Class Reflection

 

  Fun in class!

Although the class has been fun, the trimester is coming to a close. I signed up for the class thinking it was going to be a class based on computer work but it turned out to be a project based on projects. Although this wasn't the ideal class for me, I thought it was fun for the most part and a good experience. During this trimester, we did three projects: egg drop, mouse trap powered vehicle, and bridge/ seismograph. My favorite was the mouse trap vehicle while my least favorite was the bridge/seismograph.

     The mouse trap vehicle was my favorite because it had a lot to do with testing. The problem solving aspect of the assignment was fun in my opinion. I liked testing the car and making it go as far as it could go. Although it fell off the counter and broke, we were still able to fix it and make it go 50 feet! It was really cool to see the different designs and how each of them worked, which I thought was a cool comparison.

Favorite project!

    The bridge/ seismograph project was my least favorite because it involved a lot of planning. When we got the point of doing the project, I was into the whole working with the materials instead of drawing out pictures. I didn't want to wait and draw it out to make it perfect because I suck at drawing and I just wanted to build. I think it would have been better to have this project in the beginning since I think it requires the most amount of planning and time management skills. It would have been good to develop that first then work on the rest of the projects that seemed to be more hands on.

least favorite :(

     The class set up worked well with me since I was very set on beating my brother in some of the projects. It would have been more focused as a class overall if there were check points in the project to help guide the time spent working. Also, I believe that it would have been better for the class to have done more research in some of the projects. I was confused on some of the concepts with some of the projects so I would have wanted more information that I didn't think of looking up until later. Another thing that could have been helpful is having assigned partners for a project to help develop skills with working with people unlike yourself. It would have been neat to have to balance traits and figure out a group dynamic to be productive.

     I learned in this class that planning is very important. I always dive into projects without thinking a lot about what I was going to do, but this class made me slow down and think about what aspects could be good or bad to include. Another thing that I worked on is partner working. I like to be in control and I am very stubborn. Working with some people in this class allowed me to have discussions and improve designs I had in my head. I liked the dynamic of the competitive group environment in the class.

    This class has made me want to take more technology classes like it because its a nice change of pace from the normal sitting and listening to a lecture. I think it has been beneficial to me in developing skills that will benefit me further on in many aspects of my life. The class also allowed me to be competitive which made me work harder to beat everyone else. Being in this class, I have learned a lot while having fun.

Design Challenge: Seismograph

Project Explanation: The challenge for this project was to create a seismograph that could record different amount of movement. We also had to create a scale for the movement.

Technological Concepts: Basically, we learned about the different parts of the seismograph, like the recording instrument that stays stationary while the rest of the seismograph moves with the motion of the ground. We also learned about the Richter scale and how it is based on a logarithm so with each step it increases by a power of ten. There wasn't much else we needed to learn because the tools we were using had been use for past projects.

Learning Goals: The goal for this project was learning how to balance the instrument enough to record small movement but also making sure it has the capacity to record large movement without breaking. Also, we had to learn to create a somewhat standard way to rate the movement.

Design Brief: For our project, we decided to create to towers on either side of the base. Then, we added a pole through the tower to hold the role of paper for the pen to record on. A lid on the graph with a hole in it provided support to hold the pen while the pen was held in a thin piece of wood on a pole on the top of the lid. The pen reaches the paper through the hole on the lid. We added a block of wood for the wood piece holding the pen to sit on so the pen would be a good height for writing on the paper.

the final product

Positive Feedback: We got the contraption to a point where is was functional and it could actually record on the paper. It recorded different numbers on the scale for each size shake. Also, we planned well enough so the original idea was very close the final product. The construction of the seismograph was durable as well and it was very aesthetically pleasing.

Redesign Paragraph: If we were to redesign the seismograph, I would want to make the pen more loosely moving. Having the hole in the piece of wood holding the pencil be larger so the pen would be more free moving which would record little movement more. Also, I would put it the right way on the table so the pen would move back and forth.

