The Techne Web Quest: How can we improve our ability to talk about technology?

The Techne Webquest – Level Two Introduction

For learners who complete level one by concluding that the definition of technology does include some or all of the proposed expansions, the second level asks learners to name the expanded definitions. The degree to which the expanded definitions of the first level are accepted, direct learners to the second level. That is, if the learner agrees that the meaning of the word technology should or does include some or all of the facets of meaning described in level one, then should those meanings have words that stand for them that would make it easier to distinguish among them? If learners agree that the word technology does have additional dimensions, then what names would they invent to refer to those additional meanings? For example, analysis of the Inuit Eskimo language found that they have 15 different words for snowflakes (Woodbury, 1991). In a society so technology rich as ours, one can argue that we need more words to stand for important distinctions within the domain of technology and inventing those words is the learner’s task in the second level of this web quest.

Go to Level Two Task

Last updated 02/09/2006 ©David Whittier School of Education Boston University