Visit Neal Swernofsky's Island Park classroom and you may find students using a hair dryer for a lesson on efficient energy sources, or a fan and black pepper in a unit on air filtration. Swernofsky, a sixth- through eighth-grade technology teacher, is using these and other activities to prepare his students for the new eighth- grade technology test.

"Technology is the study of the human-made world," said Swernofsky, a member of the

Island Park Faculty Association. "Today most things are automatic and computer-controlled. Our goal is to give kids a way to understand these complex systems."

Today's technology curriculum is almost unrecognizable from more traditional industrial arts. "Industrial arts education reflected an industrial society - something we were moving away from. We taught kids about creating products using machines," Swernofsky said. Technology education reflects today's information society, with an eye toward future advances, said Swernofsky. "We've gone from turning bowls and making bookshelves to running robotics programs."

In another signal of the end to traditional industrial arts classes, eighth-graders this June will be taking the first statewide assessment in technology. Aligned with the Introduction to Technology curriculum, the test will measure student understanding of technology concepts including engineering and design; technological systems; the history and evolution of technology; and the impacts of technology on society.

The 90-minute assessment is designed to be given in one day and includes 40 multiple-choice and 10 extended-response questions.

"Teachers are designing activities that meet the standards based on real-life scenarios," said Jack Hall, an eighth-grade technology teacher and member of the Kingston Federation of Teachers. With these activities, "students can understand the importance of their solution and actually have the problem make sense," Hall said.

On with the wind

One of the most popular lessons for Swernofsky's eighth-grade classes is wind-turbine generators. Swernofsky begins with a look at energy production and use in the U.S., where much electricity is produced in power plants by burning oil, coal or natural gas.

"Students need to understand that relying on fossil fuels is dangerous for a number of reasons," said Swernofsky. "They are in short supply; we import most of our fossil fuels, which makes us dependent on other countries; and burning fossil fuels is not environmentally sound."

Wind turbine technology uses wind energy, which is free and clean. Swernofsky's students design a model of a generator and use a hair dryer as a source of wind. "The kids figure out how much power - in terms of voltage, amperage and wattage - their turbines produce," said Swernofsky.

The Long Island teacher uses this standards-driven activity because it satisfies many technology concepts:

Engineering and design - Students identify a problem (the need for an alternative energy source); gather information from the Department of Energy Web site; design sketches and drawings; build a model; and test the turbine.

Resources of technology -"Students must identify seven resources that all technologies are dependent on - people, information, tools and machines, energy, money, time and material," Swernofsky explained. "The students had to process all seven resources to create the wind turbine generator."

Impacts of technology

Students need to understand how technology affects the environment and people. Swernofsky's students talk about fossil fuels "and how people in the United States use more energy than any other place in the world."

Swernofsky and Hall, both members of the New York State Technology Education Association, worked with the State Education Department writing questions for the test. Both stress vocabulary in preparing students for the test.

"One of the standards is history and evolution of technology. On the test sampler there was an Eli Whitney question asking about a machine and its impact on productivity," said Swernofsky. "The kids didn't have to know who Eli Whitney was to answer that question. As soon as they see the word 'machine,' they should know that machines make you more productive."

In a move supported by New York State United Teachers to ease the growing test burden on middle-school students, SED announced in February that results of the eighth-grade technology test will not be reported to the department and the public.

"This exam is intended to be a program evaluation so teachers can see how their students are doing compared to what is supposed to be taught," Hall said.

Because technology education is very different from industrial arts, "teachers have to re-educate themselves," said Swernofsky. "By evaluating programs we can give teachers the empowerment they need to go to the district and say 'we need to change the program.'"

- Clarisse Butler

Help is available

For copies of the technology test sampler and curriculum, visit the State Education Department' Web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/tech.html.

NYSTEA offers professional development for technology teachers. For information, e-mail Swernofsky, membership secretary, at nswerof@ix.netcom.com.

Five steps to success in preparing for test

In preparing students for the upcoming technology assessment, Jack Hall, a member of the NYSUT Subject Area Committee for Career Development, Occupational Studies and Technology Education, suggests technology teachers ask themselves:

• Am I following the 10 modules in the Introduction to Technology curriculum?

• Have I kept my lesson material current, adapting modules as needed?

• Have I aligned the instruction with the key ideas in the Math, Science and Technology standards?

• Have I identified weaknesses in my program?

• Do I ask students to explain their answers?

The wind-turbine generator demonstration is a favorite in Swernofsky's class. Students use a blow dryer to simulate wind - a clean, cheap form of energy.