Final Blog Reflection - Part A of Task 1

Looking back through the past 6 weeks of Design and Digital Technology I have learnt so many different topics that I have never experienced with before this course. Having the opportunity to participate in the creation of my very own design project, using the technology design information from various websites including the Australian Curriculum Design and Technology (ACARA) I have gained an in depth understanding of the processes involved. The steps within the design cycle involve investigating, planning, creating and evaluating which directs students into high order thinking of each of the different phases. Learning and progressing through the course I have completed various weekly tasks including how to effectively use Wikispaces, blogs, as well as learning the information provided in the readings and activities.

As a teacher, it is a fundamental task to conduct effective classroom strategies to help engage students in learning, develop critical thinking skills, keep students on task, maintain classroom interaction, and enable and enhance the learning of course content. Therefore a key way to involve students in their learning is to ensure the material speaks to them. By choosing culturally relevant materials, the students are automatically interested in the content, although students who do not find representations of their own interests in the content are likely to lose interest in the activity. It is essential to find out what your students are passionate about and then use those interests as natural motivators to increase engagement. I have displayed this into my Design Project which is explained in my blog titled 'My Design Project' I have incorporated students personal interests outside of school into their design. My entire Design project revolves around sustainability and building awareness of recycling to give an insight to young students positive ways to benefit the future.

After re-assessing my Design Project I have added two alternative designs where students could also repeat the process with different materials such as a milo/coffee can and a Pringles container made out of cardboard. Students could take this design project the next step further by  making more storage containers for others such as their parents, siblings friends outside of school and the general public. Students may even like to make them for selling such as at the local markets or school stalls to help raise money for the school or for specific circumstances in their local community. By involving the teachers and children in recycling schemes and other activities to improve the environment can be an enjoyable experience in a classroom setting. Refer to my wiki titled 'Re-assessing my design product'

Throughout the investigation phase, I engaged in exploring and examining existing artefacts which provided a comprehensible layout of the design cycle to develop and adapt in the creation of my own design challenge. Refer to my blog titled 'Week 3 - The design cycle'. This reinforced the concept of using creative thinking skills where I have also included a Decision Making Matrix where I was able to evaluate my design alternative within the criteria drawn from my early specifications. Teaching students to use a decision- making matrix allows the designs to be analysed and evaluated aligned with specifications is valuable in the development of complex thinking processes.

Throughout my Design Project I had challenges which had many aspects to consider such as the risk assessment, design specification and needs analysis were just some of the factors I have included both in my blog and wiki. When considering the risks of this project I considered the tools that will be used, making sure they are safe and effective for children's safety. Prior to conducting the activity the teacher would need to have a classroom discussion about the certain types of materials the children can bring in. It must be considered that the materials the student is bringing in must be fully sanitised and all contents safely removed before experimenting with the object.  The teacher must demonstrate how to correctly cut and glue the pieces together if the student has chosen that particular item. If the student has chosen an object such as a metal Milo tin or cardboard Pringle container, the teacher will provides paint, colours or any other art materials used to decorate their recycled product to make appealing to the student. As for a lesson prior to making the design project the teacher could proceed with content based learning focusing on safety issues when using scissors, glue, paint etc. The teacher could also have previous lessons on the topics of recycling and the environment. (Refer to my wiki for the design specification and the needs analysis which elaborate on these topics).
To gain a better understanding of how my products impact the environment, I researched my product as well as the scientific method of measuring environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life, from the raw materials that go into formulas to manufacturing, distribution, consumer use, and how products are disposed of after use. Refer to the blog post titled 'Week 4 - Life cycle of my product'.

