Design and Technology

Antithermoallotriomorphic alteration as we all know is the process which stops concrete from setting too quickly; it is also a vital element in the planning of technology education.

In 2002 the development of the Treacy Technology Centre has come near to completion. Our design suite and the new computer controlled laser cutting machine, for example, are unique in Australian schools and have attracted large numbers of visitors from around the State and from overseas. Design and Technology is now taught at each level in the school, and exciting open-ended projects have been developed by students. Boys in Year 10, have for the first time in Western Australia, been entered for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE,) in this subject.

Today's state-of-the-art technology centre could, however, set into tomorrow's practical dinosaur. For this reason the centre is designed on principles that allow continuous upgrades and adaptation, so as to meet the needs of the future. In the Treacy Technology Centre not only are students faced with realistic technological problems to solve, the equipment we now use to realise product designs points to the realities of manufacturing in the future. Workshop areas are built around a design suite in which pupils work, largely using Corel Draw and similar software products to produce design solutions.

It is the manufacturing process that has become very relevant and interesting. Whilst many schools are beginning to use small computer aided machining centres for teaching the principles of CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture,) Trinity College is the first and only school in Australia to install a computer controlled Laser Cutting and Engraving machine at the heart of its operation. For the first time in history, it is now possible for even the youngest students to design artefacts on the computer and as easily as pressing the "Print" command on their machine, see the item created in wood, plastic, fabric, leather or a host of other materials using a High powered CO2 laser beam. The implications for this area of Education are enormous, particularly as the capital outlay required is less than for "Traditional" computer controlled school machines. • Firstly the technology fits neatly into the timeframe of a normal lesson. • Secondly, the student manufacturing on our machine could just as easily be sitting in a classroom in Broome or Cairns to do it. This facility to network and share specialist resources will become a key issue in secondary schools of the future. • Thirdly, complex and repetitive shapes that normally defeat or frustrate young fingers can be produced with ease, and astonishing accuracy. • Fourthly, the use of this Technology demands relatively little new expertise on the part of the teacher. • Most importantly of all, however, it suggests that the whole way we think about Design and Technology education in schools will be de-constructed.

As has been suggested in the UK, school workshops in the future may be more accurately termed Thinking and Assembly Studios. Creative thinking by the boys is without a doubt what has carried this subject forward most significantly at Trinity. Successful projects undertaken in the centre this year have ranged from the design and construction of a back massager to an electronic rat trap! These projects which started out as vague ideas or dreams and have become three-dimensional reality are the true mark of progress - a continuing journey, and a giant step forward from the outdated and rigid craft skills of the past. This is Technology, a winding and ever changing journey into the future. This is what we seek to teach young people at the Treacy Technology Centre.

Change also embraces people. In 2003, Mr. and Mrs Marsden return to England. The ongoing development of the Technology Centre will be led by Mr. Ray Archibald, one of the most respected educators in this field in Western Australia. In every way, Design Technology cannot be set in concrete - it must continually change. At Trinity, Technology is antithermollotriomorphic!

Mr Harry Marsden Head of Design and Technology

Ed: We extend our grateful thanks to Harry and Diane and wish them both well for the future.