Browse below for a list of resources and project ideas for teachers of Wood, Metal & Plastics.
Sample VCE PD&T Exam Responses for Members
DATTA Vic have prepared sample responses for the VCAA Sample PD&T Exam Paper. These have been developed by experienced PD&T teachers. Simply log-in and visit our Members Resources Page to download. |
Curriculum
F-10
- Click HERE for the F-10 Victorian Design & Technologies Curriculum
- Click HERE for the VCAA's Curriculum advice area for Design & Technologies. You'll find information here on curriculum planning, assessment & reporting
- Click HERE for F-10 D&T Curriculum Mapping documents
VCE
- Click HERE for the 2018-2022 VCE PD&T Study Design
- Click HERE for the VCE PD&T Advice for Teachers
- Click HERE for the PD&T Exam Specifications
- Click HERE for the Assessment Criteria
Click HERE for past exam & exam reports in VCE PD&T
Click HERE for the Rubrics/Performance Descriptors for Unit 3, Outcomes 1 & 2 and Unit 4, Outcome 1
Teachers can access a modified score sheet for the School-Assessed Task HERE. It should help with marking and the due dates for the different elements
Classroom Projects
If you have any resources you can share with your fellow teachers, send them to Laura at pl@datta.vic.edu.au
DATTA Vic members - Log in to the website and click HERE for our range of members-only resources. If you have problems logging in, contact Hannah at admin@datta.vic.edu.au
Short Design Development Activities
Peter Murphy from Northcote High School created these great resources which can be used in the classroom over one or two periods, or as extension activities
Click HERE to download all eight worksheets.
LED Picture Frame Common Assessment Task
Mark Evans from Lyndale Secondary College created this comon assessment task on designing and making an LED Pricture frame. It includes:
7-10 Classroom Projects
Damien Ridley from Edinburgh College shared these fantastic classroom projects.
A-Quiz-a-Day
Challenge your students design and technology knowledge with these five quick quizes (and don't worry, the answers are there for you too!)
MONDAY QUIZ | MONDAY ANSWERS |
TUESDAY QUIZ | TUESDAY ANSWERS |
WEDNESDAY QUIZ | WEDNESDAY ANSWERS |
THURSDAY QUIZ | THURSDAY ANSWERS |
FRIDAY QUIZ | FRIDAY ANSWERS |
- How to build the perfect tree house for kids (from Christian)
- The James Dyson Foundation - a great range of projects and challenges for Secondary Schools on design engineering
- Scorpio Technology send out newsletters every month with some great ideas for classroom projects
Conference Presentations
Members can log-in and click HERE to download a range of presentations for our previous conferences
The World's Largest Lesson - Global Goals
The United Nations have set 17 sustainable development goals to transform our world by 2030. The World's Largest Lesson website introduces these goals to children and young people, and includes a wealth of lesson plans, project ideas and printable posters for the classroom - many of them suitable for Design & Technologies. A Fantastic resource!
Design Thinking & The Design Process
Design for Change
Design for Change is the largest global movement of children driving change in their communnities using design. Click HERE for some great inspirational stories and fresh ideas for classroom projects!
Resources from the Design Museum
What is Good Design? - a great resource from the UK's Design Museum on Dieter Rams Ten Principles
Memphis Group - Awful or Awesome?
Angelpoise Under the Spotlight
Post-in Notes - why has this iconic design stuck around for 40 years?
Thonet Chair No. 14 - the world's most popular chair
Resources from the Design Institute at Stanford
The Bootcamp Bootleg is a great resource on Design Thinking from the Stanford Design Institute
Take the Five Chair Challenge with your students!
The Spaghetti Marshmallow Challenge is a great introduction to design thinking
CAD/CAM
Fusion 360
Aaron Powter from Harvester Technical College has shared an amazing range of Fusion 360 tutorials for teachers - thanks so much Aaron! Click on the links below to watch.
Fusion 360 Tutorial - Extrude sketch profile 1
Fusion 360 Tutorial - Revolve sketch profile 2
Fusion 360 Tutorial - Sweep sketch profile 3
Fusion 360 Tutorial - Loft sketch profile 4
Fusion 360 Tutorial - Top down design and Joints 5
Autodesk Fusion 360 Tutorials for F1 in Schools
Click HERE for a great range of Fusion 360 online tutorials based on the F1 in Schools program.
