Questions that I will ask you when you are done reading:
1. What is the difference between Art and Design?
2. Why are design and technology so related?
3. What constitutes good design?
4. Why is bad design so obvious?
5. What does it mean that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication?
taken from:
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page7396.cfm
Technology serves humans.
Too often people blame themselves for the shortcomings of technology. When their computer crashes, they say, “I must have done something dumb.” If a Web site is poorly designed, they say, “I must be stupid. I can't find it.” They might even turn to a book for Dummies to get it right.
This is horrible! People should never feel like a failure when using technology. Like the customer, the user is always right. If software crashes, it is the software designer's fault. If someone can't find something on a Web site, it is the Web designer's fault. This doesn't mean that the designer has to hang their head in shame ... they should see this as a learning opportunity! The big difference between good and bad designers is how they handle people struggling with their design.
Technology serves humans. Humans do not serve technology.
Design is not Art.
Art is about personal expression. It is about the life, the emotions, the thoughts and ideas of the artist. It matters very little what observers do; their activity is not required, only their appreciation. The practice of Art doesn't require them. It is a necessary activity for the artist and the artist alone.
Design, on the other hand, is about use. The designer needs someone to use (not only appreciate) what they create. Design doesn't serve its purpose without people to use it. Design helps solve human problems. The highest accolade we can bestow on a design is not that it is beautiful, as we do in Art, but that it is well used.
Unlike Art, Design is always contextual. It matters when a design was created because of the context of its use: What problem is it supposed to solve? And for whom? At what point in time? This is why design is so related to technology; because technology changes so quickly, so must our designs. A design that worked 10 years ago might not even be worth considering today. History is littered with wonderful designs that are no longer necessary.
Great Art, on the other hand, is always in style. We appreciate Michelangelo's David even though we could recreate a million of them because it was the toil and expression of a single man. That will never fade. Great Design is dependent upon the age in which it is made and the problem which it is meant to solve. But not Art. Art is timeless.
The litmus test? When people enjoy Art, they say, “I like that.” When people enjoy Design, they say “That works well.” This is not by accident. Good Design is something that works well.
The experience belongs to the user.
Designers do not create experiences, they create artifacts to experience. This subtle distinction makes all the difference, as it places the designer at the service of the user, and not the other way around. This doesn't rule out innovation; it doesn't prevent a designer to leap beyond what is accepted as state of the art. It just means that the experience of a design doesn't happen simply because the designer says it does; it happens when a user actually reports it.
The ultimate experience is something that happens in the user, and it is theirs. They own it.
Great design is invisible.
An interesting property of great design is that it is taken for granted. It works so well that we forget that creative effort was involved to bring it about. Sometimes, like with the lowly spoon, the object is so simplistic that it seems obvious, and we disregard that at one point in history it wasn't. Other times, like with the automobile, the object is so sophisticated yet easy to use that we're blinded to the fact that millions and millions of human hours went into getting it to this point. That's a shame ... every great design has a rich history. And every design has behind it a designer or designers who tried to make the world a better place by solving some problem or another.
Bad design is obvious because it hurts to use. It is awkward, difficult, and complex. In a great irony of the world, bad design is much easier to see than good design. It raps us on the head like a bully. Because of its success, great design is often invisible.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
As Saint-Exupéry said, “In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.” Simplicity is treading a line: knowing what to keep and what to throw away. It comes across as magic when it works, because none of the complexity is transferred to users, only simplicity. That is the highest achievement for a designer.
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"MYP technology is based on an inquiry and problem-solving approach that enables students to apply knowledge, skills and techniques to solve realistic problems by creating feasible products/solutions. MYP technology uses the design cycle as the methodological approach to problem solving through the creation of products/solutions.
MYP technology requires students to consider the interrelated nature of the development, application, impact and implications of technology, and how these influences have a role in shaping past and future techonolgy developments.
All units of work in technology must be based on the design cycle. The expectation for technology courses (as for all other subjects in the MYP) is that they will make effective use of ICT (computer technology)."
Taken from Middle Years Programme Technology Guide
Teaching to learn
The Design Cycle
Classroom Rules
- Be a good listener.
- Be on time.
- Be prepared.
- Be considerate.
Important Links
About Me
How is MYP technology different from other technology courses?
"MYP technology is based on an inquiry and problem-solving approach that enables students to apply knowledge, skills and techniques to solve realistic problems by creating feasible products/solutions. MYP technology uses the design cycle as the methodological approach to problem solving through the creation of products/solutions.
MYP technology requires students to consider the interrelated nature of the development, application, impact and implications of technology, and how these influences have a role in shaping past and future techonolgy developments.
All units of work in technology must be based on the design cycle. The expectation for technology courses (as for all other subjects in the MYP) is that they will make effective use of ICT (computer technology)."
