How Can We Design a Cellular Phone That is Safer to Use?
Students
investigate all of the aspects of the design of a cell phone, in an attempt
to address health related concerns about their design. Though the use of primary
source artifacts of the Henry Ford Museum, students can begin to investigate
phone design from a historical perspective, and look at concepts such as waves
and sound, electricity, and radiation.
Curriculum Unit Synopsis
In this unit, students become engaged in the task of designing a cellular phone which will be aesthetically pleasing (good looking!), comfortable, strong, useful, and above all - safe from health risks. By engaging in this design project, students are introduced to a number of scientific concepts related to these devices, such as waves and sound, radiation, and electricity, as well as a number of related mathematical and research concepts learned through experiments and investigations. Students are also given a historical context for understanding these issues by examining various artifacts from the Henry Ford Museum, including phones created during the past two centuries, and how they have changed in form, function, and technologies used to carry out these functions.
During this project, students address several different science questions, including:
- How does a cellular phone work using radiation?
- What are the best materials to use to make a cellular phone?
- How do batteries power a cellular phone?
- How do we hear sound from a cellular phone?
- What features of a cellular phone may be unhealthy?
Students also are involved in the process of inquiry. Through this project, students will conduct research by creating investigations to answer the following questions:
- How can we describe the time different people spend using a phone?
- What are the different kings of uses for a cellular phone and what is the percentage of time people spend on each use?
Finally, students learn about the design process:
- What is the design process?
- How do we determine who we design for (target market)?
- What is the difference between the form and function of a product?
- What are the different ways that designers represent their ideas?
This design cycle, a process used by scientists and engineers, is used while students identify the context of their design, research and learn new content (including data collection and individual investigations), develop personal ideas about the design, create two- and three-dimensional artifacts, including various dels of their phones, and then collect feedback through data analysis and peer critique.
During this process, students use a variety of technologies to assist with their design, including Artemis, an online research tool specifically for adolescents, and Microcomputer Based Labs, in which students use a number of different probes to engage in research on waves, sound, and electical power to better understand different aspects of the cell phone technologies.
Background
This curriculum unit was initially developed in 2001 as part of the Primary Souce Network project. These materials have been revised based on research on classroom practice and student achievement, as well as from feedback from teachers using the materials. This unit is currently used by ninth and tenth grade students in the Henry Ford Academy, as well as classrooms around southeast Michigan. Development of this unit was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. This unit was developed to address the curriculum standards of the Michigan Curriculum Framework, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Research Council.
Downloads, Workshop Information, and Resources
Download the Introduction (PDF - 496kb).
Download an information sheet, which includes the synopsis, lesson list, and standards (PDF - 500kb)
Upcoming workshops on this curriculum.
Artemis Information