We had lift off - now reaching the final frontier

Hello everyone.
Hope you enjoyed the rockets.
Almost there for unit 1 - please make use of the cd / files I gave you which indicate past paper and answers and details of specification.
Also be aware that you need to prepare for unit 2.
Try to think of two projects - one for each school.
Try to make these focus on different materials.

Practical next lesson WELDING, BRAZING, etc.

Practical next lesson,
Good to see Hannah back.
James - where were you last lesson?

Homework due in next lesson

Will collect homework after half term.

Hannah, hope you are all right. We did a couple of lessons building paper towers which tessellated to make a structure which supported most of the group. Leigh took some pics to show you later. If you are concerned about the work then go to the AQA site and look at the specimen exam paper - it includes answers.

Best wishes from all of us.

PS We have a new arrival - James D...

Materials research

Alll working well towards the January exam

Concrete lesson

Well done everyone in today's lesson when you made concrete containers. The containers are drying out and will be ready next week.
Hannah and Simon can see what we did later.

Hannah G please contact me if concerned

Email me or indeed leave a comment on this blog.

Afterthought

Meant to say that it was good to see everyone and to say that you all should not worry / panic /get anxious about the course. The unit 1 which we are beginning is the main knowledge part of the course but we will all succeed if we remain positive and optimistic - good luck.

Great site for helping us with coursework

Lots of links from this site please bookmark it in your browser

10 design propositions from Dieter Rams

Please remember as designers you are creating new ideas, you think laterally, you are creative, obstinate, determined, sensitive and a risk taker. Have a browse of the following. Dieter Rams produced many classic designs check out this site.

The work of Dieter Rams can be summarised best by his 10 design propositions:

1. Good design is innovative.

2. Good design makes a product understandable.

3. Good design is elegant.

4. Good design makes a product useful.

5. Good design is unobtrusive.

6. Good design is honest.

7. Good design is long living.

8. Good design is consequent right to the very last detail.

9. Good design is friendly to the environment.

10. Good design is as little design as possible.

Textbooks have arrived

Okay I hope you are enjoying the holidays - the textbooks have arrived and will be issued to you when we all get back to school. These will be used particularly for helping us to address unit 1.
See you in Sept.

Sir

This is a really exciting course

...and I sure everyone will enjoy it. If any student or parent have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Email john.geekie@bgs.eril.net, by writing to me at school, by leaving me a message at school, and possible video linking ( for later evaluation of graphic work ) - details later.

Coursework books

We hope to be purchasing sets of new courswork textbooks for students to use in September.

Important that students are prepared for the course

We will have a lot of work to complete before the January exam ( pretty sure this will be when the exam is to be taken - however I need to liaise with colleagues at BHS to be certain. As this is a new course and the content for unit 1 is so large it may be reviewed ) - so students need to be aware that there will be an element of rigour especially for this unit.
Remember that this unit can be retaken in June if necessary - though not to be encouraged it nevertheless allows for a second chance.
Unlike unit 2 when resubmitting work is not really possible.
The various methods of note taking, prompt card creation, revision techniques etc need to be well developed.
So, it hardly needs to be said that punctuality and attendance are very important.
This blog will be used to help as much as possible.
I will endeavour to give you lots of help via this blog so you need to bookmark it.
It is also perhaps an important site for parents / guardians to refer to.

Engineering conference at BGS - Jag visit

It would be interesting for students to come along to the engineering presentation to see ( and have their picture taken ) in a state of the art Jaguar car. PERIOD 2 - SO PLEASE GO TO YOUR PERIOD 1 LESSON FIRST.

UNIT 2

This is the making unit - we will produce a portfolio of two products - each one to address the 5 criteria - you will need to be involved in the process of showing / specifying where evidence for each of the criteria exists - more details later. But - for now - here are the criteria that each project will be marked on.

1 Investigation and Clarifi cation of Problems 8 marks
2 Development of Design Proposal 24 marks
3 Making / Modelling 24 marks
4 Evaluation and Testing 12 marks
5 Communication and Presentation 12 marks

TOTAL 80 marks

This unit is very important and will start in November and submitted in June. To be completed around end of Feb 09. CANNOT BE RETAKEN - MUST BE WELL DONE FIRST TIME.

The UNIT 1 exam.

Here are headings of areas we need to cover for the UNIT 1 exam.
We will probably take the exam in January - this leaves scope for flexibility with re-sitting if required ( June 09 / Jan 10 )
Mrs Colley and I will split the content below and teach at both sites until around November - exact timings soon.
Section A: Materials and Components
Classifications which determine the market forms of a range of timber, metal, plastics and composite materials
Natural woods
Man made boards
laminates and veneers
ferrous metals
non-ferrous metals
alloys
polymers
biodegradeable polymers
ELASTOMERS
COMPOSITES
COMPLIANT MATERIALS
SMART MATERIALS
MODERN MATERIALS
PRODUCT COMPONENTS
ADHESIVES

MARKET INFLUENCES
Environmental / sustainability issues
Ergonomics and anthropometrics
Inclusive design
Consumer safety

Processes and manufacture
Fabrication methods
woods
metals
plastics
Forming methods
Woods
metals
plastics
composites
redistribution methods
metals
cernets
polymers
wasting processes
CAM processing
Finishing materials and processes
woods
metals
polymers
Health and safety
Quality control

Welcome

Hello everyone, the AS course which you are to start in September is new. The course up to this year was called Product Design, now it has changed and is called 3D design. The structure has changed significally from 3 units to two units at AS and another two units at A2.
Here is an extract from the exam board,

GCE Design and Technology: Product Design (3-D Design) (2550)

AS outline

At AS level candidates should develop an understanding of a broad range of materials, with emphasis on the life cycle of products, manufacture and final disposal. This specification also considers the broader issues for the designer including the environmental sustainability of products and consumer safety.

The AS specification has 2 units:

Unit 1

Topic list

• Developing an understanding of the physical and mechanical properties in a broad range of materials and components
• The broader issues for the designer including the environmental sustainability of products and their manufacture
• Methods in which materials and components can be manipulated to manufacture products
• Health and safety issues relevant to working with materials
• Computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacture (CAM)
• Ergonomics and anthropometrics, inclusive design, and consumer safety
• The life cycle of products including manufacture, use and functional aspects and final disposal.

Assessment

Written Exam:	2 hours
Weighting:	50% of total AS / 25% of total A Level marks

This paper is based primarily on Materials and Components.
Consisting of three sections:

• Section 1 contains compulsory limited response questions
• Section 2 offers a choice of one question from two
• Section 3 contains one compulsory question.

Unit 2: Coursework

Assessment

Coursework:	Approx 50 hours
Weighting:	50% of total AS / 25% of total A Level marks

Written (or electronic) design portfolio
Revised Candidate Record Form and manufactured outcome(s)
Coursework may take a number of forms; a single design-and-make project, two smaller projects and/or a portfolio of work.

******************************

Okay there is a brief outline of year 1.
Unit 1 - jointly delivered at both sites.
For unit 2
We will adopt a portfolio approach which involves one project each at both schools.

Hope this helps - see the next post.

Mr. Geekie