Praxis Technology Education key terms

The ability to understand, use, manage, and evaluate technology responsibly, including its systems, trade-offs, and consequences. It is the central goal of technology education rather than job-specific skill training.

An organized set of interacting components that work together to achieve a purpose, commonly analyzed through inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback. Examples include transportation, communication, and manufacturing systems.

A framework describing a system as inputs transformed by a process into outputs, with feedback comparing results to a goal. It is used to analyze and design technological systems across all content areas.

Information about a system's output that is returned to adjust or control the process. In closed-loop systems feedback reduces error; in open-loop systems no such corrective return exists.

A system whose operation is not adjusted by feedback from its output. A timed sprinkler that runs regardless of soil moisture is a typical example, contrasted with closed-loop control.

A systematic evaluation of the intended and unintended effects of a technology on people, society, and the environment before or after adoption, used to inform responsible decisions and policy.

An effect of a technological decision that was not foreseen or intended, such as pollution from an efficient manufacturing process. Analyzing such effects is a routine part of responsible design.

Technology selected to match the resources, skills, culture, and needs of the people who will use and maintain it. It favors durability, local repairability, and low cost over maximum sophistication.

A widely used framework, published by ITEEA, that defines what students should know and be able to do about technology. It organizes content into twenty standards covering the nature of technology, technology and society, design, and technological contexts.

An iterative problem-solving cycle typically including defining the problem, researching, generating alternatives, selecting and developing a solution, building a prototype, testing, evaluating, and communicating results, with redesign as needed.

A concise written statement of a design problem that identifies the client or user, the need, key constraints, criteria for success, and expected deliverables. It anchors later decisions and evaluation.

The measurable requirements a successful solution must satisfy, such as load capacity, cost, or size. Criteria guide concept selection and provide the basis for testing and judging a finished design.

A limitation on a design solution, such as budget, available materials, time, safety rules, or physical laws. Constraints narrow the acceptable range of solutions and shape design decisions.

A compromise in which improving one characteristic of a design requires accepting a loss in another, such as strength versus weight. Recognizing trade-offs is central to engineering decision making.

An early working model of a design built to test function, form, or feasibility. Prototypes range from rough physical mockups to computer models and are revised through repeated testing.

Fabricating a physical part directly from a digital model, often by additive manufacturing, so designs can be tested quickly. It shortens design iteration and supports low-volume custom production.

Assessment conducted during design or instruction to guide improvement, such as testing a prototype against criteria or checking student understanding mid-unit. It contrasts with summative evaluation at the end.

Computer-aided design: software used to create, edit, and analyze two- or three-dimensional digital models of products and structures. Models can drive analysis, documentation, and computer-controlled manufacturing.

Computer-aided manufacturing: the use of computer software and control to plan and run production machines. CAM translates CAD geometry into tool paths and machine instructions for accurate, repeatable output.

A machine tool controlled by coded numerical instructions to cut, drill, or shape material precisely and repeatably. It is a common bridge between CAD models and manufactured parts.

Using control systems, sensors, and programmable devices to operate equipment with minimal human intervention. It raises consistency and output while changing workforce skill demands and employment patterns.

Building a three-dimensional object layer by layer from a digital model, as in 3D printing. It enables complex geometries and short production runs but has material and speed limits.

Producing a part by removing material from a larger stock through cutting, drilling, milling, or turning. It contrasts with additive methods and typically produces chips or waste.

A standardized graphic language for communicating the shape, size, and assembly of parts, including orthographic views, dimensions, and tolerances. It supports accurate manufacture and quality checking.

A method of representing an object by separate two-dimensional views, such as front, top, and side, projected at right angles. It is standard for manufacturing drawings because dimensions remain true to scale.

A three-dimensional pictorial drawing in which the three principal axes are spaced 120 degrees apart and lengths stay true to scale. It shows shape clearly but is not used for dimensioning complex parts.

The transmission of information over distance by electrical, optical, or radio signals. Key concepts include bandwidth, signal modulation, protocols, and the trade-off between range and data rate.

An arrangement that encodes, transmits, and decodes information between a sender and receiver through a channel. Noise, bandwidth, and encoding method determine how faithfully the message arrives.

The range of frequencies a channel can carry, or loosely the maximum data rate it supports. Greater bandwidth permits more information per unit of time but usually costs more and is shared.

A signal represented by discrete levels, typically binary ones and zeros, rather than a continuous range. Digital encoding resists noise and allows compression, error correction, and exact copying.

A signal that varies continuously and can take any value within a range, such as a sound wave converted to voltage. It degrades gradually with noise and distance.

Energy from sources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, flowing water, and biomass. Availability varies by location and time, which shapes storage and grid needs.

Energy from finite resources such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, and uranium that are consumed faster than they form. Use raises questions of supply, cost, and emissions.

Changing energy from one form to another, as a motor converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. Every conversion loses some energy, mostly as heat, so no device is perfectly efficient.

The ratio of useful output to total input energy or power, often expressed as a percentage. Higher efficiency means less waste, but losses can never be eliminated entirely in real systems.

The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, measured in watts, where one watt equals one joule per second. Power differs from energy, which is the total amount transferred.

Designing products and systems to reduce resource use, waste, and environmental harm across a product's life cycle while meeting user needs. It considers materials, energy, disposal, and repairability.

A method of estimating the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through manufacture, use, and disposal or recycling. It supports comparing design alternatives fairly.

Evaluation of learning at the end of a unit or course against stated objectives, often through projects, portfolios, or tests. It documents achievement rather than guiding in-progress improvement.

A scoring guide that lists criteria and describes levels of performance for each. Clear rubrics make project and design assessment consistent and help students understand expectations in advance.

Evaluation using realistic tasks that mirror actual technological practice, such as designing, building, and testing a device. It measures applied skills that paper tests often miss.