A TECHNOLOGY-RICH CURRICULUM

The Australian Curriculum notes:

“Technologies enrich and impact on the lives of people and societies globally. They can play an important role in transforming, restoring and sustaining societies and natural, managed and constructed environments.  

Australia needs enterprising individuals who can make discerning decisions about the development and use of technologies, develop solutions to complex challenges and contribute to sustainable patterns of living. Therefore, all young Australians should develop capacity for action and a critical appreciation of how technologies are developed and can contribute to societies.  

Technologies ensures that all students benefit from learning about and working with the traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies that shape our world. Students have opportunities to consider the impact of technological solutions on equity including unconscious bias, ethics, and personal and social values.  

By applying their knowledge and practical skills and processes when using technologies and other resources, students create innovative solutions. In creating solutions, as well as responding to the designed world, students consider desirable sustainable patterns of living, and contribute to preferred futures for themselves and others. They work independently and collaboratively to develop knowledge, understanding and skills to respond creatively to current and future needs and opportunities. 

The practical nature of the Technologies learning area engages students in critical and creative thinking including understanding interrelationships in systems when solving complex problems. The learning area’s systematic approach to experimentation, problem-solving, prototyping and evaluation instils in students the value of planning and reviewing processes to transform ideas into solutions.”

The integration of technology comes with many ethical dilemmas and challenges. These mandate that such technologies are developed, implemented, and managed, with a clear human focus. The issues surrounding artificial intelligence, coding algorithms and the like demand a clear focus on human endeavour and impact, and this may be best assessed and viewed from a perspective of the Fruits of the Spirit.

The sequence of learning and engagement in Technology educations follows the broad classifications given in the following diagram: