Another issue related to the teaching of history and theory that is central to the practice of design, is the teaching of aesthetics. While the term ‘aesthetics’ can in one sense refer to the technical quality of a piece of art or design, Hagaman (1990, p.2) describes the term ‘aesthetics’ as a more general way of thinking about art and design. “Aesthetics historically is a branch of philosophy with its own substantive content. This content deals with general questions about art such as ‘What is art?’ ‘What's the difference between a work of art and a copy?’ ‘Are there criteria that can be used in evaluating all works of art?’ and ‘Is the concept of originality in art a meaningful one?’” This concept of teaching learners how to critically question the purpose of their own artworks is an important one if they are to be able to justify the choices they make in the future. Also, by encouraging the development of these self-analytical tools at an early age, educators can contribute to the capacity of learners for further growth throughout their lives.

Hagaman goes on to examine the nature of aesthetics. “…philosophical aesthetics, like all philosophy, is based on wonder. Philosophers wonder about things others take for granted. Young children do the same until their sense of wonder is deadened by socialization, education, or some combination of the two… We need to focus early on the openness, willingness to voice wonder, and desire to find meaning in problematic situations that may have no definitive solution…” (1990, p.3)

It could be argued that this sense of wonder is one of the important creative sources of inspiration for any artist or designer. By training learners to listen to this ‘inner voice’ in reflecting on the quality and substance of their own work, and by promoting knowledge of the history and theory that has laid the groundwork for modern style, educators provide the tools for learners to become successful practitioners of modern design, able to draw on a rich pool of prior knowledge in creating successful, meaningful art.

By fostering the development of technological literacy educators can genuinely contribute to social reform in a meaningful way. “Design and technology offers learners a rich blend of knowledge, skills, strategies and dispositions to develop their identities as individuals, and to help them design shared, sustainable futures… Ultimately learners can detect and deconstruct dominant power structures which create inequities… It calls for deep, rather than shallow, understandings of technology. Thus the notion of a technologically literate learner is not a narrow one.” (SACSA 2002, p.2)

By enabling learners to become fluent in the language of technology and aware of the historical processes that have led to the shaping of modern society, in a very real sense we give them the power to make significant changes to the world in which they live. Rushkoff elaborates on the power that technologically and socially literate individuals wield in the information age. “People who lack traditional power but still seek to influence the direction of our culture do so by infusing new ideas… a black man is beaten by white cops in Los Angeles. The event is captured on a home camcorder and within hours the beating is replayed on the televisions of millions… what began as a thirty-second video clip emerges as the battle cry for full-scale urban looting.” (1994 p.8)

In design in particular it is extremely important to have an extensive understanding of the history of art and design. In practical terms this knowledge is essential in the process of design in terms of developing style, and in reference to ideas and concepts. Design is a discipline that must always be seen to be modern, up-to date, even ‘fashionable’. It could be argued that the only way for a designer to achieve this is to have knowledge of what has already been created, so that older styles and techniques can be ‘evolved’ to create something new.

While it is important that some reference is made to history in explaining why we do certain things in certain ways, it is equally important for technology educators to consider the relevancy of what they teach. Technology is seen to be very much a practical and modern discipline, and in teaching history without emphasizing exactly what relevance this topic has to the broader outcomes of becoming technologically literate, educators run the risk of losing their audiences interest. Pressley and McCormick (1995, p.99) state that “People pay more attention to content that is interesting” and while this statement may indeed seem very obvious, it is surprising how many educators fail the simple task of motivating their learners to become interested in what they teach.

One of the underlying goals of technology education is the development of technological literacy, which is the ability to be generally conversant in the use of technology. With the rapidly growing application of computing systems to all facets of everyday life, there is an increasing need for people who are well educated in technology and design principles to create and operate these systems. Lewis (1999) argues that “All high school graduates ought to be technologically literate, meaning that they can understand the nature of technology, appropriately use technological devices and processes, and participate in society’s decisions on technological issues"

To be relevant, history and theory must be made an integral part of this technological literacy, allowing choices to be made and justified in the context of previous outcomes. The South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability (SACSA) framework reflects on the necessity for drawing on previous experiences in the teaching of technology. “Today it is recognised that technologies are not just ‘made’. They exist because of human purpose, intention and decision-making. People bring together knowledge, experience, resources, ideas and values to create products, processes and services for a variety of reasons.” (2002, p.2)