Happy New Year – Design Technology Teachers – Best of’s 2013

Happy New Year to all IB Design Technology teachers,

Back to school will happen for most of us at the beginning of next week, and there is never such a good time to have an open lesson discussing Design to inspire students for the rest of their studies in 2014. Many of your students will have looked at the top 10 music charts for 2013 – so why not introduce them to a few of these in the areas of Design and Technology :-

• Yanko Design Top 50 – A great website for new innovative designs and there top 50is as varied as they come. Whether the ‘swing toothpaste’ or ‘air rope‘ – a great starter for 10 – get students to choose which of the 50 they believe will go from an innovative idea to a successful product and be able to explain why? Or maybe do a materials quiz where they have to for their chosen innovation decide what materials it is made from and why and how it is produced? I personally love the window socket – maybe not the most feasible?
• Or how about the Top Ten Shipping Container Structures of 2013 – a fabulous way in to a great ergonomics and anthropometrics design project maybe?
• Design Boom has some other top tens for 2013 including – best installations and best bridges (great if you are starting a structures unit?)
• Wallpaper although more commercial has their design awards of 2013 presented well – especially the other section…
• Design Museum Awards are always a great place to start for 2013…
• Finally not a top ten list – but a fabulous example of ‘constructive discontent’ by some University students to redesign guess what the cardboard box – this could be a real brain-scrambler for students on their first day back to try and think how to improve the cardboard box as a micro design task – and then compare to this one… there is a great video to...

I hope these links have inspired you and will inspire your students first class back – over the next few blog posts I will be looking at the upcoming changes to the IB Design Technology curriculum in the recently publicised new syllabus.