Design and Technology Education: An International Journal

Editorial Celebrating the 40th year of PATT conferences

Kay Stables, Lyndon Buck — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Guest Editorial: 40th Pupil's Attitudes Towards Technology Conference (PATT40) Special Issue

Sarah Davies, Matt McLain, Bhavna Prajapat — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Five Years of Construction Kits in Primary Schools: Evaluating the Current State of a Project to Facilitate Technology Education

Martin Fislake, Jana Schumacher — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In March 2018, metal construction kits were distributed to all elementary schools in Rhineland-Palatinate as part of the project called "Technikkiste" [translation from German: technology box] to promote STEM education. At the end of the year 2018, three more expansion sets followed. So far, no requests have been made to schools, even after five years of the project's start as to how and whether they use this material. Therefore, an evaluation study was carried out in 2023, which was intended to find out the current usage behaviour with the kits as well as to get an impression of the teachers regarding the in-service training that took place as part of the project. For that 921 elementary schools were asked to participate in an online survey. 69 answered the questionnaire some more gave informal feedback. The results from the survey already show that only about 70% of the responders are even aware of the metal construction kits. Around 30% stated, that they were not familiar with the metal construction kits. In addition, only about 43% of the participants indicated that the kits have ever been used in the classroom at their school. One of the main reasons why they do not use the constructions kits is that the school has allegedly not received a kit or has too few for classroom use. This brief excerpt from the survey results already shows that the promotion project is not showing the success that the Ministry of Education had hoped for.

Aligning Hangarau Perspectives: Exploring Curriculum Coherence in Māori-medium Technology Education

Ruth Lemon — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper is the fourth in a series exploring the issue of curriculum coherence in the development and implementation of the three iterations of Māori-medium Technology curriculum from the 1990s to the present. For Indigenous schools, curriculum coherence is not just a structural design issue but also involves the place of their Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural values, and educational philosophies. This paper investigates the challenges and opportunities to develop a Māori-medium Technology curriculum based on an Indigenous philosophy of Hangarau. Data is drawn from Ministry of Education archival files and interviews with developers of curriculum and curriculum support materials. It utilises document analysis and interviews with curriculum experts (referred to as mātanga in this paper). This study reviews literature around curriculum design in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly meta-analyses, and reviews, in the context of curriculum coherence. Curriculum coherence affects student learning across various levels: national, subject, school/classroom, and systems. It examines how curriculum coherence relates to the challenge of alignment between curriculum and curriculum support materials for teachers implementing the Hangarau curriculum, and the challenges in teaching of interpreting the learning outcomes. The paper concludes with recommendations to align national curriculum design, content, and implementation for more effective support of developers, teachers, students, and communities in Indigenous language learning contexts, enhancing student learning outcomes.

Reinventing Secondary School through design: An investigation of a Polytechnic High School Model focused on industry/community-driven design projects

Deana Lucas, Greg Strimel, Vanessa Santana — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the impact of a polytechnic high school model designed in collaboration with a research-intensive university and industry/community partners. Aimed at urban settings and focused on minoritized youth, this model replaces traditional subject-specific classes with industry-driven design project cycles. As design-based integrated STEM learning gains global traction, this research offers valuable insights. Pre/post surveys administered to seniors and teachers, along with follow-up surveys and focus groups with alumni during their first semester of college. This study explores the model’s effect on college and career readiness, teachers' perceptions of its effectiveness, and challenges encountered in implementing design-based instruction. Through an exploration of the model's successes and challenges, this study provides actionable recommendations for polytechnic models, contributing to the broader discourse on design-based STEM instruction.

Development of a new framework of Technology and Engineering Education by the Japan Society of Technology Education

