Troubleshooting Foundations of Technology Troubleshooting © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology Teacher Resource – Unit 4 Lesson 4

The BIG Idea Big Idea: Troubleshooting allows users to continue to use and maintain the proper operation of a system or product. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Troubleshooting Troubleshooting is a specific form of problem solving designed to identify the cause of a malfunctioning system to resolve the issue. Includes considering the various parts and how those parts affect the entire system. Involves the logical and orderly process of dissecting the system to discover the problem. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Troubleshooting Diagrams Troubleshooting diagrams exist for most technological products, and are intended to help users solve a common functional problem with the device. These diagrams can appear in the form of a flow chart, a list of steps or a manual. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Flow Charts Flow charts are a type of diagram that use a series of shapes and arrows to present a solution to a problem. They are typically used to document complicated processes by helping the user to visualize the steps necessary to solve the problem. Can be used to show a physical operation or how information is funneled to solve a problem. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Flow Charts Common flow chart symbols include: Oval – denotes the beginning or end of a program Flow line – indicates the direction of logic or the next step Parallelogram – either an input or output of an operation © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Flow Charts Common flow chart symbols include: Rectangle – a process to be carried out Diamond – a decision to be made, often results in a branch in the flow chart © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Flow Charts Common flow chart symbols include: Keystone – indicates a manual operation A large “D” – indicates that a delay will occur © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Flow Charts Example flow chart for inserting clipart in Microsoft PowerPoint: © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology Begin Clip Art Process Click “Insert” Click “Clip Art” Choose the Clip Art Click on the Clip Art Place / Resize Clip Art End Clip Art Process Place Clip Art Resize Clip Art Clip Art Displays

List of Steps A list of steps is just that, a list of steps the user would need to complete in order to solve a routine problem. Can involve images as well as text to help the user identify the solution. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

List of Steps Example list of steps for inserting clipart in Microsoft PowerPoint: © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology 1. Click “Insert” and “Clip Art” 2. Select Clip Art 3. Place, resize and rotate Clip Art

Manual A manual often appears in the form of a user’s guide or owner’s manual, and is used to easily identify how to accomplish a task or solve a problem with the technological system. Often divided by topics for the user to easily identify and search for next steps. Generally used to maintain the safe and proper operation of the system or product. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Schematics Schematics or graphical symbols and are often used to represent a physical component of a technological system. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology 47 Ohm volts 120K Ohm 10 Ohm

Schematics Common electrical schematic symbols © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology

Product Failure Technological systems do not always function as they are designed – to the frustration of the consumer. Systems fail because they have faulty or poorly matched parts, are used in ways that exceed the intended design or were poorly designed at the beginning. Troubleshooting often documents common errors and concerns to improve the technological system. © 2013 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, STEM  Center for Teaching and Learning™ Foundations of Technology