Sec 2NT project: Mobile phone holder with sound amplifier

Showcasing some of the artefacts done by 2T1 class of 2013. The idea for this project came about from a website that I came across recently. The link is:

http://iphonenosound.com/boost-iphone-sound/

Sec 1NT project 2013: Pencil holder with nightlight

Showcasing some of the artefacts done by 1T1 class of 2013.

Planning and Monitoring

Prezi slides that depict the do's and dont's of planning and monitoring in D&T coursework.

http://prezi.com/sfjxf326ynys/planning-monitoring/

Using shape-borrowing technique in Ideation

The following sketches show how one can be inspired by nature to come up with simple products. By using  a shape of animal such as a crab, a simple product such as a food and drinks tray can be developed.

Lower Secondary Normal technical projects showcased

Below are some of the mini-projects done by the Lower Secondary Normal Technical students this year.

Project Nightlight: Based on the theme 'Nightlight', students design and make a portable nightlight that uses 2 LEDs and a push-button switch.

Project Memoholder: Students design and make a simple memoholder using a spring and a clip to attach a small piece of paper to the product.

Design and make a foam toy car

Showcasing some of the toy cars done by the 2NT students. Materials used were plastic foam for the car body and wood for the wheels. A mini competition is held as to which toy car can go the furthest using an elastic band to propel the car forward on a race track.

Biomimetics & Biomimicry

Biomimetics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biomimetics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems as models for the design and engineering of materials and machines. It is widely regarded as being synonymous with biomimicry, biomimesis, biognosis and similar to biologically inspired design.

More from wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics

Biomimicry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biomimicry or biomimetics is the examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration from in order to solve human problems. The termbiomimicry and biomimetics come from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate. Other terms often used are bionics, bio-inspiration, and biognosis.

More from wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry

My personal thoughts and reflections:

After watching the NatureTech videos, I feel that as teachers and students who are in the field

of Design and Technology, we need to be more observant on nature and really appreciate the beauty of how different animals, plants, humans and other organisms move, eat, live, reproduce, survive, interact with one another in this big ecosystem we call Earth. Nature has been around way before mankind and I believe that every organism has its benefits for mankind to ponder and researched upon to continuously unravel the mysteries of life and improve the way of life for humans, be it in the field of medicine, architecture, transport, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, product design, industrial design, materials engineering, fashion, the list is endless. I believe this is the future of design and technology, as our planet Earth is dying, due to Global warming and pollution, it is time for mankind to relook, learn, unlearn and relearn about nature and work together to produce sustainable designs that will slow down our ageing home called Earth.

To be continued.