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It is considered important to clarify the role of technology and engineering education for evolving STEM/STEAM education in each country. However, in Japan, unlike in other countries, the focus on STEAM education began after 2018, so the relevance of STEAM education to technology and engineering education has not yet been fully discussed. Therefore, the Japan Society of Technology Education (JSTE) tried to develop a new framework of technology and engineering education for promoting STEAM education in Japan prior to the revision of the National Curriculum. First, we conducted a survey on 1,656 Japanese junior high school students about the status of ‘Technology’ learning. As a result, it was shown that Japanese students have a positive attitude of ‘Technology’ classes. However, there is a lack of learning activities related exploring technology, and design problem-solving is not adequately linked to abilities for technological innovation and governance. From this, we developed a new framework focused on enhancing exploratory activities and problem-solving related to engineering. The framework included the Triple-Loop Model as the engineering design process, the connections between physical and cyber technologies within that scope, and the learning model of STEAM education that centred on the engineering design process with various connections among all subject areas. Lastly, we conducted a survey to evaluate the new framework on JSTE members (four-point scale, agreement rating). As a result, many received mean value of 3.00 or higher, showing that the participants agreed with the proposals. However, the concept of the term ‘Engineering’ (2.78) had a mean value of less than 3.00 and a larger SD than the others. Therefore, in the last version the concept of the term ‘Engineering’ was revised, and the framework was completed.

Student Insights on Product Improvement and User Perspectives in Japanese Junior High Technology Education

Hisashi NAKAHARA, Keita Sera, Tetsuya Uenosono, Atsuhiro Katsumoto, Jun Moriyama — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates junior high school students' perspectives on improving manufactured products and their perceptions as users after participating in materials processing technology learning in Japan. Guided by recent changes in Japanese curriculum guidelines emphasizing real-world application, we conducted a web-based survey collecting 721 valid responses from 833 students. The survey explored students' enjoyment of and satisfaction with materials processing learning, as well as their intentions regarding future technology-related careers. Our findings reveal high engagement in practical tasks, with 91.7% of students expressing positive attitudes towards making things. However, only 41.5% viewed their experiences as positively impacting future career aspirations. When prompted to describe product improvements, students frequently focused on safety (45.2%) and functionality (34.4%), while often neglecting environmental and economic factors. Differences emerged between those who described user-oriented improvements and those who did not, suggesting that descriptive reflection may enhance safety awareness and other practical concerns. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on technology education by highlighting the need for curricular advancements that better link technological learning with future career opportunities. It also underscores the importance of fostering a comprehensive design approach that includes societal and environmental considerations.

Timeless, socially relevant engineering knowledge and skills for future education

Per Norström, Susanne Engström, Birgit Fahrman — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What pupils learn in school should ideally be useful throughout their whole lives. It should help them in further studies, in working life, and when acting as responsible citizens in democratic society. This is challenging for all subjects, including technology. Technology develops fast. It is most likely that wheels, wedges, and inclined planes will be used in the future, but it is difficult to know which programming languages, sources of energy, and materials that will be relevant a few decades from now. This article describe how these problems are handled in international curricula and standards, and by Swedish teachers, teacher students, and teacher educators. In curricula they are seldom addressed explicitly, but handled by giving deliberately vague descriptions of what students are to learn. The interviewed teachers, teacher educators, and teacher students were unused to think about future-compliant or timeless knowledge. When prompted to do so during the interviews, they found it easier to describe timeless skills than timeless factual knowledge. Prominent among their suggestions were abilities related to engineering design processes, technical problem solving strategies, fundamentals of computer programming, and engineering mechanics.

Insights into Sustainable Development: Secondary School Students' Conversations about Product Life Cycles

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this study, we provide insights about secondary school students’ conversation about products’ life cycles in relation to three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, and ecological sustainable development but also what traces of view that appear in these conversations. Production and consumption are part of complex technological systems that affect nature and life on earth, and knowledge about these systems are required to achieve sustainable development. In technology education, students can have the opportunity to talk about products and their life cycles. Hence, this study aims to explore what emerges in students’ conversations about products’ life cycles in relation to sustainable development. Data collection was conducted in Sweden through seven semi-structured interviews, with in total 21 students participating in groups. All student responses have been analysed using thematic analysis to explore dimensions and views of sustainability. Results show that the students discuss with regard to all three dimensions of sustainable development. However, the phases of a product’s life cycle occur to varying extent within the different sustainability dimensions. Additionally, the students also connect dimensions with both harmonious and contrasting perspectives but also talk about the dimensions isolated. When participating students discuss, traces of mainly anthropocentric and technocentric view emerge. This has implications for technology education, where for example deliberative conversations can be used for engaging students in sustainable development.

