Workshop Technology at Hamilton's

Fairfield Intermediate School

Technology Exposure

• Yr 8 students - 18 lessons in the workshop

• $8000 annual budget > $14/per student

• 2009 - students built and modified kitset mechanical toys

• 2010 - students build and personalise a small wooden cabinet

• Weekly extension time for Technology teacher’s discretion

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• Equipment pack: software, equipment, tools

• Year long weekly extension class: 15 students

• Outline: cardboard circuit board, basic components, theory (voltage, current resistance), breadboarding, programming, inputs & outputs, interfacing

• Design & develop own µC based project

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What have you learnt?

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Highlights

Image courtesy of Andrew Hornblow

• Inventor Centre website• YENKA, PEBBLE• UK: buggies/t4 boards £30, 08M £1

NZ: buggies $150, 08M $6• Andrew’s breadboards, patchPCBs,

download cables, PICangels• Sets of buggies, t4 boards,

Rudolphs, power supplies• Printed manuals • Servos, 1w LEDs, BC337• System cards• Model 08M

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Challenges

• Restricting students to manageable projects

• Relatively tight timeframe

• Costs

• Student’s forgetting timetable

• Home-made cheap vs bought-in quick reliable

• Managing students/projects/problems (duplicate book)

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Tips

• Orders under NZ$400 from UK avoid GST• Orders under £50 cost only £12 shipping• Have a go, learn with them, show them where to find

help. Just be a really good signpost.• Make students responsible for their learning. If they

forget classes, don’t chase them.• Kids can program in BASIC!• Carefully presented theory really helps them

understand and think for themselves – teaching potential dividers was useful

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2011

• Replace Inventor Centre with small furniture making classes

• All workshop students develop a 21st century cabinet, incorporating µC on cheap PCB/spiderboard? Bare PCB +

08 for £1?

Image courtesy of Andrew Hornblow

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Links

UK supplier tech-supplies.co.ukPICAXE / PEBBLE picaxe.co.ukDatasheets datasheetcatalog.comInv. Ctr. blog inventorcentre.blogspot.comYENKA PICs www.yenka.com

Curious?smcpeak@fairfieldintermediate.school.nz

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