I really enjoyed the experiences that I had in Intro to Technology. Having the freedom that we did to design and build our projects was nice, and it was a great way for us to see what we could come up with on our own. I had never taken a wood shop class before this one, but I found that it was doable and fun to get into.
I learned that the types of devices that we designed in this class were very dependent on laws of physics and such. Making a successful device was done by building it in a way that it would move how we wanted it to. Me and my partner's mousetrap car was one of the farthest-moving cars in the class, and I believe that is because we kept its design simple and efficient, and we payed close attention to detail, including the way that we wrapped the string around the back axle. Wrapping the string in a certain way was what helped make our mousetrap car move so well, so I learned that the little things are some of the most important things when designing, building, and testing.
Seeing other people's technology class projects in the past was impressive, because I couldn't imagine having to cut out many pieces and put them together to make actual structures. Taking this class showed me that building anything is possible, and it just takes good planning and an eye for detail! Now, in the future, I will look at the concepts of engineering and construction differently.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Instrument Design Challenge: Ukulele
Project Explanation:
For this project, we chose to design and build a ukulele out of the resources that we could use.We wanted to see if we could make an instrument that usually requires professionals to build well.
Technological Concepts:
The vibration of the ukulele's stings are what cause it to make sound. The note pitches are determined by where we put our fingers on the strings, which changes the vibration speeds. The harder the strings are strummed, the greater the amplitude of the sound waves will be.
Learning Goals:
In doing this project, my partner and I wanted to see how well we could use our building skills to make an actual string instrument. String instruments have many details and characteristics, so we also wanted to learn how they are put together and how they work. We were up to the challenge of making this ukulele.
Our Project:
Our ukulele was built with many pieces of wood. We started off by making the body of the instrument, using two flat, triangular pieces of wood, and four thicker pieces of wood to give the body dimension. We then made and attached wooden pieces to make the neck and the bridges (to hold the strings above the neck). We also used metal screws and plastic ukulele strings. The instrument is about two feet long and fits snugly when holding it in playing position.
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Positive Feedback:
My partner and I were very happy and impressed with how our ukulele turned out. It looked like a real instrument, and it worked like one as well. Our handiwork and attention to detail made putting all of the pieces together worth it. Other people gave us many compliments as well, saying that it looked like a real instrument and that it was impressive that we built it. I'm really glad that we took this challenge because our hard work payed off in the end with a great result.
Redesign:
If we had to redesign this ukulele, we would have made the fingerboard a little thinner, because it is slightly difficult to reach our hand around to all of the strings. Also, the highest string wasn't able to tune high enough, so we had to put a clamp down to reach the B note. I think we could have figured out a better, although more complicated, way to set up the string tuners. The ukulele is also kind of quiet sounding, but I guess that came from the fact that we used wood shop wood and plastic ukulele strings.
Technological Resources:
We mostly used the materials that were available for us in the tech lab, and then Amanda bought the ukulele strings from the Music Go Round store, which only cost about four dollars. The project took time, and we worked in phases, progressively putting each piece together. We also used musical knowledge to figure out the tuning and the playing of our ukulele.
Biggest Challenge:
The biggest challenge of this project was figuring out how each part of the instrument was attached to the structure and how it worked. Making the tuners work was especially challenging, because we tried to do a simple screw tuner, rather than attaching little mechanisms like we saw in other examples. After some detailed handiwork, we eventually were able to make our tuners work the way that we wanted them to.
Also, planning our ukulele was pretty easy, but initially, we felt slightly overwhelmed with actually cutting and having to attach the pieces that would make it. It was an easier process than we thought, though.
What I Learned from this Challenge:
I learned from this challenge that it is a lot easier to build things than I thought. I always thought of instruments to be built by only professionals, because of how fancy they seemed, but we successfully built a professional-looking ukulele! So, as long as there is a plan and accessible resources, any project can be done.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Mousetrap Car Design Challenge
Project Explanation:
For this project, my partner and I had to design and build a vehicle that would be powered by the snapping of a mousetrap. We had to make the vehicle be able to travel as far of a distance as possible.
Technological Concepts:
The vehicle's chassis (frame) had to be sturdly constructed. The wheels needed to spin as freely and smoothly as possible, minimizing friction and maximizing inertia.
