#design technologies

iPads are self-contained media-making devices, and there is something great about students having the ability to record, edit and playback their movie on the same equipment.

Making a trailer is a very simple first iMovie project when getting used to the equipment. iMovie trailers are templates for making preview-style movies. Using these templates is a good balance between giving students creative freedom and providing structure. 

Working in teams, students can choose a template, and the app guides them to create a close-up shot, or a group shot, or an action shot, etc. The result is a well-timed, well-edited, well-scored trailer.

Once students make their trailers, we were ready for a more challenging project: using iMovie to create short videos about the theme of Antigone, the play we had spent a few weeks studying. There were many steps to planning this project. The filming and editing took place over the last two or three days, depending on the group of students.

Conceptually, in completing this task, students learn to:

work in groups

share their designs/themes and decide which was the strongest

storyboard their film. 

write scripts 

determine the roles individuals will play

identify props required and source them

As outlined in ACARA, in Design and Technology, year 3-4 students:

create designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts. 

explain needs or opportunities and evaluate ideas and designed solutions against identified criteria for success develop and expand design ideas and communicate these using models and drawings including annotations and symbols. 

plan and sequence major steps in design and production. 

identify appropriate technologies and techniques and demonstrate safe work practices when producing designed solutions.

Engaging Public Media - Design Technologies 

This article is about a woman, Marita Cheng who designed a robot that can be controlled using brainwaves. Marita was a past Australian of the year, she intially got the idea to create this robot while working on designing robotic arms for people with limited upper arm mobility. In the article, there is a video of a man who had been in a car accident and injured his spinal cord and only has movement above his neck, he can think and speak well but cannot move his body. Using his mind he was able to control the robot and is given a sense of hope and sees the possibilities as endless. The robot has been purchased by Canteen Australia and children with cancer have been able to use the robot to go to school, while they remain in hospital. 

Relevance to the Australian Curriculum

Engaging (Public Media) - Design Technologies

It is important that students develop knowledge and confidence to creatively respond to real-life problems and challenges. This is exactly what Nock Middle School 8th Grade students are doing. These students are making 3D printer artificial hands for children in need of artificial body parts. Their goal is to make 10 by the end of the school year for children around the world. 

The students’ teacher encouraged the project when he saw the students trying to engage in technology in a meaningful way, rather than simply being used as distraction. This program is giving free hands to people in need, and is creating real-world solutions to problems that the students identified.

Engaging: Design Technologies

This article reflects the change in focus in design, shifting from material systems to becoming activities or services with an increasing socially responsible stance. The article adopts Lawson’s (2006) five overarching design thinking skills (formulating, representing, moving, evaluating and reflecting) are to provide a basic skeleton for the following model of designing within an education context.

The main argument that emerges from the article is that in order to advance design research, focus must be placed on the  design (problem solving) methodologies that are taught and subsequently employed.

With design thinking being a potential trait that can be nurtured for success in the 21st century, this article is applicable to many aspects of the Australian Curriculum. It explores the social innovation of using design technologies to address issues such as poverty, nutrition, health, water and sanitation,

Within Australian classrooms in the primary years, students are required to explore innovation and establish their own design capabilities. They are encouraged to explore trends and data to suggest sustainable social interventions. Teachers raise awareness amongst their students to understanding role of those working in design and technologies occupations and how they think about the way a product might change in the future. This article fittingly positions this kind of design thinking within a context of teaching and learning.

References:

Cassim, F. (2013). Hands On, Hearts On, Minds On: Design Thinking within an Education Context. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 32(3): 190-202.

Portfolio: Design Technologies - Research Literature

This 2016 conference research paper by Lyn English, QUT professor of STEM in education, is detailing the nature and roles of the key concept and processes in the Design and Technologies strand of the Australian Curriculum within a broader context of STEM learning. The author highlights the Engineering concepts within Design Technologies, and how these link to other key learning areas such as Science and Mathematics.

Resourcing: Design Technologies

Technology and Design encompasses a large range of concepts, skills and processes to encourage students to harness their creative, innovative and imaginative ideas and approaches to achieve designed products, services and environments. It is a very broad subject area and the possibilities involved can be overwhelming. Based on the Victorian Curriculum, this website acts as a portal to a range of Technology & Design  areas through providing resources, associations, discussion forums, blogs, journals and magazines. Most significantly, this link offers a range of unit plans and resources for primary teachers.

Caters for diversity and inclusion: All lesson plans offer ideas for catering for diversity and inclusion within the classroom and these can be implemented or adapted accordingly.

Incorporates cross-curricular learning opportunities: While not also explicitly stated, there are many opportunities for cross-curricular learning opportunities within this resource.

Sufficiency: This resource offers a wealth of information and lesson plans for teachers to use. Some are bound by membership requirements, but many are free.

Relevant: As this page was compiled by Australian educators, all resources and lesson plans have specific links to the requirements and content descriptors of the Australian Curriculum.

In order to 'move from' a reflective trigger to a meaningful reflection on practice it is important to have a systematic method for thinking through the experience. The 5R’s framework encourages educators to engage in deep and purposeful thinking about their practices and pedagogies. The following reflection draws from the 5R’s framework to evaluate the Year 2 Design Technologies unit on Australian Animal Habitats.

Reporting: The context of this class was a Year 2 Design Technologies activity based on Australian animal habitats. Throughout their Science and English units the students had developed a comprehensive understanding of iconic Australian animals. Students had learned about each animal’s shelter, diet, predators, reproduction cycle and utilised this knowledge in order to create a diorama of a habitat for their chosen Australian animal.

Responding: When I was asked to design this unit I was initially apprehensive. I had very little knowledge about design technologies and am not naturally a very artistic, creative person myself. I was given a framework that assisted me in developing a sequence of lesson plans that involved a high-degree of planning exercises. The students embraced the planning process and they were creative, innovative and thoughtful about their plans. Due to this, their dioramas exceeded my expectations.

Relating: This unit required the students to make many connections between their knowledge and understanding and what was required for them in the design process. As a class we did mind maps that revolved around group discussions (e.g: “What do we know about what kangaroos eat?” “From what we learned, what do you think you may need to put in your habitat for a Tasmanian devil to sleep in?”). The students were very knowledgeable on the issue and enjoyed the opportunity to extend their learning potential using creativity and imagination.

Reasoning: The process was based on the Technology Essential Learnings by the Queensland Studies Authority who developed suggested learning experiences for children: 

Technology (2003) Years 1–10, Queensland Studies Authority

Using an evidence-based approach greatly assisted the planning and execution of the process.

Reconstructing: I was very satisfied with the unit and the work that the students produced. I believe it was the thorough planning that aided the group in creating their masterpieces. We also engaged in a reflection guided by some questions to prompt critical thinking about their own and others work. Questions included:  What did I like about my design? What would I change if I had another opportunity? What did I like about someone else’s design? What have I learnt about the design technology process?

While the planning and executing stage were done very well, I believe that the evaluation stage could have been implemented more effectively. This was a crux of the unit and was somewhat overlooked as the children were so excited about their final products and did not wish to engage in “book work”.

References

Bain, J.D., Ballantyne, R., Mills, C. & Lester, N.C. (2002) Reflecting on practice: Student teachers' perspectives, Post Pressed: Flaxton, QLD.