Design Technology

could then analyse their own work and critique their own design as they did to the original shop-bought design. We are now finding opportunities to incorporate the use of the machine with the junior Design Technology students. The only drawback with the 3D printing process is time. As a guide the total time to print all 22 Year 11 student handles was in the vicinity of 50 hours at about 2.5 hours per handle. Quite a slow process, but worth it as the end result is an exact replica of your design.

We should see an increase in the use of such technologies with the new subject introduction of Engineering Technology at Year 10. The subject will continue as an OP subject through to completion of Year 12. Engineering Technology will challenge the students with higherorder critical thinking and complex problem-solving as they grapple the underlying principles of engineering.

Design and Technology for Year 7 to 9 continues to run a diverse program with a mixture of skill development and design. It is a fine balance between learning the skills in order to understand how to manipulate timber and plastics, and having a free run on design, allowing the students to explore a problem and develop possible solutions. Without the skill development students will find it difficult to realise the solution, not knowing how they might create and assemble a project. Years 7 and 8 students are generally on the go each lesson, attempting to fit in as much learning before they move on to the next rotation of Robotics or ICT. Each time I pass the class or interact with the students in the class they all seem to thoroughly enjoy the experience in the Technology workshop.

2014 had the smallest group of Year 12 students in Technology Studies, but they have revelled at the opportunity to create some well-crafted pieces of work. All of the boys have taken home a piece of furniture they should be proud of. I think the best comment I heard was that Toby Greenup’s mother was so impressed with her new trolley-style end-grain chopping block that she places another cutting board on top so as not to score it with a knife. Each year the Year 12s’ final project has been to create toys to be sold for charity. This group have their work cut out for them to beat last year’s record total of $701, which was donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Mr Parsons was also pleased to receive another two large outdoor picnic tables he commissioned from the Year 12 Industrial Technology students. The project’s lifespan will continue for some years as he has hinted at needing quite a few more.