Learning Goals:
I wanted to find out what kind of body would be the most effective for this project. There are many different sizes and types of possible wheels, and they could all work in different ways. I also wanted to confirm if a small, medium, or large-sized vehicle would travel farther than the others.
Our Project:
We designed our mousetrap vehicle in a conventional way, but it was also very effective.Our vehicle was a little less than a foot long, and we used CD's for the wheels. The mousetrap rod was between a small and medium length. In our testing and also the final tests, the vehicle traveled quite nicely. The farthest distance traveled was 57 feet. We found that the way we wound the string on the dowel rod had a great effect on how far the vehicle went; we had to condense the string really tight and on top of itself as much as possible.
Positive Feedback:
Overall, we were very happy with our mousetrap vehicle design. It was one of the top performing vehicles in our hour. It had a sturdy structure, being stable and not wheeling to the side during tests. Also, we were proud of its aesthetics. The vehicle had colorful accents, and it was a nice-looking project.
Redesign:
If we had to redesign our vehicle, I would have tried to explore more different structures that we could build. Even though our flat, medium-sized car worked very well, would we have been able to get the same distance with a smaller vehicle? What about a larger vehicle? Also, I would explore with different types of wheels.
Technological Resources:
We used materials from our houses, including a clothing hanger and CD's. We used machinery to cut and sand wood pieces for the sides of the vehicle. Also, we did very well with time on this project, not finishing it very late
Biggest Challenge:
The biggest challenge for me was putting all of the pieces together to make one whole project. I had never used the machinery before, too, so that was something I had to get used to. So many different parts came together to make our mousetrap vehicle.
What I Learned:
I think that from this challenge, I learned that simpler is better. We made a standard-looking vehicle, with standard CD's, but we payed close attention to the way that the string was wounded, and that helped. So, the focus should be on the dynamics and movement of the vehicle, not just its parts, like wheels and such.
For this project, my partner and I had to design and build a vehicle that would be powered by the snapping of a mousetrap. We had to make the vehicle be able to travel as far of a distance as possible.
Technological Concepts:
The vehicle's chassis (frame) had to be sturdly constructed. The wheels needed to spin as freely and smoothly as possible, minimizing friction and maximizing inertia.
Learning Goals:
I wanted to find out what kind of body would be the most effective for this project. There are many different sizes and types of possible wheels, and they could all work in different ways. I also wanted to confirm if a small, medium, or large-sized vehicle would travel farther than the others.
Our Project:
Positive Feedback:
Overall, we were very happy with our mousetrap vehicle design. It was one of the top performing vehicles in our hour. It had a sturdy structure, being stable and not wheeling to the side during tests. Also, we were proud of its aesthetics. The vehicle had colorful accents, and it was a nice-looking project.
Redesign:
If we had to redesign our vehicle, I would have tried to explore more different structures that we could build. Even though our flat, medium-sized car worked very well, would we have been able to get the same distance with a smaller vehicle? What about a larger vehicle? Also, I would explore with different types of wheels.
Technological Resources:
We used materials from our houses, including a clothing hanger and CD's. We used machinery to cut and sand wood pieces for the sides of the vehicle. Also, we did very well with time on this project, not finishing it very late
Biggest Challenge:
The biggest challenge for me was putting all of the pieces together to make one whole project. I had never used the machinery before, too, so that was something I had to get used to. So many different parts came together to make our mousetrap vehicle.
What I Learned:
I think that from this challenge, I learned that simpler is better. We made a standard-looking vehicle, with standard CD's, but we payed close attention to the way that the string was wounded, and that helped. So, the focus should be on the dynamics and movement of the vehicle, not just its parts, like wheels and such.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Egg Drop Design Challenge
Project Explanation:
For the Egg Drop Design project, we had to design and build a device that would protect an egg from cracking or breaking when it was dropped from specific heights.
Technological Concepts:
We had to make sure that when the device was dropped, the inertia of the falling egg would be counteracted with the device when it hit the ground. The device had to have a nice combination of cushion, sturdiness, and materials. Also, the lighter the device, the better, because of less inertia.