Collage as a Reflective Tool: Teachers’ Perspectives on Forests and Urban Environments

Alexina Thorén Williams, Dawn Sanders, Maria Svensson — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The study aims at professional development directed towards finding new pathways in education for and in sustainable development. In this study, we consider how primary teachers from two schools in Gothenburg, Sweden, experience the forest and the urban area as potential learning environments. This study focuses on teachers’ perceptions (understanding) and experiences (emotional) of two places, the urban area, and the forest. To make visible teachers' relationships with the urban area and the forest, we use collage inquiry as a research method to stimulate teachers’ reflection, conversation and writing about the forest and urban area. Primary teachers from three schools in Sweden participated in the study and made collages The collage inquiry brought out their emotions, perspectives, and curiosity about the forest and the urban area described in three themes; temporarily situated, place dependent and emotionally connected. Knowledge of teachers' perceptions and experiences ensures opportunities to deepen the ability to teach technology beyond the classroom. To bridge between biology and technology and compare ecological and technological systems constitutes a possible basis for continued work and development of teaching for sustainable development.

Empowering Student Teachers to teach Technology with a sustainability edge: Crucial aspects to address in Teacher Education

Anne-Marie Cederqvist, Per Högström — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Technology education in primary schools must integrate sustainable development to provide young learners with the basic knowledge, skills, and values to understand, appreciate and contribute to a sustainable future. This integration prepares them for the challenges of a rapidly changing world, promotes responsible use of technology and fosters a sense of environmental responsibility from an early age. However, for this to happen, teacher education needs to adopt strategies that empower student teachers to seamlessly integrate sustainable development into technology education and equip them with environmentally and socially responsible attitudes. The aim of this study is to explore what needs to be addressed in teacher education to prepare student teachers to teach technology integrated with sustainability. The study is part of a project where to develop a teaching module that will prepare student teachers to teach technology in primary schools, with special attention to how student teachers develop relationships between technology education and sustainable development. The study includes 12 student teachers enrolled in a science and technology course. Data were collected in several steps, including focus group interviews, and written individual reflections by student teachers. Based on thematic analysis, we identified what student teachers experience as crucial to being able to teach technology with a sustainability edge. The results show that preparing student teachers to teach technology with a sustainability edge requires a multifaceted approach that integrates knowledge of technology and sustainable development with personal values, pedagogical competence, critical thinking competency, and the adoption of transformative teaching practices.

Research and Design teachers’, and students’ frame of reference around the concept of 'model’.

Jeanna (Snjezana) de Haan -Topolscak, Merle Ebskamp, Pauline Vos – de Tombe — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This pilot study investigates the way that young students and teachers of a Dutch Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) secondary school subject Research and Design (R&D) reason about the concept of ‘model’. The core of the Dutch Technasium secondary school course Research and Design curriculum (R&D is in Dutch called Onderzoeken en Ontwerpen O&O) is to involve students in real-life design (or research) problems with a problem owner at a company or organisation. Students explore the nature of the design problem, establish a design brief, explore possible solutions and work out one option into a design, a prototype or a product depending on the level of complexity. Students work and learn in teams coached by Technasium teachers. Some secondary school teachers are qualified to teach at Technasium if they obtain a certificate from the Technasium foundation through a number of short training courses. They are originally teachers in various subjects like mathematics, physics, physical exercise, language and so on. The other part of the teachers has a teaching degree in R&D next to a degree in engineering. Thanks to different backgrounds the teachers offer a variety of angles and know-how in different fields of expertise needed during a R&D activities. Such a composition is enriching and STEM supporting at the level of knowledge transfer. It is clear that some R&D teachers have no design pre-knowledge. A pilot survey of R&D students and teachers on the concept of ‘model’ within design activities unexpectedly showed similar doses of confusion about the concept of ‘model’ among students and teachers. Therefore, when asked to teach a concept of ‘model’ in design related activities teachers provided a different definition of concept. Often a physically built scale ‘model’ or prototype is the form of ‘model’ they recognize in designing. The danger of such an approach is that the students obtain different, incomplete, or incorrect knowledge about the concept of ‘model’ in relation to design. Therefore, the set of values and norms within the group of Technasium teachers is needed, to establish a design related frame of reference.

