Say, it means how to use the Technology found inside computers, cellular telephones, cars, microwave ovens, and all the modern appliances of our world. In simple words, Technology at schools means the use of Electronics and Mechanics together.
Going a small step ahead, we can defend the idea that teaching Technology means giving a practical introduction of the science that gathers Electronics and Mechanics: the Mechatronics. Mechatronics is the conjunction of Electronics and Mechanics with some other sciences such as Physics, Biology, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Sciences and much more.
Most people are tempted to link Mechatronics with Robotics. They are not wrong at all. Robotics is a branch of Mechatronics, and in the industrial media, is also called ‘Industrial Automation’.
But the use of Technology at schools using Mechatronics isn’t only teaching how to build robots or mobile arms too. We have much more to do when using Technology at schools.
There is a broad list of activities that can be included in school curriculum to teach Technology and to promote science and engineering fairs. With the intention of programming a list of these activities, we can start from the point that all modern appliances we use today in our lives are Electronics and many of them include mechanic parts.
Starting with the fundamentals of Electronics and gathering this knowledge with some Mechanics, we can build projects that can be used not only to teach Technology but as cross themes, linking them with other sciences and embellishing other school activities such as demonstrations, classes and science fairs.
This is exactly what we mean when discussing the use of Technology at schools.
We have just now discovered that in our country, Brazil, and we have been observing that the same approach is also occurring in many other countries.
Crossing themes, linking Technology with sciences such as Physics, Biology, Chemistry and even Human Sciences is something that many Official Programs are including with emphasis. But what may we teach at our middle schools and high schools? What advantages can we have when introducing Electronics and Mechatronics at middle schools and high schools curricula?
Teaching how to solder, how to recognize components and devices, how to read a diagram and how to build simple devices using what I call ‘Intermediate Technology’, we are filling the great gap that exists in the science curriculum of all the schools around the world.
Traditional Physics, as we see today at middle school and high school, end where the knowledge of electronic technology began 60 years ago. The engineering students will find at university or technical colleges today’s high-end technology devices.
There is a large gap between the two to be filled. The students do not know how simple appliances works, even the fundamentals, and most of them can’t use them integrally, just because of this gap in their studies.
There is a well known report that says most accidents with home appliances could be avoided if people had minimum knowledge about how they work.
Knowing some basic technology at middle and high school level is not only preparation for the future but also a question of security too…
Intermediate Technology is the one that uses something more advanced than the passive components of the traditional physics, such as semiconductors (diodes, transistors, SCRs, LEDs) and some ICs, but not so advanced as microprocessors, VLSI chips, DSPs and much more.
The great advantage of the use of Intermediate Technology is that it is accessible to all. Discrete components such as transistors, resistors and diodes can be easily handled, and that can be an important point to reveal vocations and talents starting from the natural form.
Nowadays engineers use softwares to develop new products, but there is a stage where a prototype must be built. We can observe that, just by the lack of studies where practical activities are needed, like using tools and their hands to build projects, they are loosing their skills.
Many engineers can’t handle simple components and don’t have the necessary coordination of their fine movements to use a tool.
Another point to bring up is that middle school and high school teachers are not familiar with technology, mainly involving Electronics. Many of them had never seen any theory about Electronics in their formation courses and certainly had never assembled any electronic or mechatronic device.
This is exactly why they are afraid of handling this subjects. We can say that it is not difficult to learn. Developing the skills, revealing vocations, linking technology with school science using cross themes, giving ideas to a fantastic science fair, promoting the use of the hands keeping the ability to handle small things is just what we propose in this book.
For the educators we will give the tools to teach Electronics: assembling with the pupils, finding the cross themes, suggesting a good project for a science fair and creating parallel activities related with any project.
In this secion you will find a collection of projects linking traditional Electronics and Mechatronics with many of the sciences of middle and high school curricula, using a modern approach.
Most of the projects described herein can be stand-alone as individual accessories; but wherever possible, the circuits have been designed so that they can be ganged with one or more other projects.
For example, many projects using special effects can be ganged with robots. The presentations of the projects are practical. Electronic components are listed with each circuit diagram, but secondary parts such as sockets, chassis, enclosures, miscellaneous hardware and so on are not specified, since the reader is free to choose these non-critical items according to his preferences and demands.
The manner in which the circuits work and can be modified is explained in practical terms so the reader can acquire some knowledge of practical Electronics.
These explanations include suggestions for the use of the circuit in science experiments or “cross themes” linking them to other sciences. This is especially useful for the teacher that can program them as practical activity for his pupils.
Although many of the projects we have enjoyed constructing as they are described here, you may think of possible modifications. We recommend that you go ahead and modify the circuits to your personal ends.
There is wide latitude in circuit modifications and most of them will be of value to the student, teacher or experimenter who wants to see how things work.
And more: many of the projects can be easily modified to be linked to computers, adding another level of technology to it. As we said, teaching Technology does not mean teaching the use of the computer, but when teaching Technology, the presence of a computer is indispensable.
Ganging the projects to a computer where you can control them or read their indications is having it perform the original function of a PC, the one announced when it was created: the computer was originally created to help humans perform calculus and to control appliances in their homes.
Closing this presentation, the author gathered in this section only a small part of thousands of projects he has published in magazines and books during the last 40 years of his career as Technical Director of two magazines, author of over 100 books (14 in the US) and educator in his home country of Brazil, where most of the projects are being used in many schools, ranging from the early grades (age 7 to 8) to middle school and high school (age 12 to 18), and even at colleges and universities, as demonstrated by the pictures bellow.