Learning Goals:
The goal of this project was to see how well we could utilize materials that we had, in order to make a very sturdy device. Combining the different materials made us think about the small details that could affect our device in any way. We had to think in depth about our design and the factors of its fall.
Our Design!
Our design's body was a small cardboard box. We glued cotton balls to the bottom of the box, in order to cushion the first impact of the box with the ground when it was to be dropped. We also lined the bottom of the box with four popsicle sticks that were to keep the box standing upright and not tip over when it fell. We stuck eight straws into the box, making two squares on the inside, between which we would place the egg. We then stuffed the remaining space inside the box with shredded paper, for compression and cushion. Since the rules of the design challenge stated that at least a small part of the egg must be visible, we left a very small hole in the top of the box and we didn't cover the top of the egg, in order to make it visible.
Positive Feedback:
My partner and I were quite confident in our design, because it was overall very sturdy, and we thought the compression concepts that we put into it were excellent. The straws that held the egg, along with the shredded paper that surround the egg, and the cotton balls on the bottom of the box were a great combination of compression and cushioning.
Redesign:
Everything about our design seemed pretty solid, until we dropped it during the actual test. As the device fell, it started spinning in different directions and rotating in the air, so it was completely upside-down when it hit the ground! And because we had left a hole and the exposed part of the egg at the top, that exposed part hit the ground and therefore smashed the egg. When thinking about a redesign, we realized that it would have helped a lot to cushion all around the whole device, so that it could land on any side of it and still be able to save the egg. Also, if there was a way to prevent the box from flipping in the air, we would do that.
Technological Resources:
We each brought some materials from our houses to use in our device. Luckily, both my partner (Amanda Dooley) and I had done this project in seventh grade science. We were even in the same group back then! Even though our design was way different from seventh grade's, we were prepared to think about certain concepts while building this design. Also, the technology lab had plenty of tools for us to use, such as rulers, scissors, tape, etc.
Biggest Challenge:
The biggest challenge of building our egg drop design was that we had to think about as many aspects of the device as possible, including cushioning, compression, sturdiness, weight, and more. We had to pull all those ideas together and use our materials to execute them in an efficient and effective way.
What I learned from this challenge:
I learned from this challenge that when designing devices like this egg drop design, I have to think about as many scenarios as possible that could happen to the device when it is in action. My partner and I didn't consider that our device would spin and flip upside-down when it fell, and that was an issue. We probably could have added something to our design that would have saved the egg in that case. So, overall, I must be prepared to overcome the worst-case scenarios.
For the Egg Drop Design project, we had to design and build a device that would protect an egg from cracking or breaking when it was dropped from specific heights.
Technological Concepts:
We had to make sure that when the device was dropped, the inertia of the falling egg would be counteracted with the device when it hit the ground. The device had to have a nice combination of cushion, sturdiness, and materials. Also, the lighter the device, the better, because of less inertia.
Learning Goals:
The goal of this project was to see how well we could utilize materials that we had, in order to make a very sturdy device. Combining the different materials made us think about the small details that could affect our device in any way. We had to think in depth about our design and the factors of its fall.
Our Design!
Positive Feedback:
My partner and I were quite confident in our design, because it was overall very sturdy, and we thought the compression concepts that we put into it were excellent. The straws that held the egg, along with the shredded paper that surround the egg, and the cotton balls on the bottom of the box were a great combination of compression and cushioning.
Redesign:
Everything about our design seemed pretty solid, until we dropped it during the actual test. As the device fell, it started spinning in different directions and rotating in the air, so it was completely upside-down when it hit the ground! And because we had left a hole and the exposed part of the egg at the top, that exposed part hit the ground and therefore smashed the egg. When thinking about a redesign, we realized that it would have helped a lot to cushion all around the whole device, so that it could land on any side of it and still be able to save the egg. Also, if there was a way to prevent the box from flipping in the air, we would do that.
Technological Resources:
We each brought some materials from our houses to use in our device. Luckily, both my partner (Amanda Dooley) and I had done this project in seventh grade science. We were even in the same group back then! Even though our design was way different from seventh grade's, we were prepared to think about certain concepts while building this design. Also, the technology lab had plenty of tools for us to use, such as rulers, scissors, tape, etc.
