The VHETTA Company

Type: Companies/Organisations (Event)

Link: http://www.vhetta.com.au/downloads/FoodDesignChallenge2008.pdf

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

Each year the VHETTA company encourages primary school students to complete a certain food related design challenge. For 2008 this challenge requires students to create,
make and review a healthy recipe for a fruit or vegetable based topping, sauce or filling to be served with a basic pancake recipe.

Evaluation:

This company involves whole schools in thinking technologically and creating. The prizes offered for the winner of the design challenge gives students motivation to continuously improve their entry. By choosing the context of Food creation, the VHETTA association allows students to work within a real life context for a purpose that is relavant and engaging.

Boiling Water Design Challenge

Type: Text and Print Resources

Link: http://btc.montana.edu/messenger/teachers/Modules/lessons/coolboilingwater.pdf

Year Level: 9-12

Summary:

This is a complete lesson plan of a design challenge. The challenge outlined in this lesson plan requires students to design and construct a container that will keep items cool when placed in boiling water. A teaspoon of butter will be placed in the container. An adequate solution to this design challenge must keep the temperature inside the container low enough to prevent the butter from melting.

Evaluation:

This lesson plan is very clearly formatted and easy to understand. It provides comprehensive information on the activities necessary for the design challenge and covers any background information needed for completion of the lesson. The challenge itself is engaging and has strong cross curricular links to Science Education.

Free Website Templates

Type: Multimedia

Link: http://www.freewebsitetemplates.com/

Year Level: 5-12


Summary:

This site offers free website templates of various themes and colours.

Evaluation:

These templates can be used by technology students or teachers to enhance the presentation of class websites. Due to the wide variety of themes and designs, specific templates can be chosen which correlate closely with assignments or design contexts.


Examples:

Fashion Template



Transport Template

'Make: Technology on your time' Website

Type: Website

Link: http://www.makezine.com/

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

This site offers an extensive range of technology design projects that range from creating a jack-0-lanturn from leggo to a squirrel-proof bird feeder. The website is an extension of the "MAKE: Technology on your time" magazine and provides forums, project ideas and instructions for many design challenges and technology lessons.

Evaluation:

The project ideas offered on this site can be tailored to suit a primary school environment quite easilly. These examples also provide inspiration for alternate challenges and ideas. The forum is also quite valuable as it allows access to information on difficulties others have experienced with the challenges and also user evaluations of these projects.

Technology Projects for the Classroom Book

Type: Text and Print Resources

Title: Technology Projects for the Classroom

Author/s: Allan Kaufman and Jim Flowers

Year Level: Middle School

Summary:

This book contains 20 engaging projects for middle school technology students. The projects range from basic to advanced each featuring background information for teachers.

Evaluation:

The degree of difficulty of each project is clearly noted making it easy to choose activities in relation to students abilities. The background information section of the book includes real-world parallels and applications of related technology; safety precautions; detailed construction procedure; and study questions. All materials are readily available and most are inexpensive making these projects perfect for the classroom.

Front Cover:

International Technology Association

Type: Companies/Organisations

Link: http://www.iteaconnect.org/

Year Level: 6-12

Summary:

The International Technology Education Association is an association that aims to advance the teaching of Technology and Science in primary and secondary school classrooms.

Evaluation:

The International Technology Association provides schools with conferences, networks and Grants/Awards in relation to Technology Education. Their website also contains teacher resources that can be used within the classroom.

Technology Education Permission Form Sample

Type: Text and Print Resources

Link:http://www.illawarrasouthcoast.sreg.education.nsw.gov.au/Documents/photoparentperm.pdf

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

This is a sample of a permission form for parents to sign in order to gain concent for publishing students photographs or work online.

Evaluation:

This permission form is simple but covers all aspects of legality in relation to publishing students' photographs and work on the internet (class websites). This concent form can be used across the curriculum and will help avoid privacy issues and parent-teacher conflict in relation to web publications.

LEAP Design Challenge Video

Type: Multimedia

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2CFutwaa_4

Year Level: 6-12

Summary:

This is a short video on a Design Challenge called 'LEAP'. The video offers opinions, recounts and ideas from students who have completed the challenge. This challenge is within the context of clothing design.

Evaluation:

This video could be used to help technology students explore other schools' and students' experiences throughout a clothing design challenge. The short clip gives examples of what students created and shows peers supporting each others achievements.

Education World

Type: Website

Link: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

This site has an entire section on Technology Integration which includes Sites to See, Teacher Templates, Tech LP of the Week, Tech Proof, Techtorials as the top 5 technology features.

Evaluation:

This site is great for technology resources of various kinds whether it be a link or a lesson plan. The teacher templates are useful and can be modified for use in a variety of lesson and the techtorials are comprehensive and realistic.

