrieved April 14, 2004 from 

www.aacte.org/Programs/Research/comments_rpr.pdf. 

Shulman, S. (1999, March). Virtual reality goes to school. 

Computer Graphics World, 22(3), 39-44. 

StereoGraphics Corporation. (1997). Stereographics 

Developers’ Handbook. Retrieved July 14, 2004 from 

www.stereographics.com/support/downloads_support 

/handbook.pdf. 

Wong & Wong. (1996).Virtual reality in space exploration. 

Retrieved July 14, 2004 from www.doc.ic.ac.uk~nd/ 

surprise_96/journal/vol4/kcgw/report.html. 

This is a refereed article. 

Sylvia Tiala, DTE, recently completed her Ph.D. 

at Iowa State University and is currently the 

department chair of the Industrial Technology 

Department at Boone High School in Boone, IA. 

She can be reached via email at stiala@copper. 

net. 


Resources in Technology 

Climate Change: 

A Runaway Train 

By Stephen L. Baird 

…the human species has reshaped 

Earth’s landscapes on an ever-larger 

and lasting scale. 

Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), NOAA Central Library. 

Sea ice regulates exchanges of heat, moisture, and salinity in the polar 

ocean and provides key habitat for wildlife. A loss of sea ice leaves coasts 

more vulnerable to storm surges and erosion. 

Our rich diversity of life on Earth is the outcome of 

over three billion years of evolutionary history. 

It has been shaped by forces such as continental 

drift, ice ages, fire, weather, and the interaction 

of all the different species that inhabit the earth. Now, it 

is increasingly being altered by the dominant species of 

the planet, humans. From the dawn of agriculture over 

10,000 years ago, through the industrial revolution of 

the past three centuries, the human species has reshaped 

Earth’s landscapes on an ever-larger and lasting scale. 

Despite growing awareness and increasing investments in 

environmental protection, pressure on the world’s natural 

resources and ecosystems continues to increase rapidly. The 

impacts of human activities envelop every aspect of the 

natural world. No ecosystem on Earth is free from pervasive 

human influence (World, 2006). Global warming, pollution, 

and the unabated use of the Earth’s natural resources have 

given rise to questions of our planet’s continued ability 

to sustain us. Global atmospheric changes, such as ozone 

depletion and climate change, only add to the stress. Global 

warming poses an extraordinary challenge. The world’s 

leading scientists tell us that a gradual warming of our 

climate is under way and will continue. This long-term 

warming trend poses serious risk to the world’s economy 


and to the environment. It poses even greater risks for 

poorer countries that are far less able to cope with a 

changing climate and for low-lying countries where a rise 

in sea level will cause significant damage. Meeting the 

challenges of global warming will require sustained effort 

over decades—on the part of governments, that must 

establish regulations and modify them as we learn more 

about climate change and as technological solutions begin 

to manifest themselves; on the part of industry, which must 

innovate, manufacture, and operate under a new paradigm 

where climate change will drive many decisions; and on 

the part of the citizens of the world, who must not only be 

educated on the effects of climate change but who must 

also switch to a more Earth-friendly path in purchases and 

lifestyles. While the earth has always undergone changes in 

its climate and environment, the potential importance of 

human contributions affecting changes on a global scale has 

emerged comparatively recently. Global public opinion, like 

American public opinion, has been most recently influenced 

by the unprecedented drought in Brazil, the melting Arctic 

ice, the recent hurricane season, and a torrent of scientific 

findings. 

The Science of Climate Change 

Global warming is shorthand for “climate change,” and 

the term is correct if you realize that it’s referring to the 

average temperature of the earth over the years; not the 

temperatures at particular times and places. Climate 

change is a much better term to use than global warming 

because much more than warming is involved, although 

the changes begin with the average temperature of the 

earth increasing. Studying past climates can help put the 

twentieth century warming into a broader context, lead to 

better understanding of the climate system, and improve 

projections of future climate temperatures. 

Because widespread, reliable instrumental records are 

available only for the last 150 years or so, scientists must 

estimate climatic conditions in the more distant past by 

analyzing proxy evidence from sources such as tree rings, 

corals, ocean and lake sediments, cave deposits, ice cores, 

boreholes, glaciers, and documentary evidence. Starting in 

the late 1990s, scientists began combining proxy evidence 

from many different locations around the world in an effort 

to construct an estimate of surface temperature changes that 

have occurred over broad geographic regions during the 

last few hundred to few thousand years. Controversy arose 

because many people interpreted this result as definitive 

evidence of anthropogenic causes of recent climate change, 

while others criticized the methodologies and data that 

were used. In response to a request from Congress, a 

committee was assembled by the National Research Council 

to describe and assess the state of scientific efforts to 

reconstruct the surface temperature records for the earth 

over approximately the last 2000 years and the implications 

of these efforts for our understanding of global climate 

change. After considering all of the available evidence, the 

committee reached the following conclusions: 

• The instrumentally measured warming of about 

0.6°C during the twentieth century is also reflected in 

borehole temperature measurements, the retreat of 

glaciers, and other observational evidence, and can be 

simulated with computer climate models. 

• Large-scale surface temperature reconstructions yield 

a generally consistent picture of temperature trends 

during the preceding millennium. 

• It can be said with a high level of confidence that the 

global mean surface temperature was higher during the 

last few decades of the twentieth century than during 

any other comparable period during the preceding four 

centuries. 

Large-scale surface temperature reconstructions are proving 

to be important tools in developing a more complete 

understanding of global climate change (Surface, 2006). 

Copies of Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 

2,000 Years are available from the National Academies Press, 

500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001; (800) 624- 

6242; www.nap.edu. 

