Engineering the Future - Curriculum Information & Teaching Tips

Engineering the Future

Fri, 11 May 2007 20:16:19 -0700

Designing the world of the 21st Century

Project 1: Design an Organizer

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:33:23 -0700

In Project 1.0, students not only learn about the design process; they get to apply it and experience it. Features students from Duxbury High School.

Project 2: Design a Building of the Future

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:33:49 -0700

In Project 2.0, students design a building of the future. Here, students at Whitman-Hanson High School learn to think like structural engineers.

Project 3: Improve Patented Boat Design

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:34:13 -0700

In Project 3.0, students learn to redesign a "putt putt boat," a toy that was invented more than 100 years ago. Features students from Boston Arts Academy.

Project 4: Electricity and Communication Systems

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:34:35 -0700

In Project 4.0, students learn how electrical circuits work, and how to solve problems with electricity. This is a foundation for learning how communications devices work.

What the Teachers Say

Fri, 11 May 2007 20:17:22 -0700

Overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers who have used "Engineering the Future" to teach engineering and technology to high school students

Addendum: ETF and State Standards

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

Designed originally to meet Massachusetts'cutting-edge engineering technology standards, "Engineering the Future" appeals to educators nationwide as more states adopt such frameworks.

Sponsors of this Video Presentation

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:23:46 -0700

This video presentation made possible by grants from Cisco Systems and Lockheed Martin Foundation. A collaboration of the National Center for Technological Literacy and Tufts University. "Engineering the Future" published by Key Curriculum Press.

Scale

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:30:17 -0700

Engineering drawings are useful because they are drawn to scale. This tip shows how to think about scale in drawings of different dimensions.

Engineering Drawing

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

Two types of engineering drawing: orthographic and isometric. How to think about the differences.

Density

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:42:29 -0700

Density is the relationship between mass and volume in a material. Tips on how to illustrate this concept.

Manufacturing Processes

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:46:05 -0700

Manufacturing jargon is good to know. This tip illustrates casting & molding, conditioning, forming, separating, assembling, and finishing.

Loading & Stress

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:48:01 -0700

Types of load a structure must support: live loads and dead loads, and how they relate to stress.

Compression Tension & Bending

Sun, 13 May 2007 07:51:12 -0700

How materials deform under a load help predict how a structure might fail. Concepts of elastic and plastic deformation, compression, tension, bending, torsion, and shearing.

Crushing Concrete

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

A concrete crusher helps to illustrate concepts of mechanical advantage, applied force, stress, loading, and strength.

Energy in EtF

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

Three big ideas on energy that are important to get across: differences drive change, it takes a difference to make a difference, and energy is substance-like.

"Seeing" & Feeling Heat

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

If we touch two object and one feels cooler, we assume there's a temperature difference, but that's not always the case. Here's why.

Solar Heating

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:03:06 -0700

Designing buildings to use energy radiated from the cun. Concepts in solar heat.

Steady-State

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:13:16 -0700

As you start to heat a house, energy starts to leak out. Here's a way of teaching the concept of steady-state.

Manufacturing the Putt-Putt Boiler

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:16:00 -0700

Here are some suggestions to assure consistent quality in building boilers for "putt putt" boats in Project 3

Fluid Press & Hull Die

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

Motiving the study of fluids via the boat hull press: pneumatic and hydraulic systems.

The Air Pump

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:21:14 -0700

We take air pumps for granted, but this tip shows ways of explaining how they work.

Resistance, Flow Rate & Speed

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:23:28 -0700

Teaching the relationship among three important concepts in fluid mechanics: resistance, flow rate, and speed.

Boat Propulsion

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:29:51 -0700

What makes the putt-putt boat go? Think of it like a rocket. Here's how to illustrate principles of propulsion.

Engine Cycle

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

All engines have a cycle that involves a heating phase and a cooling phase. Here's how it works in the putt-putt boat.

Communication

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

Communication is about transferring information. This segment teaches important communications concepts: signal, carrier, input, and output.

Hula Hoop Electricity Model

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:38:15 -0700

A simple hula-hoop model illustrates concepts of energy and charge in electrical circuits.

Series & Parallel

Sun, 13 May 2007 08:42:18 -0700

How to illustrate the difference between series and parallel circuits, using an analogy to blowing through a straw.

Ammeter & Voltmeter

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

A multimeter can be confusing, but by separating out two of its most important functions -- ammeter and voltmeter -- it becomes more clear.

Electrical Power

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:07:36 -0700

Electricity represents the flow of two things: charge and energy. This segment illustrates the concepts of current and power.