By exhibiting the students’ artwork for the whole school or local community to see is a great way for students to share and display their creativity. It also raises awareness about the importance of reusing and recycling, especially if you simultaneously display recycling-themed posters or other educational materials that the students have produced themselves. For example, in the Recycle Right To Save Resources lesson plan students produce a poster aimed at encouraging others to recycle. (Planet Ark, 2012) In the Recycle Right To Avoid Contamination lesson plan, students produce an educational resource (e.g. a poster, video or other media) as part of an educational campaign that they have devised to reduce recycling contamination. Recycled art competitions are growing in popularity and the teacher may wish to consider entering the students’ artwork in such competitions. Holding a recycled art exhibition or competition in your local community could be a great opportunity to find a local sponsor and attract local media attention for your school.

During this entire Design Project I had to constantly critique, analyse and reflect on my own teaching practices and pedagogy as well as how would I want to implement this in my own classroom. In regards to the feedback element of my design solution challenge I managed to provide valuable feedback to my peers and found myself thinking in terms of the sustainability factor of recycling. After completing a personal reflection and evaluation on my own design project, I also was given insightful peer feedback from another person in my group which lead to re-assessing my design project. (Refer to the Wikispace titled Re-assessing my design product). Peer feedback is important for the student's level of involvement in the classroom therefore I will be definitely implement it into my classroom when I become a teacher. Through engaging in this process, students gain a better understanding of what the criteria is for and this enhances their ability to select ‘good evidence’ (Biggs and Tang, 2007, p.187). The process thereby helps students to develop skills that facilitate their own learning (Dochy et al, 1999; Liu and Carless, 2006). For a more comprehensive peer feedback reflection please see my blog post named ‘Week 5 - Peer Feedback Reflection.’

In summary, as I continue my degree in the following years to come, resulting in the privilege of having my own classroom, it is absolutely fundamental that I provide these skills and concepts to the students I teach. With all the knowledge that I have gained through this practical exploration of the technology design cycle has provided for me a clear understanding of the importance of planning, feedback and pedagogy of the technology curriculum area for teaching students in the 21st century.

References-

Planet Ark (2012)
Retrieved from - http://recyclingweek.planetark.org/documents/doc-704-srrc-recycled-arts-and-crafts-guide-2012.pdf

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Retrieved  from the Australian Curriculum website - .http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/design-and-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level3-4

Dochy, F., Segers, M. and Sluijsmans, D. (1999). The use of self-, peer and co-assessment in higher education: a review. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 24(3), pp.331-351.
Retrieved from - http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/resources_teach/teaching_in_practice/docs/Student_Peer_Review.pdf

Week 5 - Peer Feedback Reflection

Peer assessment and feedback is essential in the design cycle. Despite the positive reports on the impact of peer grading on students’ learning, many researchers have argued that evaluative feedback is more important than assigning grades (Ellman 1975; Liu and Carless 2006) and that peer feedback is more effective than grading in peer assessment. It is evident that researchers have discovered that peer feedback enhances learning by enabling learners to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and by receiving concrete ideas on how to improve their work (Crooks 1988; Rowntree 1987; Xiao and Lucking 2008). This study examined whether the involvement of students in online peer assessment predicted their performance on LS projects. The online peer assessment was found to significantly affect the quality of students’ project learning outcomes, because it provided opportunities to evaluate the work of others.

This study expands our understanding of the relationship between peer assessment and learning performance. It proposes a possible explanation for the benefits of online peer assessment on student learning performance. Thoughtful feedback on specific problems and suggestions are strong predictors of how assessors perform on their final project. Positive affective feedback predicts a higher performance from students which then reflects in their assessment. It is crucial for teachers to be sensitive to the fact that peer assessment works differently for assessors and assessees. Teachers should ask students to be specific in their feedback, particularly with regard to the problems in the students work, and to provide suggestions. Students should be encouraged to give thoughtful and meaningful comments rather than simply assign grades to peers. Students should be encouraged to exchange affective comments that give socio-emotional support to peers and recognize peers’ achievement. The results to this reading suggest that positive affective comments are not just about making other people feel good. They can help boost the motivation, interest, and self-efficacy of the students, which in turn can enhance their performance therefore enhancing the effects of feedback on the students assessment.

References - Lu and Law (2012), Online peer assessment: Effects of cognitive and affective feedback. Instructional Science 40(2), 257-275

Peer assessment and feedback is a very important component to use in a classroom environment. Since this design project assessment piece contributed with evaluating your peers design project, this allowed peer assessment by sharing my ideas and receiving feedback from my partner Stephanie Pole through our group wiki space. After sharing my idea of my design project and allowing her to read it in detail, it enabled me to think of new ideas and see what needs to be improved in order to create the most effective design project that would be able to be accomplished in a primary classroom within the 21st century.  Therefore, Stephanie’s feedback allowed me to reassess my original design project and see where I could make it better. This allowed me to think of my own pedagogy that I would do in my own classroom. I enjoy contributing Arts and Crafts with students as I feel like by using kinaesthetic learning in a classroom allows students to engage and recognise the importance of the activity. My design project also portrays details to the subject of Health and Physical Education as the whole topic is revolved around recycling. As a pre-service teacher, I would like to complete this activity with my students in the future as I think it is an effective way to build awareness of the importance of re-using and recycling to make the future a better place for the students. The Wikispace, has been an useful tool as you are able to upload files and discuss components of your design project with your fellow group members such as the risk assessment, design specification, Australian curriculum and the needs analysis. I felt as though the feedback that my partner Stephanie gave to me assisted me in making the final decisions around my design project. One thing I disliked about the Wikispace was at first it was rather confusing to use as when you post a file, it does not go in order of the date you posted it. Although, I would recommend using the Wikispace website as it is an effective way to collaborate with a group allowing everyone to share their suggestions and opinions. In summary, peer feedback is an essential component to any design project as your peers can help and encourage new ideas that you may not have considered.

 

The outline of my Design Project

(Shampoo bottle) Recycled Plastic Storage container.

First being a used shampoo bottle which I modified to make into a pencil storage container in the shape of a monster. Being already coloured green saves the painting process.

The products you will need to make this recycled pencil storage container.
-Scissors
- White and black paper
- PVA glue
- Sticky tape
- Black permanent marker

First of all you will need to sanitise the bottle making sure all of the shampoo is removed for health and safety issues. Secondly you will peel off the sticker on the shampoo bottle leaving revealed a blank green bottle. Next take the black permanent marker and mark out where you want to cut along to the height you want your pencil container. Next take the scissors and cut along the line making a curved top. With the spare parts of the shampoo bottle you have cut out, you can then cut the arms out. Now you can place the arms with the PVA glue/sticky tape on the back of the shampoo bottle. Take the black and white paper and cut out a mouth, teeth and eyes in the size of how you want your monster to be. Leave to dry for a night and now your monster desk storage container is ready for storing your pencils.

 

 

                                                                                                                                           
 

(Pringles) Recycled storage container.

Now to use the same method for making a storage container out of a Pringles jar.
The products you will need to make this recycled pencil storage container.
-Scissors
- patterned coloured paper
- PVA glue
- Paint

 First take your Pringles container and remove any leftover chips or remaining chips into a spare container, sanitize the container and leave to dry.

Leftover chips



Next, paint a layer of white paint all over your Pringles container and sit to dry. Select your paint colour you wish to choose and now paint the container.

Now time to illustrate your container to your personal likings. Paint or use craft materials to design your favourite animal, food, picture of anything you desire.
Use the PVA glue to attach your craft materials on to your container and sit to dry.

Now that the design of a Storage container is finished you can now put it to use, using your stationary items at school or home.

Finished product

                                                                                                                                     

 This process can also be repeated with different materials such as a milo/coffee can, jam/peanut butter jar, biscuit container, etc.

Week 4 - Life cycle of my product

To gain a better understanding of how my products impact the environment, by researching the scientific method of measuring environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life, from the raw materials that go into formulas to manufacturing, distribution, consumer use, and how products are disposed of after use.