Feedback Loops 

The three warmest years on record have all occurred since 

1998; 19 of the warmest 20 since 1980, and the earth has 

probably never warmed as fast as in the past 30 years—a 

period when natural influences on global temperatures, such 

as solar cycles and volcanoes, should have cooled the earth 

down. Climate-change scientists (Climatologists) reporting 

for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 

Change (IPCC) say that we are seeing global warming 

caused by human activities and that there are growing fears 

of feedbacks that will accelerate this warming. 

In a feedback loop, a change occurs and then amplifies the 

original problem; in this situation the rising temperature on 

the earth changes the environment in ways that can create 

even more heat. Scientists consider feedback loops the 

single biggest threat to civilization from global warming. 

Past a certain point—the tipping point, they say—there may 

be no stopping the changes (Blakemore, 2006). Scientists 

working in the Arctic are reporting that feedback loops are 

already under way. As the frozen sea surface of the Arctic 


Figure 2. This image shows values of sea surface temperature 

from Satellite observations. The reason Europe’s 

climate is more moderate than climates in other Northerly 

locations lies in the ocean. 

Ocean melts, there is less white surface area to reflect the 

sun’s heat back into space, leaving the dark, open water to 

absorb that heat, which then melts the floating sea ice even 

faster. More than a third of summer sea ice has disappeared 

over the past 30 years. (Figure 1.) One study published last 

year in the journal Science found that of 244 glaciers in 

the Antarctic, 87 percent have retreated at unprecedented 

and accelerating rates. According to NASA scientists, the 

melting of Arctic sea ice is occurring more rapidly than 

predicted. The volume of ice melting will lead to changes 

in the salinity of the ocean and alterations to the ocean’s 

conveyor-belt system (currents) that brings warmer water to 

the North Atlantic and moderates the climate of Northern 

Europe (Lash, 2006). (Figure 2.) 

Map by Robert Simmon, courtesy of NASA. 

In the ground next to the Arctic Ocean, scientists say 

warming has also awakened another enormous danger— 

billions of tons of carbon locked up for eons by what was 

once frozen ground. As global warming thaws and dries 

out the vast tundra, old, decayed vegetation releases carbon 

dioxide, the same greenhouse gas that comes from car and 

plane exhausts and power-plant chimneys—and the tundra 

releasing carbon dioxide warms the atmosphere even more. 

The permafrost issue has caused a quiet buzz among climate 

scientists and geologists. Specialists in Arctic climate are 

developing research plans to study the permafrost effect, 

which is not well understood or easily observed. Climate 

scientists studying the release of carbon dioxide into the 

atmosphere in the Arctic say that it’s a slow-motion time 

bomb that’s speeding up and could become self-generating 

(Blakemore, 2006). (Figure 3.) The Arctic offers one of 

the most striking examples of the effects envisioned with 

climate change. Climate change is expected to be more 

extreme in the Polar Regions than anywhere else. The 

warming trend is having a significant and negative effect 

on polar bears that rely on the sea ice as a platform from 

which to hunt seals—and the seals that rely on the sea ice to 

give birth to their pups. Villages on the shoreline are also in 

jeopardy because the protective sea ice that once acted as a 

buffer against storms isn’t as massive or long-lasting—the 

weather has been too warm for too long—making the 

shoreline vulnerable to erosion at an average of 10 feet a 

year (Bowen, 2006). With shifts in the seasons and scarcer, 

thinner ice, all of the inhabitants of the Arctic face an 

uncertain future. (Figure 4.) 

Photos courtesy of NSIDC/WDC for Glaciology, 

Boulder, compiler.2002, updated 2006. Online 

glacier photograph database. 

Figure 3. The photo of Muir Glacier on the left was taken by William O. Field on 13 August 1941, and the photo on the right was taken 

by Bruce F. Molina on 31 August 2004. These photos tell a captivating visual story of the changes glaciers are experiencing due to climate 

change. 


Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Digital Library. 

Figure 4. Polar Bears are dependent on the sea ice for hunting; they wait on ice floes 

for seals to come to the surface. 

The Threat 

The effects of a changing climate will not be felt equally 

across our planet. Regional climate changes will likely 

be very different from changes in the global average. 

Differences from region to region could be in both the 

magnitude and rate of climate change. Furthermore, not 

all things, whether they are natural ecosystems or human 

settlements, are equally sensitive to changes in climate. 

Nations, and regions within nations, vary greatly in their 

ability to cope and adapt to a changing climate. Some 

nations will likely experience more adverse effects than 

others, while some nations may benefit more than others. 

Poorer nations generally will be more vulnerable to the 

consequences of global warming. These nations tend to 

be more dependent on climate-sensitive sectors, such as 

subsistence agriculture, and the lack of resources to buffer 

themselves against the changes that global warming may 

bring. Rising global temperatures are expected to raise 

sea level and change precipitation and other local climate 

conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, 

crop yields, and water supplies. It could also affect human 

health, animals, and many of our natural ecosystems. 

While scientists continue to improve their predictions, 

nature has already been showing some signs of the changes 

that may be in store. Little doubt remains that these changes 

have the power to degrade habitats, disconnect food chains, 

and drive plants and animals from their current homes. 

Melting glaciers and precipitation are already causing some 

rivers to overflow, while evaporation is emptying others. 

Diseases are spreading. Some crops are growing faster, while 

others see yields slashed by disease and drought. Strong 

hurricanes are becoming more frequent and destructive, and 

natural ecosystems such as coral reefs are being disrupted 

by warmer waters, jeopardizing the survival of reef fish on 

which millions of coastal residents depend (Pearce, 2006). 

Is There a Solution 

Climate change is a global problem requiring action from 

the entire international community. Countries from around 

the world are working together to share technologies, 

experience, resources, and talent to lower net greenhouse gas 

emissions and reduce the threat of global climate change. 

