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