Technology for the Future:Small Is… Challenge

 

Starter activity

In small groups, mind map as manynew inventions/products that you canthink of from the past 5 years.

You might want to think in areas suchas:• food• transport• communication technology• clothes• toys

 

Guess which year was I invented?

 

Apple iPad Monopoly World web

Zip3 D computer game

Pop up toaster

Which dates did you guess correctly?

 

2010 1934 1990

19171987 1919

 

Technology timeline

Select any invention from the technology timeline in your classroom or visit the website below.

Find an invention that interests you.

Activity Complete worksheet 2 and 3 for your

homework and present your findings back to your class. http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines/Timelines_of_Invention_and_Technology.htm

In 1966 E.F. Schumacher set up an international development charity, now called Practical Action.

Since then, Practical Action has grown a lot and works in Africa,Asia and South America, supportingpeople to develop and use suitable technologies in areas such as renewable energy, transport and housing.

You can find out lots more about our projects at,

www.practicalaction.org.uk

What is Practical Action? In Nepal, these children are enjoying energy in their homes, produced by a small wind turbine.

What is the Small is Challenge?

E.F.Schumacher wrote a book which is called Small is Beautiful… which set out his ideas about a future that protects the environment.

To celebrate Schumacher’s centenary year, we’d like to set you this creative Small Is…Challenge.

Invent a product that will help us to lead more sustainable lives over the next 100 years.

What are the big environmental issues to think about?

In the UK, our lifestyles have a massive impact on the environment. In fact if everyone in the world lived the way we do, we’d need three planets to keep us going.

What are we doing that we need to change?

• We use too much stuff - so much in fact that we waste lots! Each year £20 billion of unused food is thrown away!

• We use a lot of energy– mobile phone charging alone cost £60 million per year in energy.

• We use a lot of water –the average person uses 150-180 litres of water each day and this figure is rising yearly.

• We design things that don’t last very long – In Europe the average computer is replaced every two years.

Recap: Your Small Is Challenge…

Invent a product that will help us to lead more sustainable lives over the next 100 years.

You can choose who it will designed for and at what time period in the next 100 years you think it will be used.

You may want to link it to your theme of Future: food, clothes, homes, transport, communication, or choose a theme of your own.

Use the design sheets 4 and 5 that your teacher gives you to set out your ideas.

Good luck!