At the Earth Summit in 1992, the world agreed to prevent 

“dangerous” climate change. The first step was the 1997 

Kyoto Protocol. Since the Kyoto Protocol entered into force 

in February 2005, much of the international community 

has turned its attention to a successor agreement that 

builds on, or replaces, the Kyoto Protocol by incorporating 

new features that attract the interest of the United States, 

Australia, and key developing nations. The world cannot 

tackle this critical issue without the involvement of the 

United States, Australia, Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia. 

The biggest challenge, apart from U.S. involvement, 

lies with the major developing countries. With urgent 

development problems of their own—hundreds of millions 

without electricity, adequate incomes, or transportation— 

countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia are 

understandably reluctant to treat climate change as a 

priority (World, 2006). 


Organizations such as the World Resources Institute, 

The Nature Conservancy, the Intergovernmental Panel 

on Climate Change, the United Nations Environment 

Programme, and the United States Environmental 

Protection Agency, to name just a few, are committed to 

implementing projects that reduce, avoid, or sequester 

greenhouse-gas emissions. International efforts are helping 

to establish guidelines for land use, land use change, and 

forestry practices that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 

and increase carbon sinks. As countries continue to 

grow and develop, international cooperation will become 

increasingly important as the global community searches 

for ways to meet the climate-change challenge efficiently 

and effectively. The key to successful cooperation is finding 

activities that will help all countries achieve their economic, 

environmental, and developmental goals in a climatefriendly 

manner. 

Americans increasingly are coming to believe global 

warming is a problem. Gallup polling data shows that 

the number of Americans who say they worry about the 

environment “a great deal” or “a fair amount” increased 

from 62 to 77 percent between 2004 and 2006. (The 2006 

poll was done in March, before the attention-getting release 

of former Vice President Al Gore’s global-warming film, 

An Inconvenient Truth.) All over America, a post-Katrina 

future is taking shape under the banner of “sustainability.” 

Architects are creating sustainable skyscrapers—like the 

current champion in Manhattan, the futuristic headquarters 

for the Hearst Corporation, lit to its innermost core by the 

sun; and the soon-to-be-built Bank of America Tower, also 

in Manhattan, that takes “sustainability” to a point just short 

of growing its own food. Every drop of rain that falls on 

its roof will be captured for use; scraps from the cafeteria 

will be fermented in the building to produce methane as 

a supplementary fuel for a generator intended to produce 

more than half of the building’s electricity; and the waste 

heat from the generator will both warm the offices and 

power a refrigeration plant to cool the building (Adler, 

2006). Last year more private-sector leaders began to 

address climate issues. Companies like JP Morgan, Goldman 

Sachs, and Wal-Mart took strong positions on climate 

change. The CEO of Wal-Mart, H. Lee Scott’s goal is to 

reduce the company’s “carbon footprint” (carbon footprint 

is a measure of the impact human activities have on the 

environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases 

produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide) by twenty 

percent in seven years. If the whole country could do that, 

it would essentially meet the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol 

on global warming, which the United States refuses to sign, 

to the dismay of its European allies. If Wal-Mart meets 

its [20%] goal, it’s going to demonstrate irrefutably that 

reducing your “carbon footprint” is not only possible but 

financially efficient (Adler, 2006). To calculate your carbon 

footprint and to find out how you can reduce it, go to www. 

carbonfootprint.com/ or www.safeclimate.net/calculator/ on 

the Internet (supported by the World Resources Institute). 

The most effective way to ensure that the private sector 

facilitates sustainable growth is to give it the tools with 

which to “green” and prosper in the marketplace. By 

introducing simultaneously profitable and sustainable 

business practices into the marketplace, goods and 

services that generate social and environmental benefits 

can be developed. The 2005 Annual Report “Ideas into 

Action,” published by the World Resources Institute, 

comprehensively covers pertinent subject matter dealing 

with climate and energy and can be obtained by accessing 

www.wri.org/pubs/pubs_description.cfmpid=4231. 

Summary 

More energy will be needed to fuel global socio-economic 

growth and sustainable development, in particular, to bring 

economic opportunities to billions of people in developing 

countries, many of whose choices in life are severely 

constrained by poverty and limited access to modern energy 

sources. The amount of additional energy needed will 

depend on the efficiencies with which the energy is delivered 

and put to use. The increasing demand for energy poses 

serious environmental and health challenges; however, the 

most challenging by far is that of global warming. 

A second problem complicating the picture is the 

unpredictability of human behavior. At what rate will the 

human population—and its carbon footprint—grow As 

formerly undeveloped countries expand their industry, often 

using cheaper (and more polluting) fossil-fuel technology, 

their contributions to greenhouse gases will rise and add to 

the problem—but by how much To what extent will new, 

cleaner technologies (such as cars powered by hydrogen 

fuel cells) be developed and adopted by countries around 

the world These kinds of uncertainties make the tough 

problem of predicting climate change all the more difficult. 

Even moderate increases in atmospheric temperature could 

alter precipitation levels, making some areas wetter and 

others drier, and affecting agriculture worldwide. Warmer 

temperatures could increase the frequency and strength of 

storm systems, leading to more powerful and destructive 

hurricanes and subsequent flooding. 


Figure 5. This image from September 29, 2006 shows the ozone 

concentration in the stratosphere above the South Pole observed 

by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA’s Aura satellite. 

A purple veil of extremely low levels of ozone stretches across 

most of Antarctica, which is roughly centered on the image. 

Photo courtesy of NASA. 

Figure 6. Warmer ocean temperatures have caused some species 

of coral to expel their algae in a phenomenon known as coral 

bleaching. Disruptions to ecosystems are a major concern of 

climate change that threatens the biodiversity of many species. 

Photo courtesy of NOAA. 