My design product is made out of a shampoo bottle (plastic). To alter my design project I have analysed two other useful materials which can still be used in the same form and purpose which are a Milo/coffee tin (metal) and a chip particularly Pringle container (cardboard).
These certain materials go through a life cycle where they first start off with chemicals and materials needed to construct the elements which then moves on to the manufacturing process where the product is tested and assembled. Secondly the product moves on the packaging process and sent off to stores and companies around the world. After these products become used, people throw them away to recycle. This is an effective way of the life cycle including the materials of plastic, metal and cardboard. Although the components in the products differ, they all end up in the same place, the recycle bin. My design project portrays a successful use encouraging students to recycle these products before they become garbage. 

In addition this is an important factor for educating students for the future to enhance our efforts in recycling future formulation, manufacturing and distribution. Focusing only on formulations and packaging would leave a huge opportunity to further reduce our environmental impact unaddressed.

Chapter 16: Web 2.0 and classrooms

This chapter showcases a wide range of ways in which student teachers implement new technologies during school experiences. This reading also demonstrates ways in which teachers can use Web 2.0 technologies as part of their ongoing professional development. The term Web 2.0 describes second generation web-based services intended to facilitate collaboration and sharing throughout a classroom. Web 2.0 provides opportunities for students to be creative, to have a degree of control over their own learning and to improve their personal IT capability. Many schools filter Web 2.0 sites in order to protect students and to keep them in a school safe environment, without evaluating the potential value that these sites may have. A framework for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) identifies the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching. In order for teachers to effectively integrate technology into your pedagogy you need to understand the unique relationship between the components of Content Knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge and Technological Knowledge (Shulman, 1987). As a teacher, this framework would offer you entry into the thinking processes of all children.

Reference - Shulman, L.S. (1987) 'Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform'. Harvard Educational Review , 57: 1-22.
Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School (2015) Second Edition. Edited by Sarah Younie, Marilyn Leask and Kevin Burden.

Week 3 - The Design Cycle

The Design Cycle

 

The Design Cycle starts with an investigation of an issue or topic. The next step is to plan and design what you think will give you the product or outcome that you are looking for.  The next step is to create the product (or to put the plan that you have come up with into action). Finally, evaluate your process, determine whether or not it was a success and finally reflect on how or what you could have done differently to obtain a different outcome. 

 

 

 

 Photo credit - http://wmsmedia8.greenwich.wikispaces.net/The+Design+Cycle

 

Identifying the Problem -  As a teacher I would discuss how the problem relates to the area of building awareness of recycling, the short-term and long-term effects, who or what is affected by the problem, and how others are trying to solve this problem.
Design Brief – Before giving the design brief to students, have them brainstorm possible solutions for the problem. Therefore I would have the class discuss the pros and cons of each solution revolved around the topic of recycling.
Research – I would collect information from multiple sources allowing more evidence on my topic and involving students with the use of technology in a classroom.

Create – The students will follow the plan closely and modify the design or plan where necessary. A product of appropriate quality is produced through the competent use of a variety of tools.
Design Specification – I would provide a document containing details of the product's required characteristics, and all the processes, materials and other information needed to design the product. The design specification could include the following: Purpose, Aesthetics, Functional Characteristics, Form/Shape/Style, Safety, Scale of Production, User Requirements or Target Market, Budget Constraints and Materials, Time and Resources, Quality of Design, Product’s Performance, Product’s Price and Value for Money. The design specification should not limit the student’s ability to design possible solutions, but allow for versatility.
Designs Evaluation- As a teacher I would assess each possible solution against the design specification, where students should find a winning product that complies with the list of rules set in the design specification.

Modifications to Final Design – Sometimes not all criteria in the design specification are successfully met. By re-assessing the design, I would need to modify the design to ensure that every part of the design specification is provided.