Biggest Challenge:
The biggest challenge of building our egg drop design was that we had to think about as many aspects of the device as possible, including cushioning, compression, sturdiness, weight, and more. We had to pull all those ideas together and use our materials to execute them in an efficient and effective way.
What I learned from this challenge:
I learned from this challenge that when designing devices like this egg drop design, I have to think about as many scenarios as possible that could happen to the device when it is in action. My partner and I didn't consider that our device would spin and flip upside-down when it fell, and that was an issue. We probably could have added something to our design that would have saved the egg in that case. So, overall, I must be prepared to overcome the worst-case scenarios.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
What is Technology?
The definition of technology is that it is the human made products and processes that extend human potential and satisfy human needs.
The 3 areas of technology are:
Physical- transportation, manufacturing, and construction
Information/Communication- Sending and receiving of information (human or machine)
Bio-Related- prosthetics, human safety related, cloning, environmental protection, etc.
The two technological systems models are open and closed systems. An open system is a physical system that interacts with other systems. A closed system does not interact with other systems (isolated system).
The resources of technology are tools, machines, processes, materials, people, capital, energy, time, and information.
The 8 steps of the problem-solving process are:
1. Identify the Problem- a need is defined.
2. Set Goals- make them realistic and consider your resources.
3. Research- get the necessary information to solve the problem.
4. Create Ideas- brainstorming (thumbnail sketches) puts ideas into motion.
5. Select the Best Idea- rank your ideas by how well they solve the technical challenge using a design matrix.
6. Implement and Build- make the design come to life!
7. Test- use the design in real life testing situations.
8. Feedback- evaluate the test results. Can the design be improved? Does it need some work to become perfection? Does it solve the problems and satisfy your initial goals? Go back and make improvements.
3. Research- get the necessary information to solve the problem.
4. Create Ideas- brainstorming (thumbnail sketches) puts ideas into motion.
5. Select the Best Idea- rank your ideas by how well they solve the technical challenge using a design matrix.
6. Implement and Build- make the design come to life!
7. Test- use the design in real life testing situations.
8. Feedback- evaluate the test results. Can the design be improved? Does it need some work to become perfection? Does it solve the problems and satisfy your initial goals? Go back and make improvements.
Some examples of older technology are the very first cell phones, the first airplane made by the Wright Brothers, and the T-Model car.
Some examples of newer technology are iPads, iPhones, I.O.S. 7, E-Readers, and there are many more.
Some examples of some fun technology are mostly those which I listed above as newer technology, as well as TV's, Pandora, Spotify, and video games. My generation is constantly using our mobile devices (iPhones) for social networking, apps, and communication in general.
Some examples of important technology are computers and databases that help us save our work on anything, anytime. 
Technology affects daily lives in the way that it helps us to do many things in very short amounts of time. Most students depend on computers to get their homework done. Just about everybody uses a cell phone to get in contact with one another, and they also can check the weather or go on the Internet anytime of day, if they own a smartphone. Almost any kind of information that a person will need at anytime will be accessible if they usethe technologies that are available today.
Introduction Post, Alisha Ungkuldee
Alisha Ungkuldee
2013-2014 School Year, Sophomore, Class of 2016
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
About Me:
I am the youngest of two children in my family, the other being my older sister Mellissa. I live with my parents, my dog, and my cat. I love dogs, and I love to travel to places both far and close by. I play the cello with the Saline Fiddlers, and it's a blast. I am a captain of the JV Field Hockey Team. I'm also on Student Council and a member of the EC Board for FCCLA.I like physics, but I'm still going back and forth between going into Pre-Med, Pre-Vet, or Engineering when I graduate.
2013-2014 School Year, Sophomore, Class of 2016
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
About Me:
I am the youngest of two children in my family, the other being my older sister Mellissa. I live with my parents, my dog, and my cat. I love dogs, and I love to travel to places both far and close by. I play the cello with the Saline Fiddlers, and it's a blast. I am a captain of the JV Field Hockey Team. I'm also on Student Council and a member of the EC Board for FCCLA.I like physics, but I'm still going back and forth between going into Pre-Med, Pre-Vet, or Engineering when I graduate.
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