Slight changes in temperature may lead to higher ozone 

levels near the earth’s surface, which could significantly 

increase smog problems in large cities—bad for all humans, 

but serious for many elderly, ill, or otherwise physically 

vulnerable people. (Figure 5.) 

Unaddressed, climate change will have significant impacts 

across the United States and around the world. Sea-level rise 

will add to stresses coastal communities are already facing, 

including erosion, storms, and pressures from development. 

Relatively modest changes in precipitation could have large 

impacts on already limited water supplies. Terrestrial, 

freshwater, and coastal ecosystems are particularly sensitive 

to climate change, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem 

goods and services such as fisheries and recreation. Even 

human health may be threatened as heat waves, extreme 

weather, and vector-borne diseases become more prevalent. 

Even if we are able to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, 

some further warming is unavoidable. We must plan and 

take action now to adapt to the changes we will face as our 

climate changes. (Figure 6.) 

Activity 

Is human activity bringing about alarming global warming 

scenarios and related catastrophes Or is such thinking 

a myth brought about by flawed or incomplete science 

Finding the answers to these questions has turned global 

warming into a highly politicized and contentious issue. 

Today, most scientists agree that earth’s temperature has 

risen over the past century and that carbon dioxide is one 

of the primary greenhouse gases that contribute to global 

warming. Disagreement persists, however, over whether 

or not global climate change is a normal environmental 

variation, and over how big of a problem global warming 

could become for the planet. 

A comprehensive lesson plan has been developed for PBS 

(Public Broadcasting System) and is available online at: 

www.pbs.org/now/printable/classroom_globalwarming_ 

print.html. 

References: 

Adler, J. (2006). Going Green. MSNBC. Retrieved September 

20, 2006 from www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13768213/site/ 

newsweek/. 

Blakemore, B. (2006). Could Global Warming Become 

A Runaway Train ABC News. Retrieved September 

15, 2006 from http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/ 

GlobalWarming/storyid=1607112&page=1. 

Bowen, J. (2006). Global Warming Imperils Alaska 

Village. CBS News. Retrieved September 23, 2006 

from http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/ 

storyid=1607112&page=1. 

Ideas Into Action: Annual Report. (2005). World Resources 

Institute. Retrieved September 20, 2006 from www.wri. 

org/pubs/pubs_description.cfmpid=4231. 

Lash, J. (2005). Environmental Stories To Watch. World 

Resources Institute. Retrieved September 18, 2006 from 

www.wri.org/climate/pubs_description.cfmpid=4169. 

Pearce, F. (2006). Instant Expert: Climate Change. 

Newscientist.com. Retrieved September 01, 2006 from 

www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/climate-change/ 

dn9903. 

Stephen L. Baird is a technology education 

teacher at Bayside Middle School, Virginia 

Beach, VA and adjunct faculty member at Old 

Dominion University. He can be reached via 

email at Stephen.Baird@vbschools.com. 


Classroom Challenge 

GIS Design Project: 

Designing a Car-Free Zone in Downtown Shopping Areas 

By Harry T. Roman 

The quality of one’s solution is 

dependent upon the quality of the 

questions asked. 

Introduction 

A geographical information system (GIS) is essentially an 

electronic model, not so much different from the models that 

architects and engineers have used in the past. An electronic 

format is certainly easier to manipulate and develop design 

scenarios from, and today PC-based miniature electronic 

models have come to find many spatial applications in 

such everyday uses as home kitchen renovations, office and 

commercial building design, and interior decorating. 

The application of GIS databases warrants that such use 

be conducted in an interdisciplinary, multi-dimensional 

manner. Ultimately, there will be social, environmental, and 

political ramifications associated with manipulating the two 

and three-dimensional space inherent in a GIS database. This 

is the main premise of this GIS project....to educate students 

about such impacts while at the same time accomplishing a 

GIS design project. 

This project should be a team-based effort with 3-8 students involved. 

Project Premise 

Create a car-free zone in the downtown shopping area of a 

city or town, through the utilization of a light rail or jitney 

transportation service. 

This project should be a team-based effort with 3-8 students 

involved, but may be pared back to individual activities at the 

discretion of the teacher. In the preferred team-based effort, 

activities will be parsed out to various students or sub-teams 

so students can practice interpersonal and communication 

skills, learning how real projects are conducted in business. 


How might a rail service be situated among the major shopping centers within a downtown area 

The team leader for each project should act as the 

coordinator for various activities and project scheduling. A 

formal schedule of activities (that appears below) should be 

the prime document that the team follows in the conduct of 

the time constraints of the project. 

Project Activities 

• Obtain and examine a GIS database for the downtown 

area of the city or town. Develop some very preliminary 

ideas about how a rail or jitney service might be situated 

among the major shopping centers within the downtown 

area. 

• Research what other cities and towns have done in their 

downtown areas. This research can be conducted via the 

Internet and/or traditional library searches; and should 

include both national and international experiences. This 

activity should culminate in a team report, emphasizing 

best practices as well as key issues raised and addressed. 

• Field-visit the downtown area selected and conduct a 

street-level survey of the area and neighboring buildings. 

A photographic album annotated and embellished with 

detailed notes and commentary should be produced by 

each team. 

• Arrangements should be made to meet with storeowners 

to discuss the project, gathering input and concerns about 

how their stores might operate in a car-free zone. Special 

attention should be paid as to how stores might receive 

their merchandise deliveries and conduct their routine 

transfer of goods and services in the zone; and also 

determine when the car-free zone will be in effect during 

weekdays, weekends, and holidays. 

• Locate and design the origin and terminus points or loop 

layouts of the rail/jitney service routes, illustrating all this 

on GIS maps. 

• Locate and design parking facilities at origin, terminus, or 

key loop points, again illustrating these locations on GIS 

maps. 

