Technology
Curriculum Guide

Description

MYP technology aspires to develop creative problem solvers who are caring and responsible individuals, able to respond critically and resourcefully to the demands of the increasingly technological society and to appreciate the importance of technology for life, society and the environment.

Information
MYP technology enables students to identify, access, evaluate and acknowledge a wide range of information sources. Information-based products/solutions use and/or communicate information to perform a task, achieve a purpose, meet a need or solve a problem. Information-based products/solutions often involve computer technology, for example, desktop publishing (DTP), multimedia packages and web pages. Students are expected to select and handle media and software that are appropriate to the problem being solved.
This aspect of the course should not be confused with the simple use of information as part of the design cycle.

Materials
In many cases creating a product/solution involves using materials. These may be natural or synthetic, and will differ according to geographical location, culture and available resources. Students should be able to identify, combine, experiment with, shape and handle different types of materials, and safely dispose of, or recycle, waste products. Students must select processing techniques that are appropriate to both the chosen material(s) and the product/solution to be created.

Systems
Systems-based products/solutions involve a group of interdependent items that interact regularly to perform a task or achieve a purpose. These items are materials, components or information that have been incorporated into a system in order to provide a solution to a problem. Systems in our environment are very diverse: from a microchip to an aircraft flight-control system; from a ballpoint pen to a plotter; from fire-drill procedures to crowd control; from simple electrical circuits to sophisticated alarm systems. Students need to recognize the parts of a system (input, processing and control, and output) as well as the crucial role each component plays as part of the whole.

(IB MYP Technology Guide 2006)

Technology objectives

A Investigate
Investigation is an essential stage in the design cycle. Students are expected to identify the problem, develop a design brief and formulate a design specification. Students are expected to acknowledge the sources of information and document these appropriately.

B Design
Students are expected to generate several feasible designs that meet the design specification and to evaluate these against the design specification. Students are then expected to select one design, justify their choice and evaluate this in detail against the design specification.

C Plan
Students are expected to construct a plan to create their chosen product/solution that has a series of logical steps, and that makes effective use of resources and time. Students are expected to evaluate the plan and justify any modifications to the design.

D Create
Students are expected to document, with a series of photographs or a video and a dated record, the process of making their product/solution, including when and how they use tools, materials and techniques. Students are expected to follow their plan, to evaluate the plan and to justify any changes they make to the plan while they are creating the product/solution. Students will sometimes embark upon a very ambitious project, or they may encounter unforeseen circumstances. In some circumstances a product/solution that is incomplete or does not function fully can still achieve one of the levels awarded for this criterion.

E Evaluate
Students are expected to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification in an objective manner based on testing, and to evaluate its impact on life, society and/or the environment. They are expected to explain how the product/solution could be improved as a result of these evaluations. Students are expected to evaluate their own performance at each stage of the design cycle and to suggest ways in which their performance could be improved.

F Attitudes in technology
This refers to students’ attitudes when working in technology. It focuses on an overall assessment of two aspects:
• personal engagement (motivation, independence, general positive attitude)
• attitudes towards safety, cooperation and respect for others.
By their very nature these qualities are difficult to quantify and assess, and assessment should therefore take into account the context in which the unit of work was undertaken.

Technology assessment

Periodically during the year, students are awarded a level of achievement for each criterion. For each assessment criterion a number of band descriptors are defined,
which indicate the progress of the student. Students and parents will be made aware of all the band descriptors during the year.

Criterion	Level	Band descriptor for the highest level possible
A Investigate	0-6	Level 5-6 The student explains the problem, discussing its relevance. The student critically investigates the problem, evaluating information from a broad range of appropriate, acknowledged sources. The student describes detailed methods for appropriate testing to evaluate the product/solution against the design specification.
B Design	0-6	Level 5-6 The student generates a range of feasible designs, each evaluated against the design specification. The student justifies the chosen design and evaluates it fully and critically against the design specification.
C Plan	0-6	Level 5-6 The student produces a plan that contains a number of detailed, logical steps that describe the use of resources and time. The student critically evaluates the plan and justifies any modifications to the design.
D Create	0-6	Level 5-6 The student competently uses appropriate techniques and equipment. The student follows the plan and justifies any modifications made, resulting in a product/solution of appropriate quality using the resources available.
E Evaluate	0-6	Level 5-6 The student evaluates the success of the product/solution in an objective manner based on the results of testing, and the views of the intended users. The student provides an evaluation of his or her own performance at each stage of the design cycle and suggests improvements. The student provides an appropriate evaluation of the impact of the product/solution on life, society and/or the environment.
E Attitudes in technology	0-6	Level 5-6 The student consistently displays a satisfactory standard in both their personal engagement and attitude to safety, cooperation and respect for others.