Technologies enrich and impact on the lives of people and societies globally. They can play an important role in transforming, restoring and sustaining societies and natural, managed and constructed environments.
Australia needs enterprising individuals who can make discerning decisions about the development and use of technologies, develop solutions to complex challenges and contribute to sustainable patterns of living. Therefore, all young Australians should develop capacity for action and a critical appreciation of how technologies are developed and can contribute to societies.
Technologies ensures that all students benefit from learning about and working with the traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies that shape our world. Students have opportunities to consider the impact of technological solutions on equity including unconscious bias, ethics, and personal and social values.
By applying their knowledge and practical skills and processes when using technologies and other resources, students create innovative solutions. In creating solutions, as well as responding to the designed world, students consider desirable sustainable patterns of living, and contribute to preferred futures for themselves and others. They work independently and collaboratively to develop knowledge, understanding and skills to respond creatively to current and future needs and opportunities.
The practical nature of the Technologies learning area engages students in critical and creative thinking including understanding interrelationships in systems when solving complex problems. The learning area’s systematic approach to experimentation, problem-solving, prototyping and evaluation instils in students the value of planning and reviewing processes to transform ideas into solutions.
Learning in Technologies is also important for a diverse and capable science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. STEM learning involves explicit teaching of knowledge and skills in each learning area: Science, Technologies and Mathematics. A transdisciplinary approach can enhance the application of students’ scientific and mathematical literacy, design and computational thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills. Developing STEM competencies enables students to develop, model, analyse and improve solutions to real-world problems. It supports students to access further study and a variety of careers and jobs.
(Taken from The Australian Curriculum website)