• Locate and illustrate on GIS maps how traffic flow 

will be rerouted around the car-free zone and, to the 

extent possible, discuss how traffic patterns may affect 

the normal movement of traffic in the general areas 

surrounding the car-free zone. 

• Review light rail and jitney equipment manufacturers to 

evaluate possible aesthetic and economic impacts of this 

effort. 

Students should be encouraged to utilize existing 

infrastructure as much as possible since such structures are 

a vital part of the city/town already. For instance, light rail 


The goal is to create a car-free zone in the downtown shopping area of a city or town. 

facilities may already exist and could be extended to serve 

this design purpose. Or students might realize that slightly 

expanding the scope of this rail/jitney concept to areas 

outside of the downtown district could initiate even more 

benefits. Students should be free to make such suggestions 

and even, when feasible, include them in their designs. 

At this point, as the team designs are developing, students 

should notice how the informed design differs so much from 

the very preliminary ideas originally conceived. Students 

should also be encouraged to suggest ancillary aspects of 

their designs that may proffer aesthetic touches and such. 

Some teams might want to incorporate things like street 

vendors into the free space, or perhaps some environmental 

amenities, art exhibits, etc. This should be allowed as long as 

it does not deter from the main design focus or sap resources 

from team activities. 

Critical Analysis of Designs 

Each team should prepare an oral presentation of its design 

to fellow classmates and teams. After each presentation, 

there should be a critical analysis of the design by all in 

attendance, emphasizing both pro and con aspects of each 

design. 

Teams may then make revisions to their designs, work to 

improve their original design, and finalize a report that 

summarizes their design project. 

During this phase of activities, the teacher may invite city 

and town planners in to review the work of the students. 

This feedback would give students a practical, real-world 

review of their work, possibly disclosing new directions and 

revisions not before imagined. Years of actual experience of 

city planners would be an invaluable source of information 

for both teacher and students. Perhaps city leaders, members 

of council, aldermen, or supervisors may be able to attend 

and offer their comments. 

Epilogue 

This is the kind of open-ended design that is an invaluable 

adjunct to the modern classroom. It contains the multidimensional 

and multi-disciplinary tone that characterizes 

so much of the business world and is highly valued in new 

employees. 

It is important for all students to understand that there are 

no right or wrong answers to this type of design challenge. 

Each design depends upon the questions team members 

impose upon the challenge. The quality of one’s solution 

is dependent upon the quality of the questions asked. And 

quality is dependent upon the depth of one’s investigations. 

The best quality solutions result from the range of questions 

asked and their interconnectedness to other topics. The 

fertile soil for elegant design originates at the interfaces of 

topical areas. 

Harry T. Roman recently retired from his 

engineering job and is the author of a variety 

of new technology education books. He can be 

reached via email at htroman49@aol.com. 


CHEATING 

(Not really.) 

But ITEA’s new Engineering byDesign (EbD) model program provides so 

much standards-based curriculum for your classroom, it almost FEELS like 

cheating. 

The EbD curricular offerings coordinate with themes in the STEM and IT 

Clusters while also serving a program that wants to appeal to and engage a wider 

audience of students. By serving a wider student population, it may encourage 

students who have not previously considered a technological career to do 

so, exposing them to the wide array of possibilities. Also, EbD is indisputably 

standards-based; not only is the curricula based on the technological literacy 

standards and linked to the science and mathematics standards, it is also developed 

using standards-based processes. Another feature of EbD is the system 

of feedback and resources available through the EbD Network, which serves to 

continually update content and assessment. This sharing of student exemplars 

has an added advantage of making the curricula and associated assessments 

more consistent for those delivering EbD. And, of course, participating in the 

CATTS Consortium enables EbD users to participate in the future directions 

EbD takes, helping to pool the resources in CATTS states to provide for the 

needs of each state. 

So . . . relax. It’s okay to make it easier on yourself—and 

provide quality education for the 

students you serve at the same time. That’s what 

EbD is all about. 

For more information about EbD, visit 

us online at www.engineeringbydesign.org 

or contact Barry Burke at 301-482-1929 or 

bburke@iteaconnect.org.

A Model for the Integration of 

Science, Technology, Engineering, 

and Mathematics 

By Aaron C. Clark and Jeremy V. Ernst 

Instead of producing skilled craftsmen or 

hobbyists, we are now to produce competent 

members of society with an array of knowledge 

and understanding of not only technology but 

also how it functions with and affects other 

content areas… 

The integration of science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics content (STEM) has become 

a mainstream topic within educational systems. 

For successful integration, many factors must be 

considered when taking into account technology education 

as a key focal point of integrated curricula. Many factors 

must be in place for true integrations of subject matter to 

transpire using technology education, such as academic 

collaboration, hands-on approaches, and the use of 

creativity and problem solving. Academic collaboration 

prepares instructors to provide students with hands-on, 

open-ended, real-world problem-solving experiences that 

are linked (Berry, Reed, Ritz, Yin, Hsiung, and Frazier, 2005). 

Instructors should use intrinsically motivating approaches 

such as visual and kinesthetic learning methods, creativity 

strategies, problem-based learning, and learning through 

design. Problem-based and project-based approaches 

to student learning have been shown to improve the 

understanding of basic concepts and to encourage deep and 

creative learning despite academic content area (Powers and 

DeWaters, 2004). 

Research uncovers powerful associations in science, 

mathematics, and technology education concepts when it 

comes to student learning (Berry, Reed, Ritz, Yin, Hsiung, 

and Frazier, 2005). Through hands-on activities, students 

are less restricted and can actively experience learning. 

Relevance is conveyed through hands-on learning. This 

allows students to observe the role of innovation in everyday 

life. Students learn to appreciate and apply design and 

problem solving through developing solutions that meet 

the needs of our society (Schafer, Sullivan, and Yowell, 

2003). Constructivist-approach integrated curricular 

content addresses real-life questions and uses disciplines as 

resources for a whole education instead of the fragmented 

learning that occurs in most educational settings (Venville, 

Rennie, and Wallace, 2004). 

