ICT Workshop 2 - Design Process: Make a frog jump!!

In the first part of this weeks workshop we explored the technology design process. It must be clarified that the ICT process is not isolated to computerised technology. It may also relate to designing and producing a technological system using everyday materials, as in this activity. When incorporating activities of design in the classroom, it is important to facilitate the thought process involved by ensuring students record ideas, encountered problems and reflections. Below is an example a design brief (as used in the workshop) :

As shown, the design brief represents the different dimensions of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards for design, creativity and technology; Investigating/designing, producing and analysing/evaluating.

Now, before I elaborate on application of the design brief, the task we were assigned in the workshop went as follows; with a partner, design a frog that jumps using the materials provided - an elastic band, a strip of cardboard, a cut out of a frog, sticky tape and scissors. The first step was to consider the problem at hand and write down some possible design solutions. For example, was the jumping mechanism going to be connected to frog or was a catapult like device more appropriate. All these ideas formed part of the investigate/design section of the brief.
We decided upon a catapult device and after a quick discussion on how the law of resistance works, went about creating our jumping tool. Trial and error was a key element of our design phase and key features of our mechanism were recorded in the produce section of the design brief. These included using a brace in the middle of the cardboard to make it 'flick' and ensuring the frog was slightly weighted. As a class, we each gave a demonstration of our completed jumping frogs and reflected on the design process. An example of a possible design is shown below. By pulling back on the cardboard (stretching the elastic out), placing the weighted frog on the tip and releasing, the goal is achieved...the frog jumps!


From this...

To this....

So what are the merits of the activity in an educational sense? The focus here I think is on creative learning. By giving students materials and a specific goal to achieve, the design process is directed towards their imaginative mind. Though they may draw upon past experiences or even take note of what others are doing, primarily they must rely on their own analysis of the problem at hand. It's important to ensure the problem presented to students is practical and is something they can relate to. For example, children will interpret 'make the frog jump' much easier than 'design a mechanism that can leave the ground'. Also, to encourage their analytical and creative abilities it is imperitive to have students record their ideas by either writing them down or representing them in a drawing. From this they can visualise their thought process and later reflect on it.

In presenting an activity like 'the jumping frog' to a class I would be sure to introduce the concept of trial and error in the design process. I think its important that students are aware that there may be many different solutions to the problem at hand, and trial and error is a way of determining which is the best. Thus an extension of the activity may be to have students produce two different design mechanisms for the same problem and then reflect on which is more effective and why.