Threadbanger.com
Resource Review
Description
Threadbanger, a New York City-based website, is aimed at young people interested in fashion, DIY and recycling. Content, mostly in the form of video clips, is updated several times a week and is also provided by site-users.
Curriculum / Qualifications links
The philosophy of the site fits with Values in The New Zealand Curriculum, especially 'Students will be encouraged to value: ecological sustainability, which includes care for the environment'. Technology teachers, particularly those teaching Soft Materials, might find the site useful in engaging students and teaching or reinforcing skills.
Content
Information is organised into different sections, although some content, such as tutorials, are included under a range of headings:
- Projects: Turning a t-shirt into a tote bag, designing iron-on transfers or a plastic-cup lamp shade, etc....
- I Spy DIY: Fashion news and events; interviews with fashion designers and industry professionals; short tutorials on using pinking shears, threading a needle, etc....
- Decor it yourself: How to make a fabric banner, birdhouse, paper light shade, etc....
- Secret Life of a Bio Nerd DIY: How to knit a scarf, reconstruct a T-shirt, put a zipper in a skirt, etc....
- Your Daily Thread: How to make natural toothpaste, lip balm, ginger beer, etc....
- Threadheads: Halloween costumes, how to knit, San Francisco fashion, etc....
- Blogs: These include tutorials such as turning a men's shirt into a summer dress, fashion, crafts, etc....
- Forum: Members discuss their projects, give tutorials, etc....
Ease of use
It isn't obvious at first glance as to what sort of material is on the site and how useful it might be to a Technology teacher, but it doesn't take long to browse and see what is there.
Rating
Wellington High School Technology teacher Kylie Merrick uses the site with her Year 10-12 students because, she says, it's a great medium for teaching skills to teenagers. "They can see what people are actually doing. It's a good series with lots of little clips – I can talk about 'that's good practice' or how we might modify something because we don't have the material or equipment. Sometimes when a method demonstrated on the site, such as how to machine-sketch, differs from what I do I'll have the students do samples of both and then discuss which is better; generally it's mine, but sometimes they'll choose the other one, and at least their decisions are informed ones. There are all sorts of techniques and sometimes students say 'Oh, I've heard about this' but they haven't seen it in practice."
Warning: as the site doesn't appear to monitor user-comments particularly well, teachers of younger students should be aware that inappropriate comments might occasionally be displayed.
Accessibility
The material is easily accessed and the video clips are reasonably short (some tutorials are only 30-seconds long), so individual students or a whole class could watch one or more as a starter activity or during their work.
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