Consistency with state and national standards reinforced 

with end-of-grade or end-of-course testing is necessary. 

Instructional materials that are merely standards-based 

are not considered true integrators unless they address 

competencies that are directly measurable in technology 

education and other disciplines. In a curriculum integration 

project by Venville, Wallace, Rennie, and Malone, it was 

concluded that students refer to specific subject-based 

content knowledge to help them solve problems, but also 

find it necessary to consult other sources of knowledge such 

as parents and other teachers. This finding clearly argues in 

favor of going beyond subject-based standards to evaluate 

the degree and depth of learning that occurs in integrated 

educational environments (Venville, Rennie, and Wallace, 

2004). 

Technology education has the means of becoming the 

catalyst for integrated curricula, especially in areas where 

mathematics and science are difficult to incorporate into 

other subject matter. Technology is diverse enough in 

nature that it can be addressed by a variety of content areas, 

bringing along with it the means to integrate mathematics 


1 – Demonstrate the 

value of technology 

education to other 

content areas 

2 – Explain 

why other 

content areas 

are integral to 

incorporate 

in technology 

education 

and science. Considering that 

technology can be the driving 

force behind integration, the 

authors suggest cohorts of 

teachers from all academic areas, 

including technology education, 

work together to provide a 

comprehensive integrated 

curriculum, with technology 

leading the process and content. 

This cohort of teachers consists 

of English, mathematics, science, 

history, and technology educators, 

with the majority of all integration 

occurring in STEM areas. The 

primary functions of English and 

history are to work periodically 

with STEM areas as support units. 

9 – Schedule biweekly 

meetings or 

common planning 

8 – Develop a 

pacing guide 

to match other 

content areas 

7 – Develop a 

comprehensive rubric 

across programs 

The reasoning behind the 

establishment of a teacher 

cohort is to enable the teachers 

to reinforce what others are 

teaching while emphasizing 

what is being assessed (i.e., 

end-of-grade tests and other standardized tests). The 

technology teachers should take the leadership role in the 

cohort groups because of the fluidness of the content area. 

Technology teachers also project the greatest appreciation 

of other content areas by the breadth of technological 

content alone. A major mission for this integrated effort 

is to have the technology teachers demonstrate the value 

of their technology education program and the benefit 

to the other academic programs and teachers. Also, the 

technology teachers must explain why other content areas 

are important to incorporate in their technology education 

programs. Successful integration will only occur when 

teachers voluntarily commit to the integration. Reluctant 

members of the cohort are likely to either be resistant 

later or not follow through with the integration process. 

Administrator approval and support is key for the success 

of the integration process. Without encouragement and 

resources such as scheduling flexibility, additional stipends, 

etc., the integration will be much more susceptible to failure. 

Administrator support is also important in that a summer 

in-service needs be organized in order to best equip 

teachers to take on the task of curricular integration. The 

in-service permits teachers to identify broad competencies 

of their program areas and bring them together, allowing the 

cohort to observe trends and develop an integration plan. 

Cross-walking competencies assist in determining what 

6 – Cross-walk 

competencies to 

determine what to 

assess 

3 – Identify other 

willing teacher 

participants 

5 – Meet with 

cohort and identify 

broad competencies 

of each program 

Figure 1. Technology Integration Model for Education. 

4 – Discuss the 

initiative with an 

administrator and 

receive approval 

each discipline wants to assess. A comprehensive cohort 

rubric can be developed to provide a standardized measure 

across program areas. Also, the development of a pacing 

guide is important for all academic areas and is a central tool 

in matching other program content to what is to be taught 

through the integration of technology. Once the cohort has 

developed the necessary materials and has mapped and 

prepared for the integration, biweekly meetings or common 

planning periods are necessary for continued success in the 

integration process. (Refer to Figure 1.) 

The groups of cohorts will not only provide a support 

structure for English, mathematics, science, history, and 

technology teachers but also clarify the modernized usage 

of technology education in our current educational system. 

The new technology teacher’s mission is to reinforce 

other disciplines through content integration and the 

pursuit of technological literacy. Instead of producing 

skilled craftsmen or hobbyists, we are now to produce 

competent members of society with an array of knowledge 

and understanding of not only technology but also how it 

functions with and affects other content areas. (Refer to 

Table 1.) 


Table 1. Example of technology education integration with other academic areas. 

(Courtesy of the VisTE Project: Visualization in Technology Education.) 

*Prosthetics 

(Unit from 

VisTE 

materials) 

*Biometrics 

(Unit from 

VisTE 

materials) 

*2-D 

Modeling/ 

Insulation 

(Unit from 

VisTE 

materials) 

English 

Write a report 

on the current 

technologies 

used in 

prosthetics 

Write about 

ethics and 

privacy issues 

Write a data 

manipulation 

report 

Calculate 

volume and 

work area 

Calculate 

physical 

positioning 

Graph X and 

Y data-driven 

models 

*Materials published through Delmar Learning 

** International Technology Education Association, 2000/2002 

Math Science History Technology **STL 

Discuss medical 

anatomy and 

physiology 

Discuss 

physical and 

behavioral 

characteristics 

Research 

biotechnologies 

and insulation 

used to control 

temperature 

Make a photojournal 

of 

current and 

past uses of 

prosthetics 

Create timeline 

of development 

of devices 

Create timeline 

for the use of 

insulation 

Research, 

design, create 

physical 

prosthetic 

Design a 

behavioral/ 

physical device 

Present 

visualizations 

on how 

insulation 

works 

11 

6 

8 

14 

3 

11 

6 

15 

8 

9 

10 

20 

There are multiple methods of measuring the success 

of the integration. The end-of-grade test assessment is 

an indicator of integration success, given that programspecific 

competencies are addressed in the process. Student 

surveys and teacher logs can also be used to determine the 

perception of effectiveness. Evaluation of student portfolios 

provides an indication of the success of the integration. 

