Activities

1. What technology did Robert Hooke use to view cork cells?
   1. Barometer
   2. Telescope
   3. Micrometer
   4. Microscope
      
      
2. Define technology.

3. During the mid-1400s, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press that made publishing books much quicker and easier. Today many people read ebooks. Create a model that compares and contrasts these two technologies then write a paragraph justifying why you think one technology is better than the other.
   
   
4. There are many examples of technology that have extended and enhanced human abilities. Match the each description with the discovery or invention.

____    Thanks to Roger Bacon’s discoveries in the late 1200’s many of us have better eyesight.

____    Doctors had a new way to look inside bodies thanks to an accidental discovery made in 1895 by German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen.

____    In 1901 Dutch scientist Willem Einthoven invented a machine that allows clinics and hospitals to check for heartbeats and look for possible signs of heart disease.

____    In the 1600’s Robert Hooke invented a tool that allowed him to see the first cells.

____    The surface of the moon was first seen in the 1600’s by Galileo’s invention.

5. Think of a scientific tool that, in your opinion, has had the greatest impact on mankind. Write a paragraph that supports your choice. Include details and examples.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. D.
   
   
2. Technology is the use of science in areas such as industry, engineering, medical field, education, etc. to invent useful things, like method, piece of equipment, etc. to solve problems.

Acceptable responses might include, but not be limited to:
I prefer an ebook for several reasons. It fits into my backpack without taking up a lot of space, I can have several books available to me at one time, if I come across a word I do not know the meaning of I can use the electronic dictionary and learn the definition really fast, and most of the time ebooks cost less. A real bummer about ebooks is the device they are on needs to be charged every so often and sometimes my ereader dies on me, but the good side to this is I can use an app on my computer or my phone and go back to reading. I think that I read a lot more because it is easier to get a new book. I do not have to go to the library or the store. I can download a new book from wherever I am.

4. Answers:
   • E.
   • C.
   • B.
   • D.
   • A.

5. Acceptable responses might include, but not be limited to:
   I think that the telescope is the greatest piece of technology every invented. It allows us to see Mars, the moon, comets, and other celestial bodies beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The telescope got scientists excited about studying the universe and led to discoveries like the sun is the center of our universe, not the earth. It created a whole new field of study and encouraged us to go where no man has gone before – moon! We have begun sending equipment to explore other planets and have astronauts living in a space station. Without the telescope we might never have known that there were other planets in our universe and never developed a space program.