8th Grade Engineering and Technology Systems

with

Coach Ernst

Foundations of Engineering/Systems/STEM Course

Syllabus

Grade 8

Technological Systems is designed to introduce students to systems and processes to develop an understanding of the impact of technology on humans, the environment, and the global community. By investigating systems through their function, design, and development, students will understand what systems are, why they are developed and how ‘systems thinking’ can be used to describe them. Students engage in activities and experiences where they evaluate the impacts of technology through the lenses of culture, society, economics and the environment.

Technological Systems is intended to teach students how systems work together to solve problems and capture opportunities. A system can be as small as two components working together (technical system/device level) or can contain millions of interacting devices (user system/network level). We often break down the Macro systems into less complicated Microsystems in order to understand the entire system better. However, technology is becoming more integrated and systems are becoming more and more dependent upon each other than ever before. Electronic systems are interacting with natural (i.e., bio) systems as humans use more and more monitoring devices for medical reasons. Electrical systems are interacting with mechanical and fluid power systems as manufacturing establishments become more and more automated. This course gives students a general background on the different types of systems but concentrates more on the connections between these systems.

9 weeks

Technological Systems builds on K–5 experiences as well as those in Exploring Technology and Invention and Innovation to develop student understanding of the scope of technology and the iterative nature of technological design and problem-solving processes. Students participate in engineering design activities to understand how criteria, constraints, and processes affect designs. Students are involved in activities and experiences, where they learn about brain¬storming, visualizing, modeling, constructing, testing, experimenting, and refining designs. Students also develop skills in researching for information, communicating design information, and reporting results. As the suggested capstone middle school course, Technological Systems provides the foundation for future studies in a technology education sequence. Students learn how technology, innovation, design, and engineering interrelate and are interdependent.

The DeKalb County School District believes that the most important assessment of student learning shall be conducted by the teachers as they observe and evaluate students in the context of ongoing classroom instruction. A variety of approaches, methodologies, and resources shall be used to deliver educational services and to maximize each student’s opportunity to succeed. Teachers shall evaluate student progress, report grades that represent the student’s academic achievement, and communicate official academic progress to students and parents in a timely manner through the electronic grading portal.

 

Infinite Campus Description	Description	Weight
Pre Assessment	Pre-Test	0%
Assessment During Learning	Engineering Design Journals, Discussions, Quizzes, Tests	25%
Guided/Group Practice	Classwork, Daily Work, Performance, Projects, Labs	45%
Summative Assessment	Post Test/Capstone Project	30%

MSENGR-TS-1: The students will develop an understanding of the Universal Systems Model.	MSENGR-TS-2: The students will develop an understanding of how the design process is used to develop a technological system.
MSENGR-TS-3: The students will develop an understanding of how humans interact with systems.	MSENGR-TS-4: The students will develop an understanding of how systems evolve from one stage to another.
MSENGR-TS-5: The students will recognize and be able to forecast trends in the development of technological systems.	MSENGR-TS-6: The students will recognize relationships among technologies and assess the impact of integrated systems.
MSENGR-TS-7: Students will develop leadership skills and work ethics.

 

 DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS

 

Student Progress	Semester progress reports shall be issued 4 ½ weeks into each semester. The progress of students shall be evaluated frequently and plans shall be generated to remediate deficiencies as they are discovered. Plans shall include appropriate interventions designed to meet the needs of the students. Please sign up and check students’ progress using Infinite Campus.
Academic Integrity	Students will not engage in an act of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, providing false information, falsifying school records, forging signatures, or using an unauthorized computer user ID or password. See the Code of Student Conduct - Student Rights and Responsibilities and Character Development Handbook.
Homework	Homework assignments, when given, will be due on the due dates given in class. Students may be asked to bring in materials, if applicable, to complete classroom projects.
Late Work	Student work must be completed within the prescribed time limit. The maximum point allotment will be 80%. Late assignments will incur an additional 10 point deduction each day it is late. Assignments more than three days late will not be accepted.
Make Up Due to Absences	It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher to receive any work missed due to absence(s). Make-up work must be completed within the designated time allotted. See Board Policy IHEA.

 

 

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS	1. Be on time for class every day! 2. Use your time wisely. 3. Do not enter the lab area unless directed to do so. 4. Respect the people, equipment, and furnishings of the classroom and lab at all times. 5. No eating, chewing gum, or drinking in the classroom. 6. Do not get up out of your desk without permission for any reason. 7. Follow direction the first time they are given. 8. Do not talk when others are talking. 9. When you need to speak, raise your hand and wait to be acknowledged. 10. Clean your work area, when directed, before class ends. You will be dismissed individually, by groups, or by rows.
MATERIALS & SUPPLIES	USB Flash Drive, Pocket Folder, Pen/Pencil
DISCIPLINE PLAN	Minor Offenses: 1st Offense = Warning/Conference with student 2nd Offense = Reassign seat 3rd Offense = Phone call to parent/Afterschool detention 4th Offense = Referral to Grade Level Administrator Major Offenses:   Immediate Referral: Profanity and obscene words/gestures Weapons Skipping Drugs Fighting, Bullying, Threats or Harassment Inappropriate bodily contact