All of these materials should be brought to the following 

summer in-service to further analyze the integration and 

to incorporate changes to the model for the following year. 

Follow-up qualitative interviews of teachers, students, and 

parents can provide further insight into the successes and 

failures in the integration process that are not otherwise 

directly measurable. 

Conclusions: 

Successful integration is hindered by compartmentalized 

education. Many times educators, including technology 

teachers, become territorial over content and subject 

matter. Direct continuity between content across subject 

areas serves as an agent that conveys relevance to students 

by allowing them to observe a sequential process in 

place of disconnected educational components. Merging 

content requires extensive preparation on the part of the 

instructor in order to provide the greatest benefit to the 

student. A natural progression between integral curricular 

components enhances student outcomes. 

References 

Berry, R.Q., Reed, P.A., Ritz, J.M., Lin, C.Y., Hsiung, S. 

& Frazier, W. (2005). STEM initiatives: Stimulating 

students to improve science and mathematics 

achievement. The Technology Teacher, 64(1), 23-29. 

International Technology Education Association. 

(2000/2002). Standards for technological literacy: 

Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author. 

Powers, S.E. & DeWaters, J. (2004). Creating project-based 

learning experiences university-k-12 partnerships. 

Published Proceedings of the American Society 

for Engineering Education Frontiers in Education 

Conference, Savannah, GA, Session F3D. 

Schafer, M.R., Sullivan, J.F., & Yowell, J.L. (2003). Standardsbased 

engineering curricula as a vehicle for k-12 

science and math integration. Published Proceedings 

of the American Society for Engineering Education 

Frontiers in Education Conference, Boulder, CO, 

Session F3A. 

Venville, G., Rennie, L., & Wallace, J. (2004). Decision 

making and sources of knowledge: How students 

tackle integrated tasks in science, technology, and 

mathematics. Research in Science Education, 34, 

115-135. 

Aaron C. Clark, Ed.D., is an associate 

professor in the Department of Mathematics, 

Science, and Technology Education at North 

Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. He 

can be reached via email at aaron_clark@ 

ncsu.edu. 

Jeremy V. Ernst, Ed.D., is a visiting 

assistant professor in the Department of 

Mathematics, Science, and Technology 

Education at North Carolina State 

University in Raleigh, NC. He can be reached 

via email at jeremy_ernst@ncsu.edu. 


Special Needs and The Need for Fun 

By Ronald D. Yuill, DTE 

This approach worked as [the 

students] taught each other and 

communicated in a positive way. 

During the first few days of school I asked students in 

one of my classes to tell something they liked to do, 

name something they would like to know more about 

that would help them later in life, and what they 

would like to do in the future. This gave me some ideas of 

what to incorporate into the class to help them to be more 

successful in later life. 

The class I refer to in this article is a “special needs” class. 

In my other classes, I teach only seventh grade students. 

In the special needs, or “SPED” class, I have sixth, seventh, 

and eighth grade students, and they have the most difficulty 

of any students in the school in grasping new concepts. 

These same students, however, are also the ones who best 

appreciate what you do for them and can be the most caring 

and sharing. Their behavior is usually better than the other 

students. They are the students who stop by the classroom 

during passing period and tell you about something special 

that happened to them at school or home or just to say, “I 

hope your day is going great today.” 

Some students in the SPED class require their own aide, and 

therefore I had 19 students and four aides in this class. There 

was no way I could have helped these students succeed to 

the level they did without the help of our outstanding aides. 

They cared about the students and wanted them to have 

success. They also kept the students from having any serious 

problems in getting along with others in the class and 

performing their assigned tasks. 

Frances and Jasmine repairing a table storage rack for the 

school. It was their first time using a wrench. 

One of the first topics to arise was the students’ interest 

in creating holiday gifts for relatives. I had serious safety 

concerns regarding the students and the scroll saw, so I 

completed the first step for them and made some triangles, 

circles, and rectangular wooden shapes. If a student wanted 

a different shape, I cut it out for him/her. I was presented 

with some outstanding designs to cut. 


Jasmine is enjoying sanding her star. 

I considered having the students paint the ornaments, but 

feared that the difficulty and messiness of the task might 

frustrate them. I asked the students how we could add color 

to the ornaments. They suggested markers and colored 

pencils. Markers worked very well. When we started the 

day I had the students share their designs and completed 

ornaments with the others in the class. I selected other 

students to say something positive about the ornament. 

This taught them to look for positives and not negatives 

in designs. That concept also transferred to the students 

in the class as they worked with their peers. I heard some 

of them talking about another student’s creation, and they 

were talking about positive traits. This lesson can be used by 

many people of all ages! 

On the day the students were to take home their ornaments, 

I received some to take home for my own Christmas tree. 

That was something that made me feel good—knowing that 

the students made the effort to make something for me. I 

thanked them and suggested that they take some ornaments 

for their other teachers, to make them feel special as well. 

It was also a good feeling when the teachers told me about 

receiving the ornaments. They all said they were going to 

place them on their trees to remind them of the students 

who made the ornaments. 

Greg is adding color to his ornament. 

When considering another project, one student said he 

had trouble working with money when making change and 

budgeting. I purchased some play money and had some 

students take turns making change. During this activity, 

some students needed more help and were able to work 

with an aide. We all worked on a budget. I told them, if they 

could produce something to sell and make a profit, we could 

have a pizza party at the end of the class. Students needed 

to determine the number of pizzas needed and the cost of 

delivery, with a tip. One student asked, “What is a tip” We 

discussed it and determined that it is a reward for doing a 

good job. One of the students said, “Then the pizza party 

will be our tip for getting the job done!” 

