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Design Drips Through Their Fingertips - 2009 - DT IB Lighting DesignThe IB Design Technology is a new course this year. In fact there are very few IB schools that offer IB DT. The diploma programme aims to develop internationally minded people with the enhanced knowledge and understanding of technology, the uses of materials, processes to make a better cleaner world. “ The creative tension between theory and practice is what characterizes design technology within the Diploma Programme experimental sciences.” (From DT IB diploma guide) It comprises of a lot of theory work along with focused practical tasks. Some of these are teacher led, some are totally up to the individual to control and write up. The first project was a risky decision to take because the students would have had little knowledge of materials and their properties. In IB DT, internal assessments are an integral part of the learning process. The students have to follow a design cycle, Planning, Research, Development, and Evaluation. Each section must be covered at least twice during the first year. Projects don’t have to contain every section of the design cycle, this is because it is the first year of the course and more emphasis can be placed on developing the student’s skills on a particular part of the project. The lighting project concentrated on the development of the lamp. It allowed the students to gain skills in CAD, virtual modeling, prototyping, 3D design drawings, creative concept ideas and then expressing these in a portfolio. They did a little research first of all to gain a client and to try and problem solve what they wanted, be it a mood lamp or a lamp for a specific task, reading or drawing and then write up a design brief from their interview and formalize a product design specification. Lighting and design are synonymous, and one would not exist without the other. Beyond the functional needs of the human race for light to perform many tasks to work and live within the modern world. Lighting can change mood, has affected the arts throughout the 20th century and along with space is the main building blocks of architecture.
So What do the current IB students think of their lighting designs and what do they think about Design Technology so far? Martin - "When I first chose Design Technology, I it appeared to be an subject that applies different science, but I was wrong. It is a science of its own. It follows the scientific method, and its own theory, or facts are discovered. Being newer to the field of science, compared to Chemistry, Biology, or Chemistry, it has been ridiculed as a lesser science, but after a semester of being a student I can confidently say that DT has the right just like any other science to be an IB Science." Amanda - "The DT course is an exciting class where we get to learn with hands on activities as well as practical work. The lighting project was an interesting project where I learned how to design, create and wire a lamp. I was able to design an interesting and practical lamp out of wood and plastic that I will use in my house. I was also able to put an image that i created in my art class onto the plastic." Matthew - "DT is a real science, and is challenging. I love it." Jaya - "Design Technology is a subject area that I have always been good at (only the practical parts) but the content load of this course is greater and harder than I thought it would be! It is a challenge but one that I love doing, the teachers make it all the better; Mr. Belcher is the fun teacher while Mr. Perkins is the man with all the information. Having two different types of teachers makes DT IB interesting! I am glad I chosen this course." James - "DT is a fun, challenging, and interesting science which provides an interesting look at what goes into the making of all the products we use today. " Andrew - "The lighting Design was probably one of the hardest and most challenging assignments I’ve had. Yet, I enjoyed every bit of it except for the writing!" Yann - "Design Technology has been a great subject for me, it’s a good course to understand the crucial information in science’ ‘The lighting assignment taught me some interesting facts, like the difficulty of simplicity in design, that can be applied to any area of the IB curriculum" Daniel Castellanos - "From my very first impression, there was always something about the concept of DT that grasped my attention and enthusiasm. Before exposed to the course, I felt lost as to what and how exactly I wanted to peruse in study for achieving my envisioned style of kind of work. However, through the experience DT has offered, I can now clearly see the path I wish to take in life… the path of design. Design has revealed a unique strength in me not only to myself but also to others around me as well. This has inspired great confidence in me, which I believe will now get me much further in life. " By William Belcher and the IB Diploma Design and Technology Students
Flash Animation for Action - 2008 - MYP Technology
The Technology students at ACS Egham have been at it again, combining the use of technology with a creative outlook to solving problems. The Grade 10 students were set two guided questions looking at their viewpoints as to how the use of 2D animation can affect the world they live in:- 1. Does multimedia animation educate an audience in a more focused and better way than text/still images or in fact any other media? They were then set the brief to choose a local charity, cause or NGO whether large or small that needs to publicise itself on the web, so that it can spread its message as far as possible. This charity would then be their real client and would want to improve how it spread its' message through the use of a 2D animation; whether that was a banner advertisement, a small animated film or even a simple logo. The students then had to design and produce the Adobe Flash based animation to publicise their choice of local based charity, organisation or individual of their choosing and then obviously deliver it to their clients once they had finished. Students discussed and investigated how often nowadays animation is not only used to spread a message but by click through advertising these sites can make money for their causes through donations. From Greenpeace to Oxfam on a global scale, to project scale with the likes of the recent Inconvenient Truth video and website (check the animation on the front page), the Free Rice website or even ‘Pangea’ Day all the way down to the local scale the use of animation and multimedia helps change and activate communities for the good. See the following animations to view the interesting and varied outcomes to their design brief. A great deal of students re-evaluated their ideas from the initial guided questions, fully appreciating the power of animation in these days of fast communication over the more traditional text based communication methods.
By Alan Perkins and Grade 10 Students
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