Outcomes
Liam's laptop stand in use
Some high quality products were created during this unit – such as Andrew's skateboard rail, Liam's laptop stand, Tim's wind generator and Daniel's possum plucker. Tim and Daniel were rewarded with New Zealand Scholarships for their work, a pleasing result for the Graphics and Technology department.
Sometimes students had difficulty manufacturing something completely themselves and, because of time considerations, ended up buying a component or getting something made. Steve says he doesn't have a problem with that; it's just the way technology is. There were a few students struggling with the skill level required but also many who were very, very good.
Steve Ronowicz: "It can be hard producing material for evidence in a Materials Technology workshop, so giving the class the opportunity to work within the ICT area to produce that evidence worked very well in terms of quality and the time saved. Once in the workshop this continued, with students having direct access to digital cameras and a printer, to help document this important aspect of their practice."
Steve felt that they had probably undervalued the effectiveness of case studies and would do a better job of that next time. Having three members of staff who can tell their own product development stories is an advantage, particularly as the teachers know what they want the students to get out of it – that it's not so much about the actual product but the development process involved.
Starting out in the ICT suite was a huge success; folio presentation was raised significantly. Communication with clients and stakeholders was made more convenient through email. Digital technologies such as cameras, voice recordings and CAD drawing programs allowed students to efficiently gather evidence of their practice. Planning was in place to definitely do this again in 2007.
Tim's wind generator in use
However, the focus changed a little when the students moved into the workshop and documentation of planning became a problem. Steve knew they were planning, but they weren't necessarily documenting this to the required level. To remedy this time was allowed at the end of the year for students to make sure that this documentation was in their folders.
Steve found that working in a fully operational computer suite has been significant in his own professional development. At the end of the year all the course information for the following year was put onto the school's intranet, along with resources and templates, which students can access through the computer room or from home.
