Work in progress - a class called “How things work?” and its role in technological literacy programs

A considerable number of academic institutions are teaching technological literacy classes to non-technical and non-engineering students. In particular, a class based upon "How things work?" seems to be attracting many technological literacy educators. The purpose of such a class is to address the "how-to" of everyday technology and gadgets of interest to the students. In addition to receiving course credit on their transcripts for technological literacy (in some cases earning a minor), which will make them more competitive in the job market, the students achieve a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, the technology that affects their lives. This paper addresses the fundamental aims of these classes: What should they achieve and is it sufficient for a university or college class to only focus on the how-to? While there are many popular websites, journals, and books that address the idea of how-things-work reasonably well, our aim is to address the pedagogical aspects of such classes. We discuss our teaching experiences by noting some interesting cases of students\´ needs, reactions, concerns, interests, and learning. Finally, we make suggestions for possible approaches to such classes in order to fulfill our objectives as educators to offer a perspective not often found on websites or in books.