Applying a design approach to robotics in education

Dani Hamade, Jan Landherr, Peter Röben — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The integration of robots into classroom settings has a long-established presence in both general and vocational education. With the developments in Industry 4.0, the importance of robotics in schools has also increased, which has become clear through various funding programmes. Especially in general education, there is often a focus on utilising robots as a tool to provide learners with an interactive learning experience centred around feedback. This approach effectively connects theoretical concepts from the curriculum to practical real-world applications through the utilisation of robots. However, the emphasis often overlooks the robots themselves and their design elements. It is important to note that the possibility for learners to design robots for self-set goals is often limited by this traditional approach. This article introduces a methodological approach that promotes a design-oriented perspective within robotics in education. In addition to outlining the methodology, the article also presents initial examples on the implementation of this design-oriented approach in training future technology teachers.

Teachers’ Scaffolding Strategies in Relation to Enacted Verbal Reasoning in the Design Process

Ellinor Hultmark, Susanne Engström, Annica Gullberg — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Learning to reason in the design process is enclosed in the process of learning to design. Hence, in this study, we explore teacher-student interactions with the aim of describing teachers’ support strategies in relation to enacted reasoning in the design process in secondary school technology education in Sweden. The study deploys social cultural theory as a lens, with a focus on scaffolding means and intentions of the teacher. Relevant reasoning in the design process is theoretically framed as means-end reasoning and cause-effect reasoning. Empirical data was collected through three classroom observations with three different Swedish secondary school technology teachers, with subsequent interviews with the teachers using stimulated recall. During the observations the students were engage in different design processes. The data was analysed using thematic analysis, where themes as strategies were constructed for each reasoning type from patterns of meaning in teachers’ scaffolding means and intentions. For each reasoning type, teachers employed strategies of decreasing control and increasing control. However, the enactment of these strategies differed in scaffolding intentions and means in relation to what reasoning was verbally enacted. Our findings indicate that teacher-student interactions within the design process in technology education classrooms hold significant meaning and value. This has implications for both teaching and learning in the field.

Design Thinking in Action: Fostering 21st Century Skills Alongside Subject Specific Knowledge at Key Stage 3 in D&T

Philip Jones — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the integration of Design Thinking into the Key Stage 3 Design and Technology (D&T) curriculum at a school in North-West England, focusing on fostering 21st-Century Skills alongside subject-specific knowledge. The research draws on a multiple case study approach derived from the 'Solving Genuine Problems for Authentic Users Project', which involves students aged 12-13. The paper critically examines the current educational emphasis on knowledge in England and the potential erosion of D&T's identity and scope within this framework. Through practical D&T activities rooted in Design Thinking principles, the study investigates how real-world problem-solving and innovation can be effectively embedded into early education to support students in tackling complex future challenges. The implementation of a Design Thinking Integrated Learning (DTIL) model is discussed, highlighting its capacity to engage students in empathetic, creative, and analytical processes that contrast with pervading approaches in D&T. The findings suggest that a balanced approach, integrating both knowledge and skills, is crucial for nurturing adaptable, competent learners capable of addressing the demands of the 21st-Century.

Empowering learning through integration: Enhancing understanding of variables and functions in the context of STEM education

Brahim El Fadil, Professor — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the integration of STEM activities in teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of innovative pedagogical approaches in effectively introducing theoretical concepts, such as variables and functions, and merging them with practical applications. Drawing on existing literature, this study investigates the integration of STEM activities with real-world applications to enhance mathematics learning, highlighting intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and goal orientation as key factors in fostering student engagement. This case study explores the integration of a STEM activity to introduce students to variables and functions through a pendulum experiment. The aim is to demonstrate the impact of this approach on students' understanding of abstract mathematical concepts, as well as their problem-solving skills. By combining cognitive and social constructivism with technological modes (virtual labs), the study showcases the transformative potential of innovative techniques in STEM education. The outcomes of the study highlight, to some extent, the positive effects of STEM activities on students' engagement, motivation, understanding of theoretical concepts, and problem-solving skills. The focus on hands-on activities supports practical learning experiences and fosters critical thinking. Additionally, virtual labs enrich students' exploration of complex mathematical phenomena, enhancing their ability to apply prior knowledge to new contexts and transcend the boundaries of traditional lab settings. Overall, the findings underscore the transformative potential of innovative pedagogical approaches and technological modes in creating engaging learning environments within STEM disciplines.

Student’s perception about mechanical stress and what is most important for learning during a practical task using digital interactive lab description.

