It's Christmas time...

Christmas decorations take on a new look this year with Zoe and Anoushka's original laser cut ornaments and mini wreaths...

Well done girls.. they look fantastic and I am super impressed with your perseverance to make these happen!!!

Just a little something I whipped up...

Miss Fa'a donated a broken guitar for me to do something with... So I thought why not try something I have wanted to for a long time?

So here it is..

Still a prototype because I have already analysed the design and know how I would change it and do things differently.. Keep tuned for version II :-)

Room 3's Rabbit Hutch

Oscar, Ben, Liam, and Ixca have been plugging away at this project for most of Term 3 and it's finally (nearly) complete. Once they have sourced some scrap corrugated iron for the roof, it'll be done.

The boys have really worked hard on this - from choosing a design, drawing up the plans, calculating how much wood and other materials they would need, persevering at the arduous process of de-nailing used framing timber, and construction, they have put in a solid effort to complete the project... 'Nailed it' you could say :-) pun-tastic!!!

Well done fellas.. looking forward to seeing it inhabited!

CNC machining under way...

Emily is the first student to test out our new tool - "The Blue Baron II"

It took a few test runs to get it right but we got there in the end.. And once we did, Emily summed it up beautifully with this quote...

"We haven't failed.. we've just found five ways that didn't work". 

Nice work Emily...

The design cave progress

The latest addition to the cave... Camo netting roof

Technology Art Maths

WATCH HERE

John Edmark is an inventor, designer and artist who teaches design at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. One of his latest creations is a series of 3D-printed sculptures designed with proportions corresponding to the Fibonacci Sequence. When Edmark's sculptures are spun at just the right frequency under a strobe light, a rather magical effect occurs: the sculptures seem to be animated or alive! The rotation speed is set to match the strobe flashes such that every time the sculpture rotates 137.5º, there is one corresponding flash from the strobe light. 

These masterful illusions are the result of a marriage between art and mathematics. Fibonacci's Sequence is defined as a recurrent relationship that can be expressed as  F_n = F_{n-1} + F_{n-2}...  where the first two digits of the sequence can be defined as F_1=1, and F_2=1. What this means is that the sequence starts with two 1's, and each following digit is determined by adding together the previous two. Therefore, Fibonacci's Sequence begins: {1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89...} etc. 

What makes the sequence so incredibly fascinating is its proliferation throughout nature, such as in the branching of trees, the arrangement of leaves on a stem, the flowering of baby broccoli, a nautilus shell, or even the spiral of galaxies; and that's just to name a few. You've probably seen Fibonacci's Sequence on countless occasions in your lifetime without even recognizing the pattern. One of the reasons that it appears in so many plants is because its particular arrangement of leaves along the stem allows for the most sunlight to hit each and every leaf. With its exposure to sunlight maximized, the plant then stands the best chance possible of properly photosynthesizing, growing stronger, and staying healthy. 

Regarding his sculpture series, Edmark states on his website: 

"While art is often a vehicle for fantasy, my work is an invitation to plunge deeper into our own world and discover just how astonishing it can be. In experiencing a surprising behavior, one’s sense of wonder and delight is increased by the recognition that it is occurring within the context of actual physical constraints. The works can be thought of as instruments that amplify our awareness of the sometimes tenuous relationship between facts and perception.

I employ precise mathematics in the design and fabrication of my work. I do this neither out of a desire to exhibit precision per se, nor to exalt the latest technology, but because the questions I’m trying to formulate and answer about spatial relationships can only be addressed with geometrically exacting constructions. Mathematical precision is an essential ally in my goal of achieving clarity." 

Edmark explores an interesting realm through his examination and representation of these ideas. The line between fact and perception can often become blurred, especially when considering something like artistic illusion: what you see is not always the same as what is really happening. While Edmark's spinning sculptures create the illusion that the objects are moving and morphing, the objects themselves are actually rigid forms and do not change in shape. This is a representation of what Edmark is referring to in his statement above when he mentions "the tenuous relationship between facts and perception." This relationship between perception and fact has been the subject of inquiry for philosophers, mathematicians, and artists alike for hundreds if not thousands of years, and Edmark's work does a fantastic job of illustrating its puzzling yet awe-inspiring nature. 

Facebook HQ

Here is a short video of Mark Zuckerberg give a little insight into the Facebook HQ in California.

LOVE what he says at about 30 secs into the video.... Enjoy

3 Rules to Spark Learning...

Really enjoyed this clip. Some interesting and thought provoking messages here...

Room 9's Japanese zen garden...

James' pinball game - Made in Scratch

Max' Robotic Rubics Cube Solver

Everything I do …

is to build positive and meaningful relationships

Providing safety for development of a growth mind-set

where failure is an opportunity to learn and succeed

enabling the discovery of hidden talents and passions.

Check this out.. the hoverboard dream gets closer...

Design & Thinking

This is a documentary that came out before the "Maker" documentary.. Also very much worth watching :-)

Maker trailer - A documentary on the Maker Movement

Well worth a watch.. Looking forward to this coming out.



Listen out for some of the quotes from various people in the trailer. Sums up the 'Maker Movement' nicely :-)

IDEO - Shopping Cart Project

This video (albeit slightly "old") is brilliant illustration of design thinking, collaboration and team work to achieve a shared goal.



Listen carefully for the inspiring quotes, design ideas and clever thinking...



Enjoy

DPE Pinterest Account Information

You can now all log into Pinterest to add amazing design ideas so we can all be INSPIRED !!!!

Click HERE to go to Pinterest...

Email address: dpe2students@raroa.school.nz
Password: dpe2students

Speech Recognition - Making your Google Doc that much easier......

Kia ora folks, 

Mrs Dowman showed me something cool today that we think might make it easier for those of you who find typing hard or slow. It is an 'add-on' in google docs that allows you to speak what you want to type and it types it for you - you do need to speak clearly and check that what it has picked up is correct.

This is how you can get to it:

- Open your DPE google doc
- Click 'Add-ons"in the menu bar
- Search for 'speech recognition'
- Click the free add on that comes up and allow it permission to access the computer
- Now it will be in your 'add-on' list
- Click it to start the app

Enjoy :-)

Design Questions Padlet link

I have created a 'Padlet' that you can use to ask me, your peers, as well as design experts in the global community questions you might have about your projects, design, or technical issues. 

Click HERE to follow a link to the Padlet.

Alternatively - you can double click anywhere on the small Padlet window on the right to post a question...

Such a great way to collaborate with each other and experts...

Team 2 idea gathering sessions

"Let the ideas create the room.. Not the room create the ideas"

Welcome to 2015

Kia ora te whanau o te Raroa...

Tell you what.. I have had a FANTASTIC holiday hanging out with my family and relaxing, but.. I am super keen and excited about getting into another awesome year of DPE.

Last year we saw some true innovation and creative flair happen and I am sure we can push the creative boundaries even further this year - especially with the use of tools such as the Laser Cutter (more commonly known as "The Blue Baron" and TWO 3D printers.

Let's do this!!!!