Technology in School: Some Alternative Approaches

This is the first o f three sh o rt articles w hose purpose is to examine a variety o f ideas which, taken collectively, might be said to represent an 'appropriate technology' approach to CDT work . The subjects considered range widely from pneumatic toys to relatively exotic metal forming techniques, but common to all of them is the notion that getting technology into school can actually cost very little or nothing at all. It will become clear , I imagine, that many of these ideas might be applied in different ways right across the school age range ; what follows therefore is not intended to be prescriptive - that is, a miscellaneous collection of potential 'jobs' or experiments. Rather, it aims to draw attention to some interesting possibilities that appear to merit further thought .