References - Paek. L (2012) Retrieved from - http://henry.mpls.k12.mn.us/design_cycle

 

 

Concept map on my Design Project

 

 

 

Decision making Matrix

A decision matrix helps leaders evaluate and prioritize all of their options. This will help students make a decision by helping them take the subjectivity out of the decision that needs to be made by carefully weighing all of the factors and criteria that are used to make a final decision. Below is my Decision making matrix I have constructed for my design project where I have evaluated each design alternative within the criteria drawn from my early specifications.

 

 

After constructing a decision-making matrix, I have learnt that it would be very reliable and productive to use in a classroom when teaching a topic similar to this activity. I have never realised how important every detail of a project is and how one little component or error could impact on various issues throughout the lesson. As a teacher it is crucial to research and have a planned lesson before presenting it to the student's. Regardless of the format, all teachers need to make wise decisions about the strategies and methods they will employ to help students move systematically towards their goals. The more organized a teacher is, the more effective the teaching, and therefore the learning is. In this activity, it would be essential to reflect on the lessons daily to make sure everything is going to plan and if there are any adjustment that could be made to improve the lesson.

References - Rhalmi Mohammed, May 6, 2009 Retrieved from - http://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/why-do-teachers-need-lesson-plans/#.VTdFRdEcTIU

 

 

My Design Project

For my design project I am creating classroom desk storage made out of recycled everyday household items which would be a creative activity and a practical item for the lower Primary school students to use on a daily basis. Students can incorporate their personal interests outside of school into their design. By incorporating what students are passionate about into their design project will act as a natural motivator to engage the students in the activity. Students can make, for example their favourite animal, character, or anything from their imagination. In my example I have made a monster which was simply made out of a green shampoo bottle. The storage containers can be used on the students desks to hold their pencils/rubber/ruler, used at home for their own personal storage or even used as classroom storage which would be named and placed to the side of the room such as an paintbrush holder for each student in the arts and craft section. Students can bring in any recycled bottle, bag or container from home that their parents and themselves might use on a daily basis such as a milo, coffee, or Pringles container. If I were to teach this unit in a classroom I would incorporate it into Health and Physical education unit and Design an Arts as I can focus on the importance of recycling and how using creativity skills can effectively change an item and recycle for better use. I would lean towards the Year 3-4 age groups for this activity as it requires your imagination and arts and crafts hands on practical work.

Concept mapping is a powerful learning tool in the facilitation of meaningful learning because it serves as a template to aid in the organization and structuring of knowledge even though this knowledge is built up piece by piece. The benefits of using concept maps in a classroom environment is that it visually illustrates the relationships between concepts and ideas.
 They benefit a students learning by: 

•  Helping students brainstorm and generate new ideas
•  Encouraging students to discover new concepts 
•  Allowing students to more clearly communicate ideas, thoughts and information
•  Helping students integrate new concepts with older concepts
•  Enabling students to gain enhanced knowledge of any topic and evaluate the information.

My design meets the following needs of the Year 3 and 4 Design and Technology scope of the curriculum.

Learning in Design and Technologies builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit, strengthen and extend these as needed. Students will have the opportunity to create designed products, services and environments incorporating the technologies contexts of engineering principles and systems, food and fibre production and food specialisations and materials and technologies specialisations. In Year 3 and 4 students develop a sense of self and ownership of their ideas and thinking about their peers and communities and as consumers. They become aware of the role of those working in design and technologies occupations and how they think about the way a product might change in the future.
 
References:
Australian Curriculum,. (2015). Design and Technologies Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows - The Australian Curriculum v7.4. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/design-and-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level3-4


Identifying a Problem

A problem that I think may occur during the making of my design will be if students have difficulty cutting the plastic as it can be hard and sometimes difficult to cut straight as it is on a curve (shampoo bottle). If this were to occur, a student may need help from the teacher to cut their bottles.