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There are a number of on-screen physics simulators that can be used to discover properties of materials.  Learners can use the computer to investigate the way things move and inter-react, generating questions and providing the means to find answers.  Using this genre of software there are opportunities for developing writing and visual creativity through storytelling and pictures, expanding young minds and getting them thinking.

  Moovl is a Futurelab-sponsored development that has been around for ages and has huge amounts of resources accompanying it. It requires a subscription of £100 a year but the learning gains for active imaginations can be immense.  There’s a wealth of discovery through experimentation to be had.

John Rowe from St. Mary’s Primary School, Albrighton, showed me Phun yesterday and  after five minutes I was hooked.  “What if I put a spring here?  What if I move this?  What happens if….????”  Within a remarkably short space of time I was seeing how things worked by creating my own machines on-screen.  Phun allows fluids to be modelled and is a bit more complex than Moovl, yet it’s free software and there is a community of users who post on a forum.  Users can  upload their creations to an online space.  If you can get access, there are a number of videos on YouTube showing how to use it and some examples of what can be done.

Please let us know how you get on with these (or other) tools - there’s no substitute for having exciting examples of work from the classroom.

Despite the obvious learning opportunities it offers, sometimes it’s difficult to justify buying a digital video camera for everybody.  There are limitations to using a DV camera; usually you need to connect the camera to the computer to get the video from it, and it’s unlikely that there will be enough for the whole class to use anyway.  What’s needed is a quick and easy-to-use portable device with removable storage, so while one pupil is editing their video, another can be using the camera.

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Dear Steve,

Today, we’ve launched a new collection of free online whiteboard resources.  They are from our Absorb courseware, and offer a wide range of simulations, animations and models across secondary school science, D&T and mathematics.

You’ll find these resources at www.yenka.com/freecontent/

Teachers in your LEA can use them in schools and at home, and there’s no need to register - just search or browse for the content you want.

Take the Risk, Reap the Benefits 

Building on last year’s successful conference, the 2007 conference will focus on reinvigorating and revitalising units of work to better meet children’s needs and interests. Delegates have the choice of attending three practical workshops led by specialist design and technology advisers, consultants and practising teachers. Schools are encouraged to send both the headteacher and D&T co-ordinator/subject leader to ensure that both strategic and class-based aspects of the conference are addressed back at school. Headteachers will be charged half the usual fee for a place at the conference if attending with a teacher/subject leader from school.

Date: Friday 29 June 2007
Time: 09.15 - 15:50
Cost: £125.00
Venue: National D&T Education Centre, Enginuity, Coalbrookdale, Telford

To book your place please contact the CPD team on (01743) 254522,
or e-mail: CPD@shropshire-cc.gov.uk

Google has brought out a tool for creating 3D designs. Free for personal use, Google SketchUp is really easy to use and it is possible to create really sophisticated designs with it. Although I can’t see it replacing ProDesktop for quality work in Design and Technology anytime soon, it allows users to get the basics of 3D modelling really quickly. What’s more, in true Google mashup fashion, it allows you to place your finished design into Google Earth when you’ve finished it.

True attention to detail allows full dimensioning, and faces are draggable so that sections can be inspected on-the-fly. The “Shadow” feature will even show how shadows look at different times of the day and year!

There’s a library of pre-drawn items and the rendering can be changed to look as “sketchy” as you like. A great tool that will allow learners to become familiar with the principles of 3D design and modelling, this free-for-personal-use application will help to bridge the gap between simple 2D design programs and the more sophisticated tools like ProDesktop.