We produced triangle games, using golf tees for the pegs. 

We were fortunate to have the tees donated. By using scrap 

pieces of wood, we were able to increase our profit. Some 

of the students wanted a game and did not have the money. 

An aide suggested giving a student a game free if they sold 

one or more. It worked! There are now many teachers in 

the school who purchased games for students to use if they 

complete their assignments. 

Devonia says “Doesn’t my ornament look good” 

When we drilled the holes in the game, it took three people. 

An aide held the game board, one student turned on the 


drill press and another drilled the hole. The aide gave 

the commands: “On,” “drill,” and “off.” The “on” and “off” 

commands were instructions for a student to turn on and off 

the machine. The “drill” command meant a student turned 

the handle to drill the hole. 

One day a student came by as I was getting ready to train 

a new crew and turned on the drill press switch. We were 

lucky no one was close to the drill bit or moving parts. I 

explained to him that someone could have been really hurt 

but received no reaction. He did not understand. The next 

day we talked about safety and the pushing of the switch. 

The student came up to me later and said, “I was bad, could 

hurt someone. Sorry.” Those were a lot of words for that 

student, as he did not talk much and many times did not 

understand what was happening. 

Luis designed a bear Santa. 

Later we worked on job applications and initially 

encountered some problems. I went to a local Wendy’s and 

obtained many applications. Each line of the application 

was explained as the students tried to fill in the blanks. We 

worked very hard on a practice sheet and then placed the 

information on the Wendy’s application. 

We did practice interviews with some of the students. We 

began with a good handshake, and eye contact followed 

by saying “Good afternoon” and using the person’s 

name. Wendy’s management suggested some topics for 

the interview. They had all improved their skills after 

completing the process. Having a sample application at 

home should also help with future applications. 

Sara, an aide, holds down the triangle game while one student 

turns the power off and on and another student drills the hole. 

In another project, I found some old metal vises that had 

been in the back of a cabinet for many years. They were 

old and rusty. I had the students take them apart, clean the 

parts, paint, and then reassemble them. The sale of the vises 

paid for the pizza party! At the same time, the students 

learned about cleaning, painting, lubrication, and evaluating 

ways to make the vises work better. 

One day the custodian bent a wheel on his storage rack. 

It was not long before the students discovered why it 

happened; they noticed many bolts were missing. I had two 

students remove the wheel and bend it back into shape. As 

the wheel was being reinstalled, another student offered to 

help. She had never used a tool before. By now, you know 

all of the students wanted to use the wrenches. I had each 

student remove a bolt and then replace it. The student who 

had never used a tool really had trouble with the wrench, 

so I got out a socket wrench and set it to tighten. She got so 

excited she yelled, “I tightened a screw!” Another student 

Chris and Wes are having fun learning about the West Point Bridge 

Building Program. 


said, “No, it is a bolt.” With that information she waved the 

socket wrench in the air and yelled many times, “I tightened 

a bolt!” She made the entire class smile, and they enjoyed 

her success. 

The SPED class was not permitted to take the computer 

keyboarding class, so I thought they should get to use our 

lab. We started with the West Point Bridge Builder program. 

I had used the program previously and therefore did not refamiliarize 

myself with it before opening the program using 

an LCD projector. The program was a newer version and I 

said aloud, “I am not sure what I am doing.” One student, 

who had a computer at home and used it daily, asked if he 

could try something. He attempted several commands and 

asked if anyone else wanted to try. Before long, I learned 

how it worked. I told them I would design a bridge, and they 

should try to improve and make one that was less expensive. 

I omitted some parts and made an expensive design. We 

tried to test it, and the program said my design was unstable 

and cost six million dollars. I showed them how to get 

started and suggested that they work as partners due to our 

limited number of computers. The student who helped me 

get started came up to me and said. “Mr. Yuill, you tricked 

me into helping you by saying you were not sure what to 

do. You are really a good teacher.” That was the icing on the 

cake, as each student designed a bridge that worked. We did 

the activity for three days, and each day I encouraged the 

students to share their findings with the others in the class. 

When someone created a less expensive bridge that worked, 

everyone checked it out and applauded. We printed out the 

design for each student upon completion. 

With the success of the bridge unit, we moved on to 

designing a house. This time I practiced with the program 

before demonstrating in front of the students. I did not 

give them much information initially, but encouraged them 

to share their findings with others. If they had problems, 

they were to ask others in the class for help. This approach 

worked, as they taught each other and communicated in a 

positive way. I helped those students who really needed help. 

We used the LCD projector and showed all the designs to 

everyone. One student did not have a door in the bathroom 

and was asked by another student, “How does a person get 

into the bathroom” The student replied, “With a door!” and 

installed one with a quick click. All designs were printed to 

take home to show family members. 

One day the students really touched my heart. During the 

morning announcements, the principal announced that it 

was my birthday. I had a few students say happy birthday, 

but during the SPED class, I had difficulty quieting the class 

enough to allow me to talk. Finally one of the very quiet 

boys stood up and said, “Excuse me, please, I have a birthday 

card for you from all of us.” They then sang Happy Birthday. 

It really caught me off guard and I had trouble saying, 

“Thank you very much!” 

Helping these students learn was a delightful experience, 

and I hope all of you have the same experience with your 

students on a daily basis! 

Ron Yuill, DTE is a technology teacher at 

Tecumseh Middle School in Lafayette, IN. He can 

be reached via email at ryuill@lsc.k12.in.us. Ron 

also serves as co-mediator for ITEA’s popular 

listserv, IdeaGarden. 

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Vol 66, No. 4 - International Technology and Engineering Educators ...

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