Art & Technology
Systems Technology
This year has been a busy one in Systems Technology. Our Year 7 and 8 rotations went smoothly, and we saw some amazing Make a Difference projects and Circuits.
Our Year 9 and 10 students enjoyed their semesters in our workshops creating a range of engineered solutions. Our Year 9 Robotics class looked into the ethics and applications of robotics in the real world, and used the Lego Mindstorms to create their own robot for a specific industry and job. The Year 10 Integrated Systems classes created mechanical toys and autonomous cars using Arduinos. These cars include ultrasonic sensors or bump switches, with the potential to have LED lighting.
Working up to our senior school, our Year 11 and 12 students have deepened their knowledge around systems, mechanics, and electronics to create some engineered solutions of their own. Our Year 11 students worked hard to design systems for helping others – building mechanical systems to help rural and remote communities after a natural disaster in Unit 1, and Assistive Technologies in Unit 2. The Year 12 students have worked hard on their individual SAT projects, utilising a range of technologies and processes to create some incredible integrated and controlled systems – including an animatronic torso and an autonomous wheelie bin caddy! Their products have been amazing and looked amazing in our showcase! We have had a successful year in Systems Technology and are looking to do the same if not more next year!
Product Design & Technology:
This year has been a big one for Product Design & Technology subjects. We had our Year 7 & 8 students applying their problem-solving skills to complete a range of creative projects including timber signage, animal habitats, bunting, and soft toys.
Our Year 9 & 10 students have been busy designing and making awesome outcomes. In the Designed Solutions class, students made lap desks for their laptops using a range of processes including timber joins, laser engraving & varnishing. The Innovative Creations classes learned all about rapid prototyping and new and emerging technologies in the design world and got to create some amazing products using the laser cutter and vacuum former. In the Textiles classes, students created a range of garments and products including skirts, hoodies, dresses, and tote bags. They experimented with a range of processes including screen printing, applique, tie dying, embroidery. We are super proud of our VCE Product Design Textiles and Wood students who have worked extremely hard all year to problem solve real world challenges.
Year 11 worked independently and as part of a team on two projects:
Project 1 – Sustainably redeveloping a product to produce a lamp. Students used a range of upcycled, recycled, and ethically sourced materials to create their outcomes.
Project 2 – 'Designing Within a Team' challenged out Year 11 students to work collaboratively to create the following:
Year 12s have completed their final year and their outcomes are awesome. Each year 12 student works towards creatively solving a chosen problem or challenge. Students follow the product design process to solve their challenge using their creative and critical thinking skills, with our products this year ranging from a festival outfit to an electric guitar! They all looked amazing in our Art & Tech Showcase! We would like to thank Uniting for accepting our Soft Toy donations from Year 8 Textiles.
Claire Baillie
Leader of Art & Technology