الأسبوع 2 · المحور الأول، الدرس ٢ «تطور التكنولوجيا»: عصور التكنولوجيا الأربعة وسرعة الكتابة · 3 دروس
1
Four ages of technology
ICT P4 Term 1, Theme 1: pp. 14–17
GoalName the four ages of technology and put them in order on a timeline.
New words
age · a long period of time that is known for something specialtimeline · a line that shows events in the order they happenedrecord · to keep information safe so it can be read later
Explanation
People have always needed to record and share information. As ideas and tools changed, the story of technology was divided into four ages. The Pre-Mechanical Age is the longest: people wrote, drew and counted with simple tools. In the Mechanical Age, from 1450 to 1840, people built machines with moving parts. In the Electro-Mechanical Age, from 1840 to 1940, electricity joined the machines. The Electronic Age began in 1940 and is still going on today. Each age is like a chapter in a book, and each chapter is shorter than the one before.
Youssef puts the ages on a paper strip, from left to right: Pre-Mechanical, Mechanical, Electro-Mechanical, Electronic. The oldest is on the left and the newest on the right.
How long did the Mechanical Age last? Count from 1450 to 1840: 1840 − 1450 = 390 years.
How long did the Electro-Mechanical Age last? 1940 − 1840 = 100 years. It was shorter than the Mechanical Age.
Class activity
Make a timeline. Cut a long strip of paper. Draw four boxes in order and write the four ages and their years. Under each box, draw one thing that people used in that time, such as a pencil, a gear or a lamp. Colour the Electronic Age box, because it is the one we live in.
Practice
1
Which age is the newest?
The Electronic Age (1940 to now).
2
Which age came between the Mechanical Age and the Electronic Age?
The Electro-Mechanical Age.
3
How many years did the Mechanical Age last? Use the table.
Age
Starts
Ends
Mechanical
1450
1840
390 years, because 1840 − 1450 = 390.
4
The Electro-Mechanical Age started in 1840. When did it end, and how many years did it last?
