The Industrial Revolution – An Introduction
Innovation shapes the world in which you live. Machines and technology
allow us to conveniently cook our food, communicate with friends and family, as
well as acquire knowledge. These touch your life every single day of your life.
In 2005, CNN posted an article that ranked the Top 25 Innovations of the last 25 yrs.
In addition ABC at the end of 2009 posted a similar list that ranked the Top 10
Innovations of the decade.
Use the following framework individually rank the top 10 innovations from the last
two decades. How did this piece of technology completely “revolutionize” how we
live? How did this innovation positively impact us by providing a better way of life,
from education, to health, to lifestyle.
Remember, most of you were born in the late 1990’s, however you come into
contact with innovations that were created in the 1990’s. The list that you create is
completely subjective. (Not based entirely on facts)
Innovation/Technology
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Benefit (What did it do?)
Okay, now take your list and compare it/share it with someone else. Create a list
between the two of you that identifies the top 5 innovations of the last two decades.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“Great Innovators of the 21st Century” Activity
You may be asking, “who are the great innovators of the 21st century?”…You are! In
this activity, you and your team of team of fellow innovators will need to create a
prototype (aka example, or model) of an innovation that you feel will revolutionize
(you’ll hear that word more and more throughout this unit) society as we know it.
Will it change the way we communicate? Travel? Use energy? The possibilities are
endless! Your goal will be to create a product for me (the consumer), so yes, this is a
competition, and there may be a prize awaiting the winning team.
Once you have chosen your invention, each team will need to include the following
in their product description.
1.) Design: What does it look like?
2.) Features: What does it do?
3.) Benefits/Purpose: Why is it important? How will it change the way we live?
Remember, there are other teams competing for the prize so be competitive and
let’s see what your team can come up with! Good luck!
Practice/Homework: (Due: Monday Oct. 8, 2012)
Go home and research some innovation that is currently being developed that will
have a significant impact on our society. In a paragraph, describe what the
innovation is, who is developing the technology, how soon we can expect it, and the
impact it will have on society. (Provide a citation following your paragraph that
identifies where you learned about the innovation)
CNN’s List (1980-2005)
ABC’s List (2000-2010)
The Internet
Cell Phone
Personal Computers
Fiber Optics
E-mail
GPS
Portable Computers
Memory Storage Discs
Digital Camera
Radio Frequency ID Tags
MEMS (Airbag Sensor)
DNA Fingerprinting
Air Bags
ATM
Advanced Batteries
Hybrid Car
OLED’s
Display Panels
HDTV
Space Shuttle
Nano technology
Flash Memory
Voice Mail
Modern Hearing Aids
Short Range, High Frequency Radio
GPS
Hybrid Cars
Text Messaging
Wikipedia
File sharing (Napster)
Social Networking (Friendster)
Human Genome Project
Google
Video Game Play (Nintendo-Wii)
I-Phone (Apple Smart Phone)