Caroline Forsell, Per Westerlind — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated student’s knowledge and understanding of mechanical stress including strain, and the relation between mechanical stress and strain, using material created by the authors of this text. It also investigated what the students perceived helpful for learning. The material was a complete laboratory setup and was intended to be simple and visual, including a digital part. During the studies in a Swedish upper secondary school, students enrolled in the technology programme took a general introductory course in solid mechanics. The students' participation in our study was composed of four classes. The study was implemented by answering a questionnaire prior to laboratory and a similar one after the laboratory, 85 out of 107 students answered both questionnaires. A thematic analysis was applied on the material, resulting in six thematic groups based on the students’ previous knowledge and how much they have learned from the laboratory. To find correlations between the thematic groups, classes, and what the students perceived important for learning, a One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with multiple comparison post hoc test was performed. A significant difference between the class and the thematic groups was found (p<0.05). Another significant difference was found between the teacher and the class the students were in (p<0.001). This study showed that the teacher was important for the students’ perception of solid mechanics during this laboratory and that the interactive lab description played less roll. The teacher’s importance depended on what class the students were in.

Teaching programming in technology education: Revealing student teachers' perceptions

Anna Perez, Maria Svensson, Jonas Hallström — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the changing landscape of technology teacher education, in relation to the increasing integration of digital content, especially programming, in teacher education for grades 4–6 (pupils 10-12 years old) and how student teachers in Sweden perceive this content. Limited research exists on student teachers in technology, particularly focusing on programming. This study therefore investigates student teachers' perceptions of teaching programming in technology education, after completing their technology course in teacher education. We answer the following research questions: What are the student teachers’ perceptions of teaching programming in technology education? and How is potential subject didactics knowledge for teaching programming manifested in student teachers’ perceptions of technology teaching? Using a phenomenographic approach, 25 student teachers’ perceptions of programming in technology education were investigated through semi-structured individual and group interviews. Different perceptions were revealed and presented in four categories: (1) following instructions in a logical order, (2) learning a programming language, (3) solving technological problems, and (4) understanding and describing a technological environment. The results show that student teachers' perceptions of the subject of technology predominantly focuses on following instructions and the learning of a programming language. The identified potential subject didactics knowledge is constituted of an awareness of three critical aspects: understanding programming language, understanding programming as a way of solving problems, and the relationships of technological problems to everyday life and society. This study offers valuable insight into the development of competencies required to teach programming in technology, informing educational strategies and future research in this emerging field.

Learning to teach and teaching to learn about Robotics at primary level: Professionalization for inclusive technology education integrating Theory and Practice

Franz Schröer, Claudia Tenberge, Nele Schemel, Malin Osnabrügge, Lea Schneider — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The professional development of teachers is considered a central task of teacher training and therefore also for teaching technology education in an era of digitalization. The anchoring of technology and digital technologies is becoming a mandatory task in teaching especially due to curriculum requirements and an increasing importance of learning with and learning about digital technologies for dealing with everyday problems (Ministry for Schools and Education of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MSB NRW), 2021). The lack of emphasis on technology education in teacher training for primary school teachers in Germany presents a significant obstacle to the integration of technology education into the curriculum. Moreover, the individual decision on the extent to which technology education is addressed in the multi-perspective school subject ‘Sachunterricht’ leads to insufficient consideration. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that the self-efficacy and subjectively assessed competencies of teachers have an impact on the inclusion of technology in ‘Sachunterricht’ (Möller, Tenberge & Ziemann, 1996). It is unclear how (prospective) teachers can acquire and test the necessary competencies to be able to carry out digital-technology and inclusive lessons in an educationally effective manner. To address this question, the present article employs a design-based research approach (Euler, 2014) to test and evaluate theoretical constructs in practice by prospective teachers.

