Scale and New Technologies

Overview

This module is an introduction to the science of small things and associated technologies (biotechnology and nanotechnology).

The impetus for its development has been the release of ACARA’s document, Australian Curriculum: Science. The module has been designed with year 8 students in mind, although many of the exercises could easily be used at other levels.

The module takes a constructionist view towards learning. Exercises are provided to support teachers in identifying students’ prior knowledge and to encourage students to explore their understanding of matter at the micro and nano scales. Learning is based on language acquisition and strategies are provided to help teachers support their students to use and internalise key scientific words and phrases.

This can be the start of a longer journey. Explore the TechNyou education resource pages for more education activities on nanotechnology and biotechnology. TechNyou, provides balanced and factual information on emerging technologies. This site is supported by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

See Also:

• Testing What Your Students Already Know
• Observing and Measuring
• The Strange World of Small Things
• The Biotechnology Scale
• The Nanotechnology Scale
• Future Design
• Student Independent Investigation
• Ethics and Values