A–B. Health and Safety; Technological Development, Impacts, and Careers · Technology Fundamentals, Safety and Connections

What Is Technology? The Ten Broad-Based Technology Areas

A1.1About 65 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain what technology is and give examples of products, services and processes.
I can name the ten broad-based technology areas and give examples from each.
I can explain how several technology areas work together on one real project.

Words to know

technology
Using knowledge, tools, materials and processes to solve a problem or meet a need.

product
Something made that you can hold or use, like a chair or a phone.

service
Work done for a person or group, like a haircut or a car repair.

process
A planned series of steps for doing or making something.

broad-based technology area
One of Ontario's ten families of technological skills and careers, such as construction or health care.

CAD
Computer-aided design: drawing and modelling designs with software.

Hook: what did technology do for you before 9 a.m.?

Think about this morning. An alarm on a phone woke you up. Maybe you used a hair dryer, ate toast, rode a bus and walked into a heated school. Each of those things was designed, made, delivered or repaired by people working in technology.

Most people hear "technology" and think of phones and computers. In this course the word is much bigger. A snow shovel, a bandage, a recipe and a haircut all count.

What is technology?

Technology is the use of knowledge, tools, materials and processes to solve a problem or meet a need.

Technology can be a product: a thing you can hold or use, like a toque, a chair or a phone.
Technology can be a service: work done for someone, like cutting hair, fixing a furnace or caring for a patient.
Technology can also be a process: a planned way of doing something, like the steps a bakery follows to make 500 loaves of bread.

The Ontario curriculum asks you to explain how technological ideas help people develop products and services. Keep both words in mind all year.

A product is a thing; a service is work done for someone. Many technology workers provide both.

Remember from Grade 8

In the Grade 8 science unit Systems in Action you learned that a system has a purpose, inputs and outputs, and that people make systems safer and more efficient. Every technology area in this course designs and runs systems: a kitchen, a garage, a hair salon and a computer network are all systems with inputs, processes and outputs.

The ten broad-based technology areas

Ontario sorts technological education into ten broad-based technology areas. "Broad-based" means each area is a big family of skills, courses and careers, not just one job. Your Grade 9 course samples all of them. In Grade 10 and later you can choose a full course in an area you enjoy.

The ten areas. Each box is a whole family of careers, products and services.

Area	What people design, make or do	A product	A service
Communications technology	video, audio, photography, graphic design, print, websites	a podcast episode, a poster	live-streaming a hockey game
Computer technology	computer hardware, electronics, networks, programming, robotics	a circuit board, a small robot	setting up Wi-Fi, repairing a laptop
Construction technology	carpentry, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, masonry	a shed, a staircase	renovating a kitchen, inspecting wiring
Green industries	agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, forestry, floristry	vegetables, a flower arrangement	landscaping a yard, caring for trees
Hairstyling and aesthetics	hair cutting and colouring, skin care, nail care, makeup	a custom wig, hair extensions	a haircut, a manicure
Health care	patient care, health science, medical equipment, nutrition	a mobility aid, a first aid kit	physiotherapy, personal support work
Hospitality and tourism	food preparation, baking, event planning, travel	a meal, a cake	a hotel stay, a guided canoe tour
Manufacturing technology	machining, welding, production lines, automated machines	a metal bracket, a car part	maintaining factory machines
Technological design	design process, sketching, drafting, computer-aided design (CAD), prototypes	a CAD drawing, a prototype	designing a product for a client
Transportation technology	cars, trucks, small engines, bicycles, aircraft, electric vehicles	a rebuilt lawnmower engine	an oil change, a tire swap for winter

Examples in each area. Many examples could fit in more than one area.

One morning touches at least five areas. Every item was designed, made, delivered or repaired by someone.

Areas work together

Real projects almost never use only one area. A new e-bike is designed (technological design), built in a factory (manufacturing), given a battery controller (computer technology), advertised (communications) and later repaired at a bike shop (transportation). When you study one area, look for its connections to the others.

Worked example

Let's sort a hospital

A town is building a new hospital wing. Which technology areas are needed, from the first sketch to the first patient?

Before building: architects and drafters make plans with CAD. That is technological design.
Building it: carpenters, electricians, plumbers and heating technicians build the wing. That is construction technology.
Equipping it: beds, monitors and wheelchairs are made in factories (manufacturing technology). The computer network for patient records is set up by computer technology workers.
Running it: nurses, personal support workers and lab technicians give care (health care). The kitchen cooks meals (hospitality and tourism). Ambulances are maintained by mechanics (transportation technology).
Finishing touches: signs and the website (communications technology) and the trees and gardens outside (green industries).

At least nine areas are needed. Hairstyling and aesthetics can be the tenth: some hospitals and long-term care homes have a hair salon for patients and residents.

Sorting tip

When you are not sure which area something belongs to, ask: What is the main skill being used? Cutting and styling hair is hairstyling and aesthetics; repairing the hair dryer's motor is closer to manufacturing or computer technology (electronics).

Just for fun

Riddle: I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no rooms. You can enter, but you can't go inside. What am I?

A keyboard, a product of computer technology and manufacturing.

Hands-on activity

Technology scavenger hunt at home

You need: paper, a pencil, about 30 minutes.

Walk through your home and list 20 products or services that technology made possible (for example: the furnace, the fridge, the bus pass, a hockey helmet, your last haircut).
Beside each one, write the main technology area. Then add any other areas that helped (design, transport, repair).
Circle the item that needed the most areas. Explain your choice to someone at home.
Which of the ten areas did you find least at home? Why might that be?

Safety: look, don't open. Do not unplug, open or take apart appliances, outlets or anything with a battery. Leave cleaning products where they are.

Your turn

Define technology in your own words. Give one example that has no electricity.

Is a haircut a product or a service? Which area is it in?

A technician replaces the brake pads on a minivan. Name the area.

A student makes a CAD drawing of a phone stand before anyone builds it. Name the area.

Name two areas that help put a cafeteria lunch on your tray.

Why are these called broad-based areas?

More practice: warm-up

How many broad-based technology areas does Ontario use?

Which area includes landscaping and growing plants?

Which area includes photography and video?

Which area includes framing houses and electrical wiring?

Which area includes caring for patients?

More practice: on your own

A new hotel is opening in Muskoka. Name three areas whose workers are needed and say what each does.

A smartphone is a product. Name a service connected to it and its area.

Classify each and explain: (a) welding a trailer hitch, (b) designing a logo for a team, (c) planting seedlings after a forest fire.

Why can one product belong to more than one area? Use an e-bike as your example.

Use snow removal to explain the difference between a product and a service.

Challenge

A big snowstorm hits your town. Describe how at least five technology areas help people get through it.

A friend says, "Technology just means computers." Write a convincing reply with three pieces of evidence.

A town is building a new arena. Put these areas in a sensible order and explain why technological design comes first: hospitality and tourism, construction, technological design, manufacturing.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is the best definition of technology?

Which of these is a service?

A florist arranges flowers for a wedding. Which area is this?

Which area includes drafting and CAD drawings?

What does broad-based mean in "broad-based technology areas"?

Building a new hospital wing needs which pair of areas most directly?

For parents and teachers

This first lesson sets up the language for the whole course. Ask your teen to point out technology during an ordinary errand (grocery store, bus ride, garage): who designed, made, delivered or repairs it? The most common difficulty is thinking technology means only electronics; keep pushing for examples like tools, food and services.

Some examples fit more than one area, and that is fine. Accept any area your teen can justify by naming the main skill being used. During the scavenger hunt, make sure nothing is unplugged or opened.