Making pedagogy for spatial literacy: a case study of an origami workshopin an after-school makerspace

Marten Berend Westerhof, Colm O'Kane, Gavin Duffy — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Spatial skills are crucial to STEM disciplines and involve a variety of cognitive processes and skills related to visualising, reasoning and communicating about spatial relations. Particularly in the primary school years, attaining ‘spatial literacy’ gives children a valuable set of skills and knowledge that can aid them in successful participation in STEM subjects. However, it is poorly understood what constitutes spatial literacy for primary school age children. Furthermore, research into pedagogy for spatial skills is limited, with training interventions often resembling psychometric tests. Therefore, it is pertinent to explore which spatial skills and knowledge are most important for primary school age children to develop and how pedagogy could look to help children to attain spatial literacy. Maker education provides an integrated and design-based approach to learning in which children could practise spatial skills and knowledge by applying it in a creative way. Origami provides a particularly interesting medium to explore these questions as it has previously been used successfully to train psychometrically assessed spatial skills. This paper details a ‘research through design’ case study of the development of a theoretically informed origami workshop and its implementation in a makerspace during an after-school makerspace programme. The origami workshop and its pedagogical qualities are described and the implementation of the origami workshop in an after-school makerspace is analysed in light of spatial literacy. These findings are discussed and contextualised with insights from the literature. Finally, several recommendations for further research on spatial literacy for primary school age children, specifically in the context of maker education, are made.

Understanding students’ learning of technology through interaction supported by virtual reality

Johan Lind — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Given the profound influence that technology has on society, shaping our behaviours, conversations, and decisions, it is essential to understand its development and nature. Obtaining a complete understanding of technology requires us to explore both the nature of technology and its historical aspects. This study examines how using supportive images in a virtual reality (VR) learning environment, combined with verbal interactions, supports students aged eight and nine in developing an understanding of the nature of technology.

Data were collected during an ordinary technology teaching activity and the analysis highlighted that these students, through interactions and VR images, demonstrated knowledge of all dimensions of technology, as described by DiGironimo (2011). The analysis of the findings indicated that the students’ knowledge could be categorized, but there seemed to be more complexity in their utterances than DiGironimo’s model could capture. Additionally, I employed a discursive analysis to achieve a deeper comprehension of the students’ perceptions of the history of technology. Here, the findings indicate that VR images can promote students’ interaction related to the history of technology, which often leads to exploratory conversations.

The findings have the potential to support teachers in planning and conducting technology activities in primary schools, where images and verbal interactions could provide decisive support for developing an understanding of the nature of technology, especially the historical dimension of technology.

The AI generative text-to-image creative learning process: An art and design educational perspective

Tore Andre Ringvold, Ingri Strand, Peter Haakonsen, Kari Saasen Strand — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In today’s constantly changing world technological developments in artificial intelligence (AI) can induce educational visions of both utopia and dystopia. New technologies and communication platforms can provide new forms and possibilities of learning. Creating an image has historically mostly been a human process of using knowledge and application of technique that demanded training. This image-making process changed with the invention, development and spread of the photographic camera, when creating a detailed visual representation of reality became a possibility without a complex process of craftsmanship and artistry. The nature of visual art changed but the visualisation of ideas and prefigurative thoughts could not necessarily be captured by a camera. With the development and spread of AI text-to-image generation, can this change the need for competency to visualise ideas in the way the camera changed the need for drawings and paintings as visual representations? This study explores how AI text-to-image generators can contribute to and change art and design education. We conducted exploratory experiments where we tested a variety of AI text-to-image generators and explored the outcome of using different generators, prompts and settings. Reflections were written down throughout the process. This was combined with an online ethnography on a text-to-image community. Different potentials of learning were identified, as well as issues of interaction and possible contexts of use. The results are discussed in a future learning context.

Comparing Augmented Reality in industry and Technology Education: Exploring teacher views and research needs

Tobias Wiemer, Marius Rothe — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The use of Augmented Reality (AR) is a relatively new but significant trend in the educational landscape, including in technology education. The aim of this article is to discuss different perspectives on AR applications and describe the similarities, possibilities, and differences between them. Initial research in the field of technology education has shown numerous applications, especially since many tools, machines, and techniques must be learned in the hands-on practical sector, a discipline where AR is already being used in the industrial sector. However, there are even more applications in the industrial context. The resources utilized in these cases are often not available in the education sector, and the requirements for such systems differ between educational and industrial applications. When considering the specific application of AR in schools, it offers yet another perspective compared to educational research and industrial applications. Based on the results of an exploratory study among technology teachers in Lower Saxony, it becomes clear that costs, accessibility, and the lack (thus far) of appropriate learning materials are seen by teachers as the biggest challenges to effectively using AR in schools. It is noted that research and development projects in general technology education are necessary to effectively implement AR in technology education.

Book Review Design and Technology in your school: Principles for Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

Mark Norris — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000