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01-19-02

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TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY UPDATE

A weekly newsletter for families and educators committed to
building brighter futures for kids in a technology-rich society.
THIS WEEK: Part 3 of our brand new series as we delve into the
third of seven specific technologies - ENERGY AND POWER
TECHNOLOGIES!!

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TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY THIS WEEK

This is the third week in our new seven part series identifying
and addressing the significant technologies identified by the
ITEA in their "Technology for All Americans" project. This
week, we'll look at Standard #16-- "Students will develop an
understanding of and be able to select and use energy and power
technologies."

ENERGY AND POWER TECHNOLOGIES - AN OVERVIEW

Energy and power technologies -- something that is so integrated
with our day to day life we take it for granted. Think of the
technologies we use-- the television we watch, the lights in our
house, the hot water in our shower, the car that transports us
to work -- the list goes on seemingly forever! Energy and Power
systems are quite complex, and a solid grasp of the issues
identified in the ITEA Standards will include a wide variety of
issues including the laws of thermodynamics, conservation of
energy, power system processes and the various types and sources
of energy including chemical, thermal, solar, mechanical, and
radiant. To provide you with a starting point, which is all we
can do in a short newsletter, let's begin with brief definitions
then look at a specific awareness activity that you can use to
get started with your students.

DEFINITIONS

* ENERGY: Energy is the capacity or ability to do work. There
are two types of energy - potential and kinetic.

* POWER: Power is the rate at which energy is converted or
transferred, or the rate at which work is done.

Energy is "capacity" to get work done and power is the "rate" at
which work is accomplished. A good way to look at this is
"capacity to do work" indicates the energy hasn't yet been
used. The "power" stage happens when it is being used and work
is being accomplished. Study the difference so that you can
effectively discuss this with your children or students and
dispel confusion between the terms.

TRY THIS AT HOME OR IN YOUR CLASS!

Kick off your study of energy and power by clearly defining your
terms and giving your students a concrete example. If you're
working with younger children, you should focus your efforts
primarily on sources of energy and conservation (see alternative
activity) since the distinction between energy and power may be
too advanced. Now, here's a fun way to introduce and define
your terms -- you will need a candy bar (a standard Hershey
chocolate bar that can be broken into squares is best). You may
want to have enough to treat all your students to a square
to culminate the activity.

Step 1. Write the definitions for Energy and Power on your
board or a piece of paper. Underline "capacity" in your energy
definition.

Step 2. Initiate a discussion about Energy with your students
by asking them to name sources of energy. They should come up
with a number of good examples readily seen in your community.
Write these down as they come up with them.

Step 3. Now, ask students to explain the difference between all
these sources of energy and "power." This should stimulate some
interesting definitions! You can guide the discussion toward
the final definition as you see fit.

Step 4. Illustrate the difference between energy and power
using your candy bar. Hold the candy bar up and define it as
an energy source. Emphasize that while it is wrapped and
uneaten, it is providing no power; it is unused energy at this
point.

Step 5. Eat one square of the candy bar! You will definitely
have everyone's attention as you munch and explain that the
energy stored in the candy can now be converted to work -- and
power is just a measurement of how fast you convert energy to
work! Here is a great analysis of this conversion -- adjust
this to the appropriate level for your students.

"One square of chocolate weighs 4 grams and provides
approximately 26 calories. If your body can convert it to muscle
power with an efficiency of 10% = 0.1, you get 10,868 joules of
usable work from that piece of candy, enough to climb about
six floors."
NOTE: The complete text of this conversion and a great lesson
plan on energy can be seen in it's entirety at:
http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Lenergy.htm

Step 6. Wrap up your discussion by passing out squares of
chocolate to your students and contemplating the conversion of
energy to usable work.

ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY: ENERGY SOURCES AND CONSERVATION

A good place to begin with energy and power is to 1) generate
awareness and respect for the sources of our energy; and
2) strongly instill in your students a respect for the
conservation of energy. Let's start with a short list of
sources: a) coal; b) oil; c) natural gas; d) nuclear; e) wind;
f) solar; and g) wave. Now consider, which of these are
commonly used in your area? Which are considered renewable and
which are non-renewable? What types of programs are you aware
of in your area that are specifically designed to help promote
conservation of energy? Prepare yourself for your discussion
with your children or students by carefully considering your own
community for good examples. Now try this with your students!

1. Identify all the sources of energy in your community.
2. Point out which sources are being directly used in your
class or home.
3. Discuss whether these energy sources are renewable or non-
renewable.
4. Discuss the technology required to harness and deliver the
energy in a usable form.
5. Brainstorm methods of conserving energy. Discuss existing
energy conservation programs to stimulate awareness.

NEXT WEEK: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES!!

We hope that this introduction to Energy and Power technologies
has been useful. In order for students to be successful and
productive members of society they must have a solid grasp of
the fundamentals of energy and power. A solid understing will
help them to build a better world by conserving and using
these resources wisely.

Try to find a moment to integrate some of this information into
your daily routine with your students or family this week.
Together, we can build a brighter future for students around the
world by preparing them to use technology as naturally as they
use a pencil and paper!

Until next week!

Technological Literacy Update

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