Technology Education

The Technology Education Department at Southern Lehigh High School believes that the study of technology must place emphasis on developing the students’ abilities to discover, experience, share, and use knowledge, rather than simply retain it. Learning in the technology education classes encourages students to be partially responsible for creating, monitoring, and evaluating their learning process. We incorporate learning strategies that extend past structured time periods and free students to inquire and create. Our courses emphasize social interaction and teamwork, which foster higher-order thinking skills. Students who study technology learn about the technological world that inventors, engineers, and other innovators have created. Because technology is so fluid, teachers of technology tend to spend less time on specific details and more on concepts and principles. The goal is to produce students with a more conceptual understanding of technology and its place in society, who can thus grasp and evaluate new bits of technology that they might never have seen before. One of the great benefits of learning technology is also learning to do technology, that is, to carry out in the laboratory-classroom many of the processes that underlie the development of technology in the real world. Students in the technology education laboratory are taught practical problem-solving skills and are asked to put them to work on different types of real-world problems.

Required Course: Foundations of Technology - 7870

Foundations of Technology is a .5 credit graduation requirement for all 9th Grade students. It provides an overview of technology and STEM activities. Students will explore hands-on application of the various technical components that are being integrated into the present and future workplace. Specific activities include programming robotic functions, computer-assisted manufacturing, 2D and 3D computer-aided design/animation, product development, 2D architectural CAD with virtual walk-through, structural testing activities (bridges/towers), and logic of sequential computer programming.

.5 Credit - Half Year

*Honors Introduction to Engineering Design will satisfy this graduation requirement.

Project Lead the Way

Southern Lehigh High School offers honors-level Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses that provide students with rigorous and innovative learning experiences focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This program promotes high levels of critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and real-world problem-solving skills. The curriculum, when combined with mathematics and science courses, introduces students to specific STEM-related fields.

Students will develop in-demand, transferable skills that they will use both in school and after graduation. PLTW provides real-world, applied learning experiences that empower students to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond. It enables students to explore career paths, engage in problem-solving and process thinking, develop technical knowledge and skills and build communication skills. For students interested in completing the PLTW Capstone Course, Engineering Design and Development, the suggested sequence is:

Honors Engineering Essentials * - 7912E

HONORS ENGINEERING ESSENTIALS Engineering Essentials (ESS) is a semester-long course that is an introductory experience to the Project Lead the Way Engineering (PLTW) program. Within Engineering Essentials, students delve into the work of engineers and their pivotal role in the design and development of solutions to real-world problems. The course provides students with an introduction to engineering concepts and the application of the engineering design process to develop solutions to relevant problems.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of an ALGEBRA I course.

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

Honors Introduction to Engineering Design * - 7913E

HONORS INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING DESIGN will introduce students to the engineering profession and an engineering design process. They work both individually and in teams to design solutions to a variety of problems using 3D modeling software. Students dig deep into the engineering design process, applying math, science, and engineering to hands-on projects. This course will satisfy the FOUNDATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY graduation requirement.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of an ALGEBRA I course.

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Grades 9-12

Honors Computer Integrated Manufacturing * - 7923E

HONORS COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING provides an opportunity for students to recognize many of the career opportunities in the manufacturing industry. Manufactured items are part of everyday life. At the same time, it teaches students about manufacturing processes, product design, robotics, and automation. Students will deepen their skills and knowledge of engineering within the context of efficiently creating products.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Honors Introduction to Engineering Design; AND Successful completion or concurrent enrollment in a Geometry course.

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Grades 10-12

Honors Principles of Engineering * - 7933E

HONORS PRINCIPLES OF ENGINEERING will engage and challenge students to explore a broad range of engineering topics, including; mechanisms, the strength of materials and structures, automation, and kinematics. This course will expose students to major concepts they will encounter in a post-secondary engineering course of study. Students will further develop engineering skills in problem-solving, research, and design through collaborative and real-world problems. It is recommended that students have completed or are currently enrolled in a Physics course to be most successful in Honors Principles of Engineering.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Honors Introduction to Engineering Design or recommendation by the teacher AND Successful completion or concurrent enrollment in a Geometry course.

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Grades 10-12

Honors Engineering Design and Development * - 7943E

Engineering Design and Development (EDD) is the capstone course where knowledge and skills gained from Introduction to Engineering Design, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, and Principles of Engineering culminate. It is an open-ended engineering course in which students work in teams to design and develop an original solution to a real-world problem. Students identify a problem and the research, design, and test a solution, ultimately presenting their solution to a panel of experts.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Honors Computer Integrated Manufacturing; AND Successful completion of Honors Principle of Engineering

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Grades 11-12

Electives

Architechtural Design - 7881E

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN will focus on basic architectural design principles. The fundamental sequences in designing and drawing are stressed as students complete the architectural drawings necessary for the construction of a residence. Elements of the course include exploration of architectural styles, area planning, structural detailing, pictorial rendering, building specifications, and cost analysis. Students will build a scaled model and use professional CAD architectural software.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Computer Aided Drafting and Design

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Computer Aided Drafting and Design - 7891E

In COMPUTER AIDED DRAFTING AND DESIGN students will learn that Computer Aided Design (CAD) is a critical tool engineers use to transfer their ideas into actual 3-dimensional models. CAD is a powerful software package that allows engineers to design parts, create assemblies, animate assemblies, testing their assemblies and create real life renderings of their models. Students will also construct 3D rapid prototyping models utilizing our 3D printers and design projects to be built in our manufacturing laboratory.

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Courses marked with “*” indicates a weighted course.

Page updated

Report abuse