My first year of teaching Senior Industrial Technology at Newington has all in all been a challenge, a roller coaster and a sincere pleasure. I am pleased with the hard work and effort all students put into their classroom lessons and final works, and all boys should be proud of their accomplishments this year. Myself and the students have been fortunate to explore Industrial Technology outside the classroom, with trips to Apollo Kitchens in Smithfield and another to see a past student’s HSC work at the ‘Working with Wood Show’. I hope that the boys found inspiration from these excursions and feel confident in their concept and design choices as we move into developing Year 12 Final Works this term. I thank the students for their enthusiasm, creativity and patience with me as I navigate this Senior class for the first time since moving to Australia, and I am looking forward to working with them through their HSC studies.

Apollo Kitchen visit

On Friday 3 May 2013, the Year 11 Industrial Technology timber class visited Apollo Kitchens in Smithfield, with the purpose of extending their knowledge of industrial processes. Students had the opportunity to talk to the manager of the company, David Duggan, and have a full factory tour exploring the many machines used by commercial technology companies, such as CNC Mills, industrial laminators and polyurethane spray booths. Not only did this trip illuminate HSC Case Study content and prepare them for next year, but the boys were afforded the opportunity to see Industrial Technology application in the real world.

Working With Wood Show

The Year 11 Industrial Technology Timber Class also attended the ‘Working with Wood Show’ on Friday 26 July 2013 at Sydney Olympic Park. The aim of the trip was to inspire the students and demonstrate what is possible in Industrial Technology, as well as encourage them to start thinking about their own HSC major works. The show exhibited the best 20 HSC projects from the 2012 HSC, one of which was past student Michael Drummond’s (ON ’12) project. The trip was a great success, with many students leaving with a strong sense of which direction they would like to go with their projects in Year 12, and the information and contacts needed to manufacture their major works.

Final Works

Final works for Year 11 this year were the outcome of research into ‘Shaker’ Style furniture and its influences on current design. We looked at the simplicity of the design and the construction method that the traditional Shaker method uses. This project acted as a pilot for students to test both their practical and theoretical abilities and demonstrated basic construction methods that they could use in their major works for Year 12. The pictures of the final works showed the range of different applications of Shaker style students were able to create. The project was thoroughly enjoyed by all the boys and gave them an insight into the hard work and creative effort needed to make an entire project from start to finish, including developing a portfolio.

 Mr James Norman
Wood Technology Teacher