MiddleSchoolPortal/Prototype Development: Try, Try Again
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Prototype Development: Try, Try Again - Introduction
by Quentin Briggs, formerly of ENC Instructional Resources
Quentin Briggs was a technology education content specialist at ENC. He has nine years of technology teaching experience at the middle school level and four years experience as an industry professional in the area of training and development.
How do engineers move from imagination to reality with a new product? It's a long process with many complex steps. Eventually engineers end up with models. Product design models make for flashy presentations. But the ability to create a tangible working model—a prototype—from the design is what allows the proper evaluation of a product. Engineers use prototypes to generate data that help perfect the final product. Usually it takes more than one try to get it right. This step of the product design process is essential to preproduction.
Students can develop an understanding of the role of prototypes while they do just what engineers do: Brainstorm, sketch early design ideas, think about materials to use, build a design, test it, and build it again.
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Hone in on just the prototype development step of the design process with these online resources for students: lessons and activities, student project steps related to prototyping, and background information. All of these resources will help you meet the ITEA standards as you encourage your students to test, retest, test, retest, test…until they get it right!
Background Information
Peek into real-world product development to see how industry professionals work with prototypes. One site offers a video clip (and transcript) that will help students see the role of this stage of the design process.
Another avenue for learning about prototype development is the exploration of familiar inventions of the twentieth century. Ask students what they know about how these products were created. In the example below, students can see early models of the typewriter with interesting photos and helpful information. Finally, the design process worksheet can be a valuable tool to see where prototyping fits into the entire product development process.
The mold maker: a day in the life Have your students watch this preview to a six-minute video to observe how an actual mold maker produces a metal injection mold for the plastics industry. The mold maker uses computer-aided design (CAD) software to design a pattern of the mold based on the customer's prototype. He then cuts a wax mold, perfects the design, and cuts the mold from metal. This is a good example of part of the process of prototype development and an interesting glimpse into one profession. A transcript with still photos is available at http://www.careers.iptv.org/Enhanced/1136/ec_dayinthelife_trans.cfm.
The first typewriter Your students have probably been familiar with computers since they were quite young. Ask them if they can even imagine what their lives would be like without the keyboard. Some of them may not ever have seen a typewriter! This history of the typewriter's evolution begins in 1868 with gunmakers E. Remington & Sons, whose invention revolutionized office work. Students can see pictures of the early prototypes and models and talk about how typewriters have been largely replaced by computers.
Lessons and Activities
Remember how much fun we had as children when we were left to our own devices to build the perfect invention? True, these escapades infuriated our parents when the garage was left in ruins and we risked being grounded for using the neighborhood kid as a crash dummy. But we were so elated when we built that special box car racer. Little did we know that we were developing prototypes in this process of play—we just had to make sure things worked the way we wanted them to.
Now we can relive those experiences with our students. Here are some prototyping activities that will spark your students' enthusiasm without creating too much of a mess in the classroom. Students build prototypes to test designs—finally, a crash-dummy test that won't get them into trouble! You and your students will find these activities both thought-provoking and fun. A teacher, wearing a blue lab coat and goggles, demonstrates for his class. Used with permission of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA).
Stop the stretching Students design and test a strip of plastic chair webbing to explore the force of tension and how it acts on structural components. They also investigate how composite materials are created by bonding two or more materials to increase the strength of the original material or to improve some other property. Background notes include instructions for building the tensile test stations and handouts help students develop their prototype lawn chairs. Notes also provide factual information about forces and structures.
Design your own Rube Goldberg machine Rube Goldberg is well known for his drawings of very complicated machines that accomplish everyday tasks. In this activity, which can last from two to eight class periods, students design and build a Rube Goldberg machine that can complete a simple task in no fewer than 10 steps. Students work with prototypes of simple machines, participate in the engineering design process, and explore the five elements of a technology system: goal, inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback. You'll find good background information on Goldberg's career and influence, and there are directions to lead you and your students through the investigation. A student worksheet and an assessment rubric are included.
