Kavi, the KAVI owl, waving on a book
HomeAcademyAIWho it's forPricingFAQLabsContactGet Started
Computing · Stage 6

Emerging Tech: Fit for Purpose?

Coding & Systems · systems — judge whether a technology really does the job it was made to do, and weigh its benefits against its risks

✦ Computing📘 Stage 6 · S6⏱ ~13 min🧒 Ages 10–12★ Free to start
I can judge whether a system is fit for its purpose.
Start the free lesson →⬇ Printable PDF
Kavi the owl for Computing
📖

Kavi and the Umbrella Drone

A shiny new delivery drone buzzed over Kavi's town. "The fastest parcels ever!" the advert sang. Kavi looked up — and felt a raindrop. Then another. "But it rains here nearly every day," Kavi hooted, "and this drone can't fly in the rain." So the big question wasn't "Is it new?" or "Is it clever?" — it was "Does it really do the job we need, right here?" That question — plus weighing the good against the bad — is how you judge whether a system is fit for its purpose.

🎓

What your child will learn

1Five questions to askA system is fit for purpose when it does the job it was built to do. To judge any technology, ask these questions. Tap each one.
2Fit, or not fit?Here are two smoke alarms. Both are meant to do the same job: wake a sleeping family when there is smoke. Tap each to judge it.
3Self-driving cars: benefit or risk?
4The four stepsPut it together. To judge whether any technology is fit for its purpose, follow these steps.
🔍

A peek inside

A village is given solar street lights, but it is cloudy and dark for most of the year. Is this system fit for its purpose?
purpose = light the street at night · solar needs sun · little sun here

Try this at home: What does 'fit for purpose' mean?

Ready to play and learn?

Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.

Start the free lesson →⬇ Download PDF

Part of Computing · Stage 6 · S6 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.