1. The Role of Technology S ince the beginning of recorded history, technology has enabled people to improve the world in which they live. Judicious use of technology continues to facilitate the ways in which we sustain ourselves as a society…e.g., communicate, travel, feed our families, maintain our health and explore the physical universe. Technological Literacy (TL) is vital to individual, community, and national economic prosperity. Each advance we experience in our modern world is a product of prior discovery based on inquiry, problem solving and the application of known or emerging facts. The acceleration of these advances and the impact on our way of life increases daily. To some, this rate of change is an inspiration to discover new ways to feed the hungry, cure the sick, and explore the vast universe. To others the changes are confusing or create a fear that such technology will lead to social or ecological disaster. The power of technology requires that society understand its processes and effects to decide how and when to use this knowledge. As Galileo noted, “ All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” T he mission of the Technology Education Integration Center at California State University, San Bernardino is to increase the rate of Technological Literacy that exists within our community through the education of young adults and the individuals who teach them. In partnership with business & industry, local K-12 & postsecondary education and CSUSB, the TEI Integration Center provides an environment for learning that increases the economic vitality of students as well as the community in which they live and work. Through a rigorous curriculum focusing on the applications of science, mathematics, and pre-engineering education the center provides teachers (and teacher education candidates) with a better understanding of our technological world. The Center serves as a model for integrating subjects and for establishing related programs within local schools. The Center’s faculty and its focused curriculum encourages individuals to pursue technology teaching careers, and increases student interest in the science and technology professions by their involvement in engaging activities. T echnology Education is based on a research conducted by the International Technology Association, funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, that identified what students should know and be able to do to be technologically literate. The Center uses these standards as a means of teaching mathematics and science state standards. Technology Education utilizes problem-based learning activities to teach math, science and technology principles. These technological studies Involve:  Designing, developing, and utilizing technological systems  Open-ended, problem-based design activities  Cognitive, manipulative, and effective learning strategies  Applying technological knowledge and processes to real world experiences  Working individually as well as in a team to solve relevant, real world problems Program of Study The Center’s Mission Technology Education Integration Center California State University, San Bernardino To learn more about how you can become a partner with the TE Integration Center, please contact: Dr. Joseph A. Scarcella at (909) 537- 5287, or through our web site at: http:coe.csusb.edu/scarcella