Globals 2007 Kafe“Shake a Tech Feather”Tech Skills Workshop

Simple Machines websitehttp://www.mikids.com/Smachines.htm

Andy Loftis

& Peggy Middendorf

Warning – ** Joke break **Machine humor

Tech Skills WorkshopOverview

Goal: Help students understand what goes into building a machine/device & teaching them the skills they need to do so.

4 modules of the Tech Skills Workshop

– Simple Machines– Power– Control– Design

These folks need to know how to build the right device for the job

**Warning- joke break**

Two men tried to steal a cash machine by attaching a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck.

Instead of pulling off the front panel of the machine, they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they drove home.

BUT – the chain is connected to the cash machine.The bumper is connected to chain.The license plate is attached to the bumper.

The pair was quickly arrested. —Darwin Awards

These thieves were not preparedThey needed a better ‘device’ to do the job!

& they needed to understand the properties of the materials they were working with!

Tech Skills Workshop OverviewCan be offered in 1 or 2 or 4 or more sessions►1-3 hr sessions►Include hands-on activities – doing=learning►Pictures/examples of types of machines/devices►Allow students to experiment/see what machines do

Limit the number of participantor increase the number of helpers for the sessionso that each participant can get

-questions answered -help with activities and -they will be successful

Tech Skills Workshop Modules & Materials

Do module in order (simple machines, power, control, design) o to build skills necessary to be successful in the 4th moduleo could skip elementary sections (i.e. simple machines) that

participants clearly understand & can explain.o don’t skip too many modules – they may say they understand

power or control – but the workshop will make connections they didn’t know via the activities/posters

Gather the materials o charge $$ for the workshopo or have each participant

(or team/individual) each bring items

Tech Skills Workshop Debrief

After each activity – take time to debrief ↔did the device DO what it was designed to do?↔how did it fail?↔how might it be improved? With materials? With design?

With technology?↔re-do the activity to let participants PRACTICE the

redesign/honing focus of the workshop

DO NOT SKIP THIS DEBRIEF ACTIVITY – this will help them understand they need to do this after the design & testing of EVERY device/machine

Tech Skills Workshop FlexibleThese modules can be taught to

single team

local workshop – school or city based

regional or statewide workshop

as a mini-session teaser at a general TM or participant workshop. In a short session, introduce ideas, do one or more hands-on activities

& arrange for further workshops –give hands-on homework

Materials Included in Each Module

Section Guide An overview of what is in each module

Leader Guide All materials & activities in the module Tips & hints on conducting workshop

Posters All major sections & points in section Fill-in-the-blank posters to plan and execute device design

CPS Tools Ways to use CPS tools in each section

Participant Handouts All major info for participants

Question/Picture/Activity Cards To use to demonstrate or teach tech principles

Simple Machines Module

Introduce simple machines– Inclined Plane– Pulley/Gear– Lever– Wheel and Axle– Screws– Wedge

• Picture cards include spring, inclined plane, wheel, screw, gear, pulley, and combing simple machines.

• Question cards include simple machines, pulleys, belts, and gears, and soda bottle example.

• Activity Cards include pulley, inclined plane, gear, conveyor, screw, wedge, and moving something.

Simple Machines Demo & Debrief 1

PosterSimple machines

Examples of each i.e. bought pulleys & thread spool

**Globals Kafe Demo of simple machines** ∞ “Conveyor belt” demo –gravity-powered∞ Wind-powered machine

Simple Machines Debrief & More

Debrief after each activity – -did the device DO what it was designed to do?-how did it fail?-how might it be improved? With materials? With design? With technology?-do you have time to re-do the activity to let participants PRACTICE the redesign/honing focus of the workshop

Depending on the workshop participants, you might be able to skim over or skip this section.

But it is key to understand how complex machines are put together — recognizing the simple components that make up complex machines are helpful when designing complex machines.

Power ModuleIntroduce power sources

Types of powerElectric basics, circuits, switches,

motors, safety & tools

Posters• Power Sources • Power Sources Chart• Electric• Electric Safety• Electric Tools• Electric Circuit• Circuit Series & Parallel• Switches• Power Task• ALOU Tool

• Question cards include static electricity• Activity cards for wind-powered car, balloon racer, chemical energy and magnets,

lemon battery, and electrical switches.

Power Humor ** Warning joke break***

Take one solid fuel rocket+

Install on a 1967 Chevy Impala+

Drive at a high speed

• The vehicle quickly reached a speed of up to 300 mph. The driver experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners.

• When the driver applied the brakes, completely melting them, he blew the tires, and left thick rubber marks on the road surface.

• The vehicle became airborne and impacted a cliff face at a height of 125 feet, and left a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock.

-Darwin Awards, 1995

Too much power????

Power Activities & Demos

-Sources of Power – posters and examples

-Circuits -series and parallelActivity – Making a circuit

-Add a motor and fun stuff

-SwitchesActivity - Types of on/off switches

-Motors – more on these in next slides

'Eureka! We developed an engine that runs on second-hand smoke!'

Power Do & Debrief

Do & Debrief - after each activity∆ Did the device DO what it was

designed to do?∆ How did it fail?∆ How might it be improved?

∆ With materials? ∆ With design? ∆ With technology?

∆ Do you have time to re-do the activity to let participants PRACTICE the redesign/honing focus of the workshop

Motors-Basics

• Motors are nothing more than converters of electricity — electric motors are machines that convert electricity into a mechanical motion (kinetic energy).