Projects
If you have your students exploring the development of prototypes, you are probably already immersed in a complex product design curriculum or plan. In such cases, student projects may play an integral role in the learning process.
Design and Discovery is a comprehensive inquiry-based curriculum developed by the Intel Corporation to introduce students to the design process in engineering. Below we highlight specific components of the Prototyping Practicalities section of the curriculum to allow you to quickly get to aspects of student projects that emphasize elements of prototype design.
It is important to note again that prototype development is but one stage in the overall product design process. Students will need to understand the process and learn many design skills to be ready for this part of a student project. A female student carefully sands a model rocket.
Prototype planning Before students are ready to build their prototype, they need to understand that a prototype is a working model used to demonstrate and test an aspect of design or the entire design. You can lead students through a discussion of the purposes of prototypes, as listed in the activity, as well as a project's product specifications, materials, and budget. Students can start to think about how they are going to develop prototypes and exchange ideas with one another. A handout allows students to record their ideas, design requirements, and specifications. An illustrated reading on the site takes students through the design and development of a soap dispenser.
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Prototype materials Students explore possible materials for developing their prototypes. You may want to arrange a visit to the classroom from a professional who is familiar with materials, or perhaps you can plan a field trip to the hardware store where students can get a sense of available materials. The activity suggests topics for discussion to allow students to consider the characteristics of their materials and such things as cost and availability. Allow 60 minutes to complete this activity, which includes a handout with tips and questions that will help students make decisions about their materials.
Careers
Visit the FunWorks STEM career website to learn more about a variety of science-related careers (click on the Science link at the bottom of the home page).
ITEA Standards
Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (STL) was developed by the International Technology Education Association's Technology for All Americans Project in 2000. STL articulates the necessary content to be taught in K–12 laboratory-classrooms to empower all students to develop technological literacy. Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, understand, and assess technology. The standards were constructed around a cognitive base and a "learning by doing" activity base, and they also include assessment checkpoints at specific grade levels (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12).
For the benefit of curriculum planning and lesson development, the resources and information offered here are aligned with the following ITEA Standards for Technological Literacy:
Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design E. Design is a creative planning process that leads to useful products. F. There is no perfect design and systems. G. Requirements for a design are made up of criteria and constraints.
Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design. F. Design involves a set of steps, which can be performed in different sequences and repeated as needed. G. Brainstorming is a group problem-solving design process in which each person in the group presents his or her ideas in an open forum. H. Modeling, testing, evaluating, and modifying are used to transform ideas into practical solutions.
Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving. G. Invention is a process of turning ideas and imagination into devices and systems. Innovation is the process of modifying an existing product or system to improve it. H. Some technological problems are best solved through experimentation.
Standard 11: Students will develop abilities to apply the design process. H. Apply a design process to solve problems in and beyond the laboratory-classroom. I. Specify criteria and constraints for the design J. Make two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of the designed solution. K. Test and evaluate the design in relation to the pre- established requirements, such as criteria and constraints, and refine as needed. L. Make a product or system and document the solution
Standard 12: Students will develop abilities to use and maintain technological products and systems. I. Use tools, materials, and machines safely to diagnose, adjust, and repair systems.
Standard 13: Students will develop abilities to assess the impact of products and systems. F. Design and use instruments to gather data. G. Use data collected to analyze and interpret trends in order to identify the positive or negative effects of a technology. H. Identify trends and monitor potential consequences of technological development. I. Interpret and evaluate the accuracy of the information obtained and determine if it is useful.
Author and Copyright
Quentin Briggs, formerly of Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Science and Mathematics Education, Instructional Resources. He had nine years of technology teaching experience at the middle school level and four years experience as an industry professional in the area of training and development.
Please email any comments to msp@msteacher.org.
Connect with colleagues at our social network for middle school math and science teachers at http://msteacher2.org .
Copyright November 2004 - The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671 and since September 1, 2009 Grant No. 0840824. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
