a brief history of technology
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A Brief History of Technology. Foundations of Technology (A). ARE YOU PREPARED FOR CLASS?. You will need your Folder Composition Book Pencil or Pen. OBJECTIVES. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
A Brief History of Technology
Foundations of Technology (A)
ARE YOU PREPAREDFOR CLASS?
You will need your• Folder• Composition Book• Pencil or Pen
OBJECTIVES1.Assess prior knowledge and possible
misconceptions related to the periods of human history associated with the evolution of technology
2.Understand how technological advances may have impacted the way people lived, worked, or produced things
3.Relate the use of the technological artifacts to a “turning point” in history
4.Research and report on a significant invention
Knowledge of the history of technology helps people understand the world around them by seeing how people of all times and places have increased their capability by using their unique skills to innovate, improvise and invent.
WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY? Technology is the application of
knowledge, tools and skills to solve problems and extend human capabilities• Human innovation in action• Generation of knowledge and processes to
develop systems that solve problems and extend human capabilities
How did the following items influence the lives of the people that first used it?
In small groups (teacher assigned):• Brainstorm how a technological advancement
influenced history
• The plow• Irrigation
systems• Cannons• Printing press• Steam engine• Radar
• Computer• Jet Engine• Laser• Locomotive• Pulley• Other?
Think and answer the following…• What did people do before the advancement?• Why is the advancement important?• How did it change history?• What were the benefits to people?• Did the advancement create any problems?
HISTORY LESSON… What is History?
• A chronological record of significant events often including an explanation of their causes
PALEOLITHIC AGE
500,000 BC – 10,000 BC Emergence of a complex set of behaviors and tool use,
believed by many archaeologists to be connected to the development of modern language
Earliest known stone tools• Axes, knives, scrapers, cleavers
Bone needles Impact of technology
• Improved health• Enhanced security• Enabled humans to increase population
PALEOLITHIC AGE
MESOLITHIC AGE
10,000 BC – 4000 BC Development of composite tools
• Leatherwork, basketry, fishing tackle Domestication of animals Impacts of Technology
• Farming, domestication of animals, beginning of settled communities
MESOLITHIC AGE
NEOLITHIC AGE
4000 BC – 2300 BC Development of agriculture, year round
settlements Pottery, polished stone tools, spinning and
weaving tools, wooden and stone plows, sickles
Impacts of Technology –• Dependable year round food, division of
labor that spurs invention and innovation
NEOLITHIC AGE
BRONZE AGE
2300 BC – 700 BC Earliest civilizations - the development of
metallurgy, mainly the combining of copper and tin to make bronze
Bronze jewelry, tools, and weapons Impact of Technology
• Stone tools were gradually replaced by metal ones. Enabled humans to alter their environment at a greater rate
BRONZE AGE
IRON AGE
700 BC – 450 AD The use of iron as the main metal. Iron dagger, iron chisels, small figurines,
ornamental jewelry, swords, axes, spearheads
Impact of technology • Military dominance for uses of iron
weapons and the use of iron bladed plows enabled humans to cultivate heavier soils and increase food production
IRON AGE
MIDDLE AGES
450 –1400 AD The period of European history between fall of
Rome and the Renaissance Wheeled plow, improved harness for horses,
horseshoes, stirrups, waterwheels, crank, windmill, cast iron, cannons, mechanical clock, compass, ocean-going ships
Impact of technology• The rise and decline of serfdom and feudalism, the rise
of the money economy and capitalism, the expansion and contraction of economic activity, and the beginnings of urbanization and industrialization
MIDDLE AGES
RENAISSANCE
1400-1750 AD The transitional movement in Europe
between the middle ages and modern times, marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence
Telescope, microscope, thermometer, clocks, barometer
Impact of technology• Instrumentation enabled early scientists to
observe and quantify natural phenomena
RENAISSANCE
INDUSTRIAL AGE
1750-1950 AD The cultural stage characterized by the first use
of complex machinery, factories, urbanization, and other economic and general social changes from strictly agricultural societies
Steam engine, electricity, automobile, airplane, radio, television, telephone, and rocket
Impact of technology• The Industrial Revolution gave rise to urban centers
requiring vast municipal services, created a specialized and interdependent economic life, and provided the economic base for the rise of the professions, population expansion, and improvement in living standards
INDUSTRIAL AGE
INFORMATION AGE
1950 AD–Present Starting in the 1950s and continuing today in
which the gathering, manipulation, classification, storage, and retrieval of information is central to the workings of society
Transistor, integrated circuit, computer, communication satellite, digital photography, artificial heart, nuclear power plant, space shuttle
Impact of technology• As information becomes more widely available,
increasing numbers of individuals and organizations will be in a better position to make decisions that “experts” now make, decentralizing decision making and empowering more people
INFORMATION AGE
THE NATURE OF WORK
Examine the following graph. How has the nature of work
changed over time?
THE NATURE OF WORK