Technological Resources: Most of the seismograph was made out of wood, which was provided. Other than wood, all we needed was a pen and paper. The roll of paper was also provided and the pen was easy to find laying around. The project cost just about nothing to us. We were the people used with making the instrument along with Mr. OD who helped with using some of the tools. Time was limited to in class work but ample amount of days were given to finish the project.

Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge was trying to get the pen to write on the paper. We started with using a pencil, so there had to be pressure between the pencil and the paper. If the pencil didn't stay exactly where it was, it would stop having enough pressure to write. When we changed the writing utensil, it marked better since less pressure was needed to create a mark.

What I learned: Essentially, this project taught me the same thing as the last. Time management was key along with planning and working as most as possible each day. Problem solving was key in the project since little adjustments could make it better. We spent a few days just tweaking the design to make it a bit better. Recognizing the things that were going to help the instrument was key in the problem solving process.

Design Challenge: Popsicle Stick Bridge

Project Explanation: The challenge given was to create a bridge that would hold the maximum amount of weight. We were only given Popsicle sticks and white glue.

Technological Concepts: In this project, we had obviously had to learn about bridges. Concepts that were covered in research about bridges include shape of bridges and cables. The shape has to do with holding weight because the bridge has to have supports and cannot be too flimsy. One shape that we found helpful to use was something called a truss, which is a criss-cross pattern of laying the supports. It helps since it spreads the force of the weight. Cables are also a big part of bridges. Cable hold up the bridge with tension and take the force of the weight of the bridge and hold it at the end.

Learning Goals: Some things that we were trying to explore was how different shapes of metal bridges can be recreated. Also, we experimented with combining different concepts with different bridges. It was important in the challenge to learn time management since we were constructing two things at once.

Design Brief: The main focus for the bridge was the truss idea with criss-crosses of the Popsicle sticks. We built the side and top in that way. The bottom was just straight sticks because we felt since the weights were going on top, the top should be well constructed and the bottom didn't need to be as strong. We made the frame for the bottom longer than the truss goes on the side so the bridge has an easier time spanning the 16 inches but the truss is still focused on the part that will hold most the weight.

side/ top of the bridge

through the bridge

Positive Feedback: The bridge looked like what we wanted it to look. Also, it met all the goals we set in the beginning of the process.The efficiency of the bridge was 12,000% as well so that was good. Another thing that was good was it the sides were put together well and didn't break when the bridge snapped. The design of the bridge was a good design as well.

Redesign Paragraph: If we could do it again, the thing I would want to change the most is construction quality. The bridge was fairly sturdy but I would want to make sure it lines up better and it more exactly symmetrical. Also, the sides were a bit crooked and so I would want to fix that because that was one of the largest downfalls of the bridge. I might change the design a bit to make wider trusses because the bridge that held the most weight so far had a larger angle for the truss.

Technological Resources: The project was specific in having only 120 Popsicle sticks and white glue. A lot of the information we used to design the bridge came from websites provided for us in the packet. Time was not an issue for us since we had ample days in class to work on the project. My partner and I were the people involved with brainstorming and building of the bridge. The project didn't cost anything since the materials were provided for us.

Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge we had is getting the Popsicle sticks to dry in a straight line. It was hard because it we tried to put clips on, normally everything started to fall apart, but leaving the frame out to dry normally shifted the sticks if they were just moved a little bit. We just left the sticks on the table for most the hour and then we moved the structure to the locker when it was mostly dry. We only did a little bit of work on the bridge each day as well so the glue would dry faster and we wouldn't have to worry about it getting crooked overnight.

What I learned: This project taught me how to use my time wisely. While the bridge was drying we would always just move onto the other half of the project discussed in the next post. Also, splitting resources such as working on separate parts to get through the paper work quicker. This part taught me how to share information, as well, since we had to explain certain parts of the components to each other after filling in the packets. Planning was a big part of the project that helped me. We gathered materials first and then started laying everything out and cutting things to size so on the final days of working, we just had to glue things together which was fast and simple.