Keep it simple... Hot tips for beginning Technology teachers

My classroom is always open for teachers and trainee teachers. I love to collaborate. I enjoy seeing how another teacher can bring a different twist, experience or perspective to a point I'm trying to make with students, especially if I'm not a expert on the matter. I can learn as much as the students do!

Teaching Technology subjects can come with great risk to staff and students alike. When I work with trainee 'prac' teachers, there are some simple, core tips I give them to practise that can build a solid foundation for any practical lesson and minimise much of this risk:

1. Practise what you preach. Know your content and know what your about to teach. You only need to be one lesson ahead! Always make a project before you make them with the students. You'll make the same mistakes first and can avoid the heartbreak of doing it in front of the class.
2. Calm entry, calm start. If you herd the students straight into your room with no order, chaos will prevail. Line them up outside the room, give your instructions and then guide them into the room. It sets the tone for the lesson.
3. Mark the roll early. It also helps settle the students and set the tone for the next step. It makes you look much more organised than if you mark the roll as they run out the door or not at all.
4. Clear, concise instruction. A calm start will allow you to get you message across easily. I often like to the list the tasks/order of the lesson on the black/white/SMART board and ask students to refer back to it when they ask 'What do I do now?'. 
5. It's OK to use music during practical work. Make sure you have solid rules in place. Mine include 'no repeat workday' and 'once a song starts, it MUST play through'. Students also know of they music stops, they need to stop and listen for instructions.
6. Give good demonstrations. You need to make sure every student can see what your up to, otherwise you'll be doing your demo's one-on-one for the rest of the lesson. Use your surrounds. I like to spread my students in a horseshoe, back against the workbenches so that no one is crowded and no one is behind me like this: 
   
7. Be consistent. Set your rules and expectations for behaviour, safety and procedure, be them negotiated or dictated. Follow through on them. Cut to the chase and speak with parents early to cut off misbehaviour.  
8. Finish on a high. Praise the good, productive work that has happened. Sum up the key points, the 'one thing' that they need to remember for next lesson. Give yourself plenty of time to pack away and clean up. 
9. Set up a routine. Train your students so they know that every lesson they line up, enter calmly, the roll is marked, a demonstration happens then work begins. Our students respond well to routine. 

I can tell when I haven't followed these myself, it can often lead to a crap lesson. Falling back on these basics always make life easier. No one likes to work harder than they should!

What are your 'back to basics' suggestions for those new to Technology teaching?

I get by with a little help from my friends...

There is little doubt that Technology education and it's project based learning provides some of the most relevant and engaging lessons for students. Nothing beats walking through a classroom and feeling the buzz of students making things, solving problems and recounting what they're up to using correct terminology.
 
There are so many great technologies out there which can value-add or even transform classroom projects like 3D printers, CNC mills and Laser cutters. Problem is, many teachers and many school don't have access to these or can't afford the capital to invest in them, despite the value of them to student learning and overseas educational trends.
 
Scalextric 4 Schools (http://www.scalextric.com/scalextric-4-schools/) is a great example of what you can do with this technology in the classroom. Combining CAD design with the technology to produce custom slot cars to race against other schools! Only thing is you need a CNC mill to make a car body mold from your CAD drawing, a vacuum former to make the body from the mold, a vinyl cutter to decorate it and a laser cutter to produce the chassis! A great design, prototype and evaluation process like many in the real world of industry.

Easy part of getting into this is buying the track... The cost of this wonderful technology makes a very valuable unit of work out of reach for most schools, so it gets put in the too hard basket.
 
This is where you can get by with a little help from your friends...
 
I managed to run this task this year with my Year 10 Industrial Technology Engineering class, without any of these whizz-bang bits of gear:

• I used twitter to source a 3D printing file from a UK Technology teacher that produced an alternative chassis for slot cars(friend #1, thanks Becky Jane @BJ_Ram28). For these we made cardboard net bodies that the students could give liveries before printing. A great chassis for testing, but too time consuming to print a class set.

• I made my own vacuum former based on some designs I had seen in Youtube clips like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbX3bqfzsk (friend #2... kinda)

• We hand made positive moulds for our car bodies to suit the S4S laser cut chassis. No CNC mills or routers here!

• I hit another school up for a favour and they laser cut a class set of acrylic S4S chassis for us (friend #3, Thanks Ruth and the crew @ Bossley Park HS).

 

 

OK, so our cars weren't as flash as the others you see online, but the Year 10s were engaged and we all had a great time. Pretty sure we learnt some things along the way too...!

 

    
Generally teachers (and especially Technology teachers) are a great bunch who are willing to help each other out. Don't put off or rule something out, ask around, get on social media or get in touch with your professional association and make it happen! 

Lucky we had a little help from my friends...

 

Matt @mattrix2000

The logo task is not dead, it's just been 3D printed...

 
Designing a logo has long been a favourite of the Technology teacher, be it for Technology (Mandatory), Design & Technology, Graphics, Technical Drawing (need I go on?) classes from 7 to 12. I know I have used it often as a part of the curriculum or as a fall back plan when I can't get into a practical room.
 
I also know that this has been around for a long time, as I had to develop several logos and redraw pictograms as a student of Technical Drawing myself. So ask yourself this question: Is the logo task dead?
 
I think not, if your evolving the task and not sticking with the classic 1980's formula where you redraw the Bankcard logo first!


http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphiclarge/bankcard_75995.jpg
 
Many of my students are not engaged with the satisfaction of creating a logo on paper that meets the identified need given to them as a task.
 

So here is how I now approach it.... 

1. As per normal, students are given a design brief. We investigate some graphic skills like the use of lines and colour, research existing ideas and analyse them, then generate a range of ideas to narrow down into a final logo.
2. Then the evolution begins: We review the logo in only two colours, modify if required and then create a sticker using our Roland GX-24E vinyl cutter.
3. And evolve some more: We review the logo and the sticker, import it into SketchUp and create a three dimensional version to be used as a key ring and 3D print it on our UP!Plus.

This has given us two tangible end products that gives the students a real application to evaluate function and aesthetics against.  With that I've noticed a greater depth of understanding and application of the final evaluation process. They also love seeing the link between their CAD drawing and their printed logo key ring in temperature colour changing ABS plastic. 

So what's next...?

I guess its all about what technology you have available to you to enhance this classic student task. A laser cutter could be used to make an engraved business card in acrylic, a CNC mill could be used to cut an alternative key ring from hardwood or ply or making t-shirts using flocking and vinyl in the Roland cutter. I'd love to hear what other Technology educators are doing to engage their students when generating logos!