Technology News

Design Technology

Collaboration with Primary School

We recently had 5 students from Carrum Primary school come to Patterson River Secondary College to work on the design and production of a race track for cars  They were joined by a small group of Year 7 students who worked with the Grade 5 & 6 students. The students focused on measuring accurately, drilling holes with cordless drills and collaborated to make decisions about the size of the wheels for the cars that were then laser cut out of plastic. Testing was conducted to decide on the best design for the track, and was measured against evaluation criteria that the students wrote.

Competitions will be held using the track to race cars to find the fastest and slowest car designs. It will be shared with other primary schools in the area to encourage creative design and provide STEM learning opportunities. The project also provided a great opportunity for collaboration between primary and secondary school students.

Ms Melissa Royale

Technology Domain Leader

Year 8 Phone Dock

The project is an introduction to computer aided design which allows them to develop their concept in 2 dimensions and opens the opportunity to produce their design solution using the laser cutter. It is their first step in clean design technology, which is very accurate and results in a very high quality finished product.

Year 9 Mosaic Mirror

The students are working on their individual design concepts, developing a wide range of design ideas and getting the hands on experience of working with a variety of different types of glass. The students learn to cut and shape the glass, as well as the skills required to safely hand the glass during the manufacturing process.

Mr Peter Bradley 

Technology Teacher

Girls in Engineering

Student Reflections

On Wednesday the September 21, a group of girls and I went into the city, to RMIT to participate in 'girls in engineering'. Our trip started with a fire alarm, we had to evacuate the building. We then had a brief introduction to the engineering courses available at the University, and how to get into them along with some statistics. Then we took a lunch break, which consisted of sandwiches and soft drinks. Then we broke up into two groups, one was focused on engineering the other on IT and networking. I was in the IT and Networking, and we learnt how to more secure our internet and Router.

Maddie Dunn - Year 10

On Wednesday, the 21st of August, when we attended RMIT University, it showed different pathways you could take in that area. It held a lot of information and was very helpful. It we very enjoyable and I liked seeing all the different opportunities it held. It really opened up my eyes about I.T. I enjoyed setting up the Wifi and learning about internet safety and how to protect yourself online. Overall, I really enjoyed the day. 

Hayley Bottom - Year 10

Mr Dan Bradshaw

Maths and Technology Teacher