What a fantastic start to the year. Open Night was a great success and show cased our amazing resources and work our students are producing. We had students decorating cupcakes showcasing their skills and the choc-chip cookies were a smash hit. Visitors were able to see the rooms and the laser cutter was kept busy making small wooden rulers for our visitors.
We are so proud of our VCE Students undertaking studies In Product Design (Wood/Metal/Textiles), Food Studies and Systems Engineering.
The Year 12 Systems students Learning about electricity, what it is and how to harness it into circuit boards. They are continuing to create an ethical solution to a problem by designing and creating a device/product. Recently they learnt about engineering career opportunities, design ideas and techniques at the Avalon Airshow.
Our Year 11 Systems students have been working to develop their skills in electrical engineering and applying Maths skills to learn about a range of mechanical systems. Our Year 11 students have designed a simple mechanical display project and are starting to prototype and develop their systems to test and refine the coming weeks. Year 10 Systems students have used CAD to design and laser cut a dragster that they are gearing and wiring for racing. We can’t wait to see the Bluetooth speakers they will be designing next.
Product Design students have had a choice of materials to work with including wood, metal and textiles. They have been working hard to develop a range of complex skills and the use of tools and equipment. Students have had a focus on applying design thinking to different situations. They have used different forms of research such as surveys, materials exploration, and design investigations, with a goal to develop a product that closely aligns to their design brief.
VCE Food Studies students have been learning about the influences of a variety of factors that impact on healthy eating and the ability to prepare a healthy meal. For their most recent SAC, they prepared a stir fry with limited equipment and limited space, to replicate the difficulties of living in a small apartment with a tiny kitchenette. The reflected on the difficulties that they encountered during the practical component.
Year 11 Food Studies students have been investigating the different flavours that Indigenous Australian ingredients provide and how they can be incorporated in traditional English recipes and more contemporary dishes such as British Bakewell Tart with Lemon Myrtle.
They have also been learning about the factors that impact peoples’ connectedness to food, such as family and the community. People’s choices of food can have an influence on their mental health and can invoke feelings of happiness and nostalgia.
Our Year 9 and 10 Foods students have been working to develop their technical skills and applying the design process to solve food related problems. They have investigated ethics and sustainability in the food industry and the impact of indigenous foods on modern cuisine.
Year 9 Product Design and Year10 Wood and Metal students have mastered the safe use of range of equipment to manipulate material to produce a range of products. Year 9 Wood/Metal students have followed a mini design process in the creation of their toolboxes. Students were able to use a combination of timber types and advanced techniques in their toolboxes such as the use of the biscuit joiner. Students have had the opportunity to laser print designs onto their toolboxes to personalise them.
Product Design Textiles has also run this semester in Year 9 and 10. They have experimented with fabric design and learnt how to use sewing machine and hand sew by making quilted pin cushions. Year 10’s were challenged to upcycle old clothing into a new product requiring them to deconstruct and reconstruct producing some creative results.
Year 10 Product Design Jewellery: Students have engaged in different jewellery making techniques such as polymer clay, resin, laser printing and metal casting. They have explored the history of some jewellery making techniques and materials all in preparation for making their own piece of jewellery and jewellery storage.
In Junior school we welcome our year 7 students to our College and faculty. This semester they have learnt how to cook in a safe and hygienic manner (including washing their own dishes!!) and making a range of yummy products like scones, Chicken fillet burgers and apple crumble.
Year 7 Product Design students have learnt basic woodworking techniques during the creation of their tick-tack-toe game and are now developing their understanding of different tools in the woodwork room. Students have the opportunity to create detailed designs of the different tools and explain their purpose as well as their use.
Year 8 Textiles students have learnt basic machine sewing during the creation of their pin cushion and developed an understanding of different textile designers. Students have currently been exploring different material manipulation techniques in preparation to create a stylised tote bag. Year 8 Digital Technologies students have just wrapped up their studies on the various levels of how a computer operates. They are now moving into learning about Microsoft Excel, developing basic skills on how to use it.
Agapi Metaxas
TECHNOLOGY KEY LEARNING HEAD
