Teachers at The ROVer Ranch
ROVer Ranch and ITEA Standards
ROVer Ranch can be used in a variety of ways to satisfy many of the
Standards for
Technological
Literacy as set forth by the
International Technology Education Association. Depending upon the usage
in the classroom, the ROVer Ranch can meet a considerable number of criteria.
Below are the ITEA standards most closely met when using ROVer Ranch in the
classroom.
Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of
design.
- Grades 6-8 Benchmarks:In order to comprehend the attributes of design,
students in grades 6-8 should learn that:
- - Design is a creative planning process that leads to useful products
and systems.
- - There is no perfect design.
- - Requirements for a design are made of criteria and constraints.
- Grades 9-12 Benchmarks: In order to recognize the attributes of design,
students in grades 9-12 should learn that:
- - The design process includes defining a problem, brainstorming,
researching
and generating ideas, identifying criteria and specifying constraints, exploring possiblilities, selecting an approach, developing a design proposal, making
a model or prototype, testing and evaluating the design using specifications,
refining the design, creating or making it, and communicating processes and
results.
- - Design problems are seldom presented in a clearly defined form.
- - The design needs to be continually checked and critiqued, and the ideas
of the design must be redefined and improved.
- - Requirements of a design, such as criteria, constraints, and efficacy,
sometimes compete with each other.
Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering
design.
- Grades 6-8 Benchmarks: In order to comprehand engineering design,
students in grades 6-8 should learn that:
- - Design involves a set of steps, which can be performed in different
sequences and repeated as needed.
- - Brainstorming is a group problem-solving design process in which each
person in the group presents his or her ideas in an open forum.
- - Modeling, testing, evaluating, and modifying are used to transform
ideas into practical solutions.
- Grades 9-12 Benchmarks: In order to comprehend engineering design,
student in grades 9-12 should learn that:
- - Established design principles are used to evaluate existing designs,
to collect data, and to guide the design process.
- - Engineering design is influenced by personal characteristics, such as
creativity, resourcefulness, and the ability to visualize and think
abstractly.
- - A prototype is a working model used to test a design concept by making
actual observations and necessary adjustments.
- - The process of engineering design takes into account a number of
factors.
Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of
troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and
experimentation in problem solving.
- Grades 6-8 Benchmarks: In order to be able to comprehend other
problem-solving approaches, students in grades 6-8 should learn that:
- - Troubleshooting is a problem-solving method used to identify the
cause of a malfunction in a technological system.
- - Invention is a process of turning ideas and imagination into devices
and systems. Innovation is the process of modifying an existing product or
system to improve it.
- - Some technological problems are best solved through experimentation.
- Grades 9-12 Benchmarks: In order to be able to comprehend other
problem-solving approaches, students in grades 9-12 should learn that:
- - Research and development is a specific problem-solving approach
that is used intensively in business and industry to prepare devices and
systems for the marketplace.
- - Technological problems must be researched before they can be solved.
- - Not all problems are technological, and not every problem can be
solved using technology.
Standard 11: Students will develop abilities to apply the design
process.
- Grades 6-8 Benchmarks: As a part of learning how to apply design
processes, students in grades 6-8 should be able to:
- - Apply a design process to solve problems in and beyond the
laboratory-classroom.
- - Specify criteria and constraints for the design.
- - Make two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of the
designed solution.
- - Test and evaluate the design in relation to pre-established
requirements, such as criteria and constraints, and refine as needed.
- - Make a product or system and document the solution.
- Grades 9-12 Benchmarks: As part of learning to apply design processes,
students in grades 9-12 should be able to:
- - Identify the design problem to solve and decide whether or not to
address it.
- - Identify criteria and constraints and determine how these will
affect the design process.
- - Refine a design by using prototypes and modeling to ensure quality,
efficiency, and productivity of the final product.
- - Evaluate the design solution using conceptual, physical and
mathematical models at various intervals of the design process in order to
check for proper design and to note areas where improvements are needed.
- - Develop and produce a product or system using a design process.
- - Evaluate final solutions and communicate observation, processes, and
results of the entire design process, using verbal, graphic, quantitative,
virtual and written means in addition to the three-dimensional models.