• A generator or dynamo does the reverse – converting kinetic energy into electrical energy.

• Motor Basics: When you connect the Battery Leads to the battery via a wire, the axle will spin.

• If you reverse the battery terminals the wires are connected to, the axle will spin in the opposite direction.

1.5 to 3V DC Hobby Motor From Radio Shack

Axle – this spins when connected to the battery

Battery Leads - Where you connect the wires

Steel can

Nylon cap

More on Motors

• SAFETY NOTE: Match voltage & amperage to make sure motor functions correctly (hint: look on the label)

– Avoid blowing light bulbs and wasting time and $$$$

• Where do you find motors? Motors are in EVERYTHING – model cars, big cars, washing machines, all you have to do is look.

– Take a technical device apart (with permission)– Purchase them at hardware or electronics stores or electronic components stores

(such as Radio Shack)

• Before you purchase a motor, know what you want it to do – Go around or up & down– Turn around– Move something– Pull or push something– Control a series of movements– Generate air movement– Or …….fill-in-the-blank 1.5 to 3V DC

Hobby Motor From Radio Shack

Axle – this spins when connected to the battery

Battery Leads - Where you connect the wires

Steel can

Nylon cap

Last power ***joke break***

• Challenge: Move a house about 500 yards, but move it under several power lines that were the same height as the house.

• One solution: a worker would ride on top of the house, and use a board to lift the power lines over. Short distance at low speed—no problems, right?

• Issue: One person on roof + one damp board + 7200-Volt power line = a quick trip to the ground.

• Result: 3rd and 4th degree burns to 8% of his body—but he survived. - Darwin Awards

• Moral of the story: Think SAFETY around Power Sources!

Control ModuleIntroduce control concepts• Control by use of materials• Control by design• Mechanical control• Outside control

Posters• Controlling• Properties of Materials

– Take the IC properties and SUPERSIZE them

• Strength of Shapes• Design Light but Strong• Attribute Listing• Brainstorming• Force Fit• Catapult Task

• Activity cards on properties of materials• Picture cards on photoelectric sensors

Its all about CONTROL Warning *** joke break**

"Hey watch this!“

A climber snapped his rope onto an unused overhead tram cable and attempted to manually ride down the mountain.

He accelerated out of control, and within seconds crashed against the rocks, and proceeded to bash his way down the slope. When he came to rest, he was DOA.

— Darwin Awards, Italy

It’s all about CONTROL!!!!!

Control Activity/Demonstration• Demo using physical control

– such as Hot Wheels tracks or railroad tracks– Demonstration – fridge magnet fun– FUN YouTube Frigits movie

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcquYYKurJ8&eurl=

• Demo on Strength of shapes – Activity – squares and triangles– Demonstration – arch building

ControlDo & Debrief

Do & Debrief did the device DO what it was designed to do? how did it fail – or succeed? how might it be improved?

With materials? With design? With technology?

re-do the activity let participants PRACTICE the redesign/honing focus of

the workshop

Right Device for the Task Module1. Introduce task-oriented options• What needs to be accomplished?• Which combination of simple machines will accomplish it?• What power source should be used?• Construction concerns

• Stability• Materials• Repeatability• Mobility

2. PostersDesign ProcessQuestions to AskMatrix for design

Plan for failureDI Specs

Design light, but strong

Building MaterialsFastenersToolsSafety

Innovations

Machines as artHoning your tech deviceTask Project

3. Use included Question Cards to discuss more

Right Device for the Task focus

• HERE is where the students need to pull on ALL that they have learned to build the right devise for the right job.

• We need to emphasize the – Design Process, – Questions to ask, – Building materials, – Fastener matrix, and – Tools– Testing & Debrief– Honing design

Learn + See meets Do + MakeThis is one of the trickiest tasks of the whole workshop

making the transition from

seeing + hearing + learningto

designing and building and testing and debriefing and revising/refining

IN OTHER WORDS1. Decide what they want a machine/device to do – we all know this part can take one

or more meetings2. Take what they have learned and seen and done (put learning into action)3. Actually TRANSLATE that into a new and original design of a device/machine

draw or make a plan and/or build a model 4. Build that machine/devise – what materials do they need to build it so the

machine doesn’t fall apart and so the task is repeatable - reliably5. Test that device6. Debrief and revise and refine until they get the device/machine they want/need

This part of the workshop may take several sessions – but is VERY VALUABLE.

Right Device for the Task Activity

Device Task Project– Task is included in the workshop– Choose another task

• from books, real-life, or to solve challenge • extended IC with a tech twist• ask participants for suggested task

Debrief after each project or activity

or design– -did the device DO what it was designed to do?-how did it fail? How did it succeed?-how might it be improved?

With materials? With design? With technology?-Re-design and re-do the activity

participants PRACTICE the redesign/honing focus of the workshop

Safety is paramount!

• Be sure to emphasize safety during every module – Not only do students need to know how to build a

machine/device – but they MUST know how to build it safely.

• Model safety as you teach each session.– Don’t do anything that you would not allow children to do.

• Don’t be a safety joke — **warning joke break**– The chef lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and he

submitted an insurance claim. The company sent a man to have a look for himself. He tried the machine out and lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

—Darwin Awards honorable mention

Q & A• Your questions

• THANK YOU!