Thursday 24 October 2013

Mechatronics course


This week we have had a pleasure to have a visiting teacher Jussi Romppanen in our Derpartment of Teacher Education, Rauma Unit. Our second year craft and technology teacher students have studied very intensively mechatronics and programming in the guidance of Mr Romppanen. Last Week I prepared the students in my lecture by different examples related to the topic. One of the very interesting and exhilarating masters of technology and form related to the topic is Theo Jansen, a  Dutch artist who is known about building large mechanisms out of PVC that are able to move on their own. But now we have been able to study and work out with Arduino microcontrollers. Our students have been training to encode these devices. Today in the last mechatronics session they constructed and programmed their own robots or robot arms…

Programming

Robot arm

"Where shall I go?"

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Exhibition and evaluation session of the course “basics of electronics” for the first year craft and technology teacher students

In the University of Turku, Department of Teacher Education Rauma Unit, we had the course “basics of electronics” with our first year craft and technology teacher students. In the end of the project we organized an exhibition and evaluation session. Personnel from Kouluelektroniikka Oy (the electronics store) visited our session and tested with us some of the devices. In these tests, the technology and also the design of many devices were fine!

Zebra line design



Different amplifiers



Red, black and white



Blocks



Decorative

Friday 19 April 2013

Accomplishments in the KäpOp course


The KäpOp inservice course has been running until now, and the next intensive days will be organized on August 2013. I told you about this course on January in my blog. Very much work has been done, and some independent activities will be continued even during this spring. The one task for the course participant techers was to design a stereo-amplifier for their own purpose uses. They were allowed to use an existing circuit, but they had to manufacture the circuit boards on their own, as well as the boxes and other devices for the amplifiers and loudspeakers. Initially these teachers had not very much competencies related to technology projects concerning electronics, but their accomplishments are excellent. Many of them have more experiences about textile crafts, and also these competencies they have been upgrading during the course. This giftedness can be seen in their devices. Some of the teachers have reported their work on their blogs. I include here the links to some of the blogs...



Different amplifiers



White, black and grey



Music in the kitchen


Wednesday 13 March 2013

Kite workshop


University of Turku, Department of teacher education in Rauma collaborates with several local museums. A Finnish artist Jaakko Karhunen has presented his work in Rauma Art Museum in the exhibition “Time of Dragon – Contemporary Art from China”. Jaakko has spent more than one month living and working in China. His work, a flickering and illuminated kite has been exposed in the exhibition.

Jaakko Karhunen has been visiting our department and arranging a kite workshop in Teknika building in 12nd – 14th March. He has been teaching our students to make kites and talked about what can be art. Our students have been working under Jaakko’s guidance with enthusiasm. They have learnt to make a “Common Raven” kite, using Bamboo, black plastic bags and tape. In the first workshop on Tuesday 12th  about 20 students were working with their kites. Some of them got their kites ready, but the weather was bad for flying them because of the snowfall.
Students with their paper patterns
Jaakko shows how to use two sided tape

Ready, just flied
Clear blue sky
  
Over the trees
On Wednesday I was substantiated the success of fly of one of the “Common Raven” kites. It was flying just like a living, black bird.

Thursday 28 February 2013

Design and electronics...


Beginning at December 2012 we have started the course “basics of electronics” with our first year craft and technology teacher students. The first task was to get them to manufacture a simple circuit connection, which operates as an electricity indicator. They had to design also a workable and compact casing for it. The device is useful for example in checking the state of fuses in the home electrical center. I prefer student agreeable projects: the second task for my students was to get them to design a stereo-amplifier for their own purpose use. They were allowed to use an existing circuit, and one electronics store supplied them the very cheap components. However, they had to design and manufacture the circuit boards on their own, as well as the boxes and other devices for the amplifiers and loudspeakers. In craft and technology education, the theory knowledge, knowledge of design and working has the equal importance. During the lectures we have been studying the basics of electronics, the function of the components and simple calculations with different quantities. During the demonstration lessons the students have been working with their projects. In the end of the project we are going to organize an exhibition and evaluation session. Kouluelektroniikka Oy (the electronics store) will become to test the devices.  I’m waiting they will become ready! We have already tested quite many amplifiers, and the technology is ok. I suppose that also the design of all devices will be fine!

Some of the students’ projects are challenging.

Thursday 24 January 2013

The Bothnian Sea project


On Wednesday this week we had a meeting with a group of first year craft and technology teacher students, two teachers from the University of Turku, and delegates from the City of Rauma environment agency. This was the final discussion about the Bothnian Sea project, which was planned and organized together with Rauma City and the teacher students on craft and technology education in the University of Turku, department of teacher education, Rauma Unit. The project was organized around the themes “environmental education” and “The Bothnian Sea”. The learning task for the students was to ideate, design and manufacture products for environmental education within the students’ first introductory craft and technology courses. The materials and techniques included woodwork, metalwork, electronics, sewing, felting and different kinds of other textile techniques. The purpose was to combine materials and techniques, and to ideate a product or the “family” of products for environmental education. 

As the start on the project, Juhani Korpinen, the head of the environment agency of the Rauma City prepared a presentation concerning the Bothnian Sea National Park in the Rauma area.  The students also made a sea trip with the boats onto the Nurmes island. The purpose of this trip was to familiarize the students with the nature of the Bothnian Sea area, but also to generate inspiration for the design process. The students continued to process and manufacture their ideas in the guidance of several teachers. They experienced the process as very challenging, because many technologies and techniques were new for them, but many of the final products were fine and skilfully made. An exhibition was organized around the theme in the end of the project, where the students’ presented their products.  

In the Wednesday meeting the final synopsis about the project was made, but also the future elaborations were made for the next summer exhibition in the national park. The students were very motivated to continue the co-operation with the Rauma City and the environment agency. From our point of view as the teachers, this kind of projects will be organized also in the future. The synergy leads us forward!

One of our teacher student speaking in the final meeting.

Friday 18 January 2013


On Thursday this week I was employed with intensive day concerning craft and technology education for Finnish comprehensive school teachers. The day was a part of the larger in-service course unit on basic studies of craft and technology contents. The first session on Thursday morning was a summary and evaluation of first course unit. During the last autumn the University of Turku, Department of Teacher Education, Rauma Unit organized two intensive three day periods of  learning different textile craft and technology contents. Between the intensive periods the teachers taking part to the course were working on their study tasks. They had to make plans about learning tasks for primary school students. The aim was to plan a craft and technology project, which combined different textile and technology techniques. They reported their plans of the project and their activities through writing their own blogs. During the evaluation session on Thursday they presented their projects, including their craft and technology products they had made. The presentations, the blogs and the products were amazing…  

This in-service course unit is the first for me, where I as a teacher have used social media as a tool for education. Moodle virtual learning environment is familiar for me in my everyday work with university students, but a facebook group as a tool for education has been a new experience. It works as an easy and rapid way to be in contact with my “students”. I think that also the teachers as their “student role” have seen this way as fine and useful. They have got support and help also from each others. Our course continues, and perhaps in the future months I will tell more about our experiences.