'Interactive Physics' Educational Simulation Program

Type: Multimedia (Software)

Link: http://www.design-simulation.com/IP/index.php

Year Level: 3-12

Summary:

This program allows students to create simulations of their designs and test them against a range of environmental and physical forces such as temperature, speed and weight.

Evaluation:

This program is targetted at students of all levels, giving the learner adequate tools to create simple or complex simulations. The user interface is easy to understand and allows the use of a variety of variables to test student designs.

There is also a 'related sites' page on design-simulation.com (the source of this software) dedicated to demonstrating how other educators incorporate Interactive Physics into their classrooms and a section for sharing and exchanging the models students create with other educators.

Screen Shots:

Teacher Lingo- Educational Community

Type: Website

URL: http://teacherlingo.com/blogs/default.aspx?GroupID=30

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

Teacher Lingo is a growing teacher community that connects teachers and educators from every level.

Evaluation:

Teacher Lingo Web Community allows Technology teachers to share ideas, ask questions, learn from each other, and vent their feelings and frustrations. The site contains a teacher blog, message board and lesson plans which make it easy for educators from across the world communicate and share their experiences and resources.

David Fittell

Type: Human Resource

Contact: Fax- (07) 3235 4379

Summary:

David Fittell is the Senior Education Officer for the Technology Curriculum Division of the Queensland Government Department of Education.

Evaluation:

David Fittell specialises in providing services that relate to the Technology Syllabus and also Technology Integration. He can provide quality information and offer expertise in relation to Technology Education.

Queensland Studies Authority

Type: Companies/Associations

Link: http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

The Queensland Studies Authority is responsible for providing a range of services in close relation with P to 12 syllabuses, assessment, reporting, testing, accreditation and certification services for Queensland schools.

Evaluation:

The Queensland Studies Authority supports and develops many of Queenslands most important education initiatives. By offering teachers, students and administration staff the resources and professional development needed to succeed within the Queensland Education system. The QSA site is the ultimate source for curriculum and syllabus content, educational services and support contacts.

Marilyn Fleer

Type: Human Resource

Summary:

Marilyn Fleer is the Director for the Centre for Research into Childhood Studies and Program Leader for Primary and Early Childhood Education at Monash University. Marilyn has a particular interest in Technology Education and has gained a PhD in Social study of Science and Technology.


Evaluation:

As Marilyn has worked within an educational context for 25 years, her experience and knowledge base is well developed and comprehensive. Contact details are available on the Monash University website; http://www.education.monash.edu.au/profiles/mfleer

Technology Clip Art

Type: Multimedia

Link: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/category/tech2.html

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

A collection of technology related clip art available online.

Evaluation:

These images can be used to add to technology resources such as slide shows, worksheets and posters. As these clip-art images are free, they are easilly accessible.

Examples:

Silverstone Design Challenge News Clip

Type: Multimedia

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfddtLVZWJI

Year Level: 5-12

Summary:

A short news clip reporting on a design challenge held in Silverstone. This video shows various students' design challenge solutions and the selection of a winning design.

Evaluation:

This video can be used to introduce both teachers and students to the concept of a design challenge. As well as this, the ideas highlighted throughout could be used for inpiration for a design challenge theme or context.

Interactive Whiteboards

Type: Multimedia

Link: http://www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au/?gclid=COLt95_llI8CFRI5agodJGXTfQ

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

An interactive whiteboard system combines three pieces of technology; a computer, a digital projector and the touch-sensitive whiteboard. Information from the computer is displayed via the projector onto the touch-sensitive whiteboard, allowing students and teachers to display and edit information in front of the whole class.

Evaluation:

The interactive nature of these whiteboards allow for the development of group and whole-class activities that are fun and engaging for students of all learning modalities. The information that is written on these whiteboards can also be saved for use in later lessons or for review. These are very handy teaching and learning tools that seem to have endless uses.

Internet for Classrooms Website

Type: Website

Link: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

This is a web portal created by teachers, for teachers, containing various, high-quality, internet resources for use in primary classrooms. The site offers assessment assistance, management ideas and also provides links to integrated technology lesson plans.

Evaluation:

As there is no subscription fee, the information on this site is very accessible. The range of resources available is extensive and as the links are ordered using icons which highlight what type of information or file will be found at a linked location, it is quick and easy to search for specific items.

Classroom Safety Website

Type: Website

Link:http://10ss.qtp.nsw.edu.au/supporting_scitech/bookshelf/t_strat/cmsafety.htm

Year Level: Prep-12

Summary:

This resources offers strategies for promoting safety in the classroom. It covers elements such as risk assessment, identifying hazards, eliminating and controlling hazards and ongoing montioring and reviewing of student safety.

Evaluation:

This site would be very useful during certain design challenges or technology lessons that involve proceedures which create considerable risk to students. The content, though most valuable for educators, also contains information that could be used by students to enhance understanding and awareness. The website itself is easy to navigate and has clearly labelled content, making it both practical and accessable.