Other Programs
- Solidworks
- 3D VINCI
- Sketchup - free CAD software
- AutoDesk - free software for students and educators
DATTA Vic runs teacher Professional Learning workshops for teachers in CREO. Contact Laura at pl@datta.vic.edu.au if your school is interested in participating.
Technotes
Members can log in and access our annual journal Technotes HERE. Technotes is packed with articles, interviews, project outlines and lesson plans, and is an invaluable resources for Design & Technologies teachers.
Design Competitions
The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Lesson PLans
The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum has a fantastic archive of lesson plans, including Technology resources, for all levels. While they are benchmarked to the USA/New York State standards, they are filled with useful information, including lesson times, vocabulary guides, assessment and extension activities. Click HERE to search by subject and grade level.
Posters
Need some D&T-themed posters for the walls of your workshop? We've found some exampleas here - some are for sale and some are free to download.
- The Girls in STEM Toolkit (GiST) has a range of printable posters featuring female role models in STEM careers
- The United Nations have set 17 sustainable development goals to transform our world by 2030. The World's Largest Lesson website introduces these goals to children and young people, and includes printable posters for the classroom - many of them suitable for Design & Technologies
- The James Dyson Foundation have downloadable posters on the Design Process and Design Engineering
- PBS Media (U.S.) has a poster on the Design Process
- The Forestry Corporation has a range of printable posters on different types of wood
- Design Victoria produced a What is Eco Design? poster
- Don't forget your Design & Technology Week poster! You can download it HERE when you register!
- Maplesoft have free maths & engineering posters to download and print
- NASA have a wealth of posters available to download on their website, and many feature design and engineering topics, such as aerospace design and innovation through engineering. Click HERE to browse them all
- The ATSE STELR Project has a free Women in STEM poster available to download, plus other fantastic resources to engage girls in STEM
Sustainaiblity
- Check out our Sustainability page for a wide range of resources and links related to the Design & Technologies curriculum
- Fairfone - a resource from the UK's Design Museum on the first ethical smart phone
- Little Sun - a resource on the solar lamp designed in Germany in 2012 from the Design Museum
- Eco Innovators - the Secret Life of Things (sustainability education resources, games, info sheets, animations)
- Practical Action - sustainability resources, design briefs and worksheets for Design and Technology and STEM
- ATA - Alternative Technology Association
- Wood for Good - Sustainaibilty of Wood
- VISY - Paper and packaging recycling
Wood
- Forest Learning have a fantastic range of free, Australian Curriculum-aligned resources focussing on Australian forests and sustainable wood products
- Click HERE for a great Lifecycle Analysis of wood from the Centre for Sustainable Design Strategies
- Wood Web - Woodwork Industry Information
- Free dowwnloadable posters on Trees & Timber from the Forestry Corporation
- Joint Selection - helps you choose the right wood joint for different projects
- The Queensland Government has produced a website on Wood Properties and the Uses of Australian Timbers
Metals
- PracticalStudent.com has a range of resources for classroom projects in metal, organised by age
- Instructables have some great metalworking projects suitable for the classroom
- Craftsmanspace has project plans for a chess set made of scrap fasteners and a scrap garden snail!
- Makezine have some awesome metalwork & welding projects, to suit all ages and abilities
- The International Council in Mining & Minerals have information on the use and production of metals including their role in society and sustainability
- Wikipedia has a great Timeline of Materials Technology!
- Click HERE for a great Lifecycle Analysis of metals from the Centre for Sustainable Design Strategies
Plastics
- Click HERE for a Life Cycle Analysis of plastic from the Centre for Sustainable Design Strategies
- The CSDC also have a Life Cycle Analysis for composits
- The Nail-It is an award-winning 3D-printed tool from QLD students Aidan and Nima, designed to help people with arthritis or Parkinsons Disease. This link includes the source files for free.
- e-NABLE is on online community of 3D designers developing prosthetics and other products to help people. Their website has a range of 3D printing resources
- NASA has an amazing range of 3D printable models on their website
- SketchupSchool has a step-by-step guide to 3D Printing from Sketchup
- The American Chemistry Council has a website on how plastics are made and their affects on the environment
- ejnet.org has information on plastics recycling codes, and also their environmental impactl
- National Geographic has produced a Smart Plastics Guide, with info on their uses, recyclability and health impacts.
Health and Safety
Forums
Edulists - subscribe to email forum groups, many subjects including Design and Technology (destech), Systems Engineering (syseng) and Textiles
Further Study
Swinburne Design - courses, careers and competitions
Design Council, UK - how designers work
Science and Technology