Computing · Year 1 · Technology in Our Lives · Summer Term

Spotting Technology Around Us

Students take a walk around the school or classroom to identify various pieces of technology and discuss their functions.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Computing - Technology Beyond School
• KS1: Computing - Computer Systems

About This Topic

Spotting Technology helps Year 1 students recognize that technology is all around them, not just in the form of computers and tablets. In the UK National Curriculum, pupils are expected to 'recognise common uses of information technology beyond school'. This topic involves identifying devices like traffic lights, barcode scanners, and microwave ovens. It broadens their definition of technology to include anything man-made that helps us solve a problem or perform a task.

By exploring their immediate environment, students begin to understand the pervasive role of technology in modern life. This topic connects computing to the wider world and other subjects like Science and Design and Technology. This topic comes alive when students can go on a 'tech safari' around the school, using their observational skills to find 'hidden' technology in every room.

Key Questions

1. Can you point to something in this picture that is technology and something that is not?
2. What would happen if the microwave in the kitchen stopped working?
3. How do computers and tablets help teachers and students in the classroom?

Learning Objectives

• Identify at least five different types of technology found within the school environment.
• Explain the primary function of three identified technological devices.
• Classify objects as either technology or non-technology based on their purpose and design.
• Compare how two different technologies assist people in completing tasks.

Before You Start

Sorting and Classifying Objects

Why: Students need to be able to group objects based on shared characteristics to differentiate between technology and non-technology items.

Understanding Purpose and Function

Why: A basic understanding of why objects exist and what they are used for helps students grasp the concept of technology's purpose.

Key Vocabulary

Technology	Anything man-made that helps people solve a problem or do a task more easily.
Device	A piece of equipment or a mechanism designed to serve a special purpose, often electronic.
Function	The job or purpose that something is designed to do.
Input	Information or signals that are given to a computer or device.
Output	The result or information that a computer or device produces.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Technology only means things with screens.

What to Teach Instead

Show students a manual can opener or a stapler. Explain that these are simple technologies. A 'Tech Safari' helps them see that even a light switch is a piece of technology.

Common Misconception

Technology is only for playing games.

What to Teach Instead

By looking at technology in the school office or kitchen, students learn that tech is mostly used for work, safety, and helping people communicate.

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: The Tech Safari

Armed with clipboards or tablets, small groups walk around the school to find and photograph five things that use electricity or have buttons. They must guess what each thing does for the school.

30 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share: Is it Tech?

The teacher shows images of a pencil, a toaster, a rock, and a laptop. Students discuss with a partner which ones are 'technology' and why, focusing on the idea that tech is 'made to help us'.

15 min·Pairs

Role Play: A Day Without Tech

Students act out a simple scene, like making breakfast or coming to school, but they aren't allowed to use any technology. They then discuss what was harder and why we use those tools in the first place.

20 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Traffic wardens use handheld devices to scan parking permits, similar to how checkout staff use barcode scanners at the supermarket to record purchases.
• The school's digital display board, which shows announcements, functions like a large computer screen, helping the office communicate important information to students and staff.
• Kitchen appliances like microwaves and ovens use technology to heat food quickly and safely, a concept seen in commercial kitchens at restaurants like McDonald's.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the 'tech safari', gather students and show them a picture containing various objects. Ask: 'Point to something that is technology. How do you know it's technology? Now point to something that is not technology. Why isn't it technology?'

Quick Check

Provide students with a worksheet showing pictures of common school items. Ask them to circle all the items that are technology and draw a line from each circled item to a box where they can draw or write what the item does.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a sticky note. Ask them to write down one piece of technology they saw today and one thing it helps people do. Collect these as they leave the classroom.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official definition of 'Information Technology' for KS1?

It refers to the use of computers and other electronic devices to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data. For Year 1, we simplify this to 'things that use information to help us'.

How can active learning help students spot technology?

A 'Tech Safari' or 'Scavenger Hunt' is far more effective than looking at a slideshow. When students physically find a sensor on a hand dryer or a button on a lift, they connect the concept of 'technology' to their real-world experience. This active discovery makes the learning stick.

How do I handle 'smart' technology like Alexa or Siri?

Acknowledge them as technology that 'listens' and 'talks'. This is a great way to introduce the idea that some technology is hidden inside other things.

Does technology have to be electronic?

In the strictest sense, no (a wheel is technology). However, for the Computing curriculum, we usually focus on electronic and digital technology to keep it relevant to the subject.

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