Taken from Middle Years Programme Technology Guide
21 comments:
Mp3
The reason why I chose talk about my mp3 is because I like to listen to music a lot, and most other mp3s can only play music but my mp3 can also have photos and play videos, and it can play for example: wma, mp3, mp4, and other photo and video files. Number one reason why is it one of the best mp3s, is because it is easy to use and accessible to all and it has a scroll to fast scroll though music, it is not complicit to use or to put music on, also it can hold up to 4mbs of storage. Another great reason why it is so awesome, is the mp3 has a built in cover to protect it incase you drop it, as well it doesn’t scratch easily, also I hear I lot of times other mp3s get broken when in the sun to long this model, as I said the built in cover protects the mp3 of over heating.
There are some errors I have with using my mp3, like am not sure why, I have search it why it does this, but if I put my mp3 next to my cell phone or if it gets hot my songs will other don’t work or it will freeze when it is turned on. Now this is a big problem because once a few songs don’t work I can’t remove the files I have to reformat the whole mp3 and put all the songs and files back on.
X-box 360
Strengths:
I think my video game is good because is not really complicated to use and to play. My X-box is a developed video game but just because it’s developed that does not mean that is complicated to use.
The good things about my X-box is that you can have something called X-box live, and with that you can play your X-box with people who are far away from you, and that means that you don’t need to go to other people’s house to play with them you can just call him and ask him to turn his X-box live on and start playing.
The X-box also has USB entry to open documents, play music on your USB or in your mp3, iPod or mp4. The controllers are wireless so you don’t need cables and stuff like that you can play from a much bigger distance. The memory card of the X-box is pretty big and you can choose between 256mbs, 20gbs or even 120gbs.
The game in the X-box are really good today you can almost every kind of game that you want and you can download the game that you want from your X-box, but only if you have X-box live.
There are also bad things about it, like:
The X-box is pretty big and a bit heavy, so you can’t put it in any bag, you need to buy a big bag to put it or buy the proper X-box bag. The X-box needs and I think it can be improved. The size of it needs to be smaller and the heaviness, also the price of it specially the price of the materials to make it simple like the wireless to receive the sign from then internet wireless and stuff like that.
Mauricio figueiredo
Costanza Lo Cascio
The Mechanical Pencil
The pencil has always been considered one of the most useful tools in human history. Think back, with which tool did you start writing? Yes, most probably the pencil. A simple stick with an even thinner black stick inside that is called lead. As time goes by, technology changes and design does too. It has been a few years now that most of the world is familiar and own a mechanical pencil. The design and appearance is very different compared to a traditional pencil. It has a modern look, and can be either thin or thick: it looks pretty much like a pen at first sight. A mechanical pencil is not made out of wood; its body is made out of either plastic or metal. Inside this tube there are many small springs and even thinner tubes that contain mini sticks of lead, they are very small. The best trait of this pencil is that to write, you just have to push a cap that is on the top of your pencil, where a small easer is located. Once you push that cap, from the point of your pencil, that is usually a small tube of metal, you will see the thin lead that is coming out. Then you can easily write and continue pushing the cap every time you need more lead. It is simple, modern and comfortable.
The mechanical pencil has been a huge success in the whole world. The good things about it are that first, you don’t need a sharpener anymore! You just need to buy a small box that has the lead that you need for your pencil (ex: 0.5, 0.7 mm) and insert them into your pencil each time you run out of lead. Think about it: it is like recycling! Instead of buying new pencils each time, buy one mechanical pencil! You can use it for a longer amount of time and save trees! They are very resistant as well, and have a very nice shape, and there are many different colors and models as well. As I said above, they are very comfortable, usually mechanical pencils are made in a way that you can have a good grip of the pencil and don‘t get tired of writing. Very often, in the spot where you hold the pencil, there is a little soft cushion that makes the grip of the pencil soft and nice to use.
Despite the fact that mechanical pencils are useful, they can be dangerous when used by small children. What might happen is that the child is attracted by the thin and pointy lead the pencil has, and he/she put the object in her eye or mouth. So when someone purchases mechanical pencils have to be sure they will keep it out of the reach of children and keep it in the appropriate places. Another bad aspect of the mechanical pencil is that the lead that you purchase, may not be of a good quality and might be fragile and break easily, and as a consequence the lead might even break your pencil. The nicer and finer the design of a mechanical pencil is, the more expensive it is.
Adaptor
Adaptors are great for all sorts of events. In all sorts of different countries different types of plugs are used and an adaptor and all your electronics will work if they are on the same volt. It makes plugs universal.
The problem with adaptors is that sometimes they are too big to carry around with you all the time and may be annoying to take places. It would also be nice if one adaptor fitted and plugged into all fittings.
Jackson Vaughan
A watch
It is useful because I can use it to tell the time very easily. I can tie it on my wrist and just leave it there and not have to bother about it. It is water proof so it will survive if it gets wet and the battery can be used for years .It is also strong enough to withstand falls. The glass is lower than the metal around it so if you hit it on a flat surface the glass will be safe.
However the battery will eventually run out and it will have to get replaced. Too much water might spoil it. And the strap can also get spoilt if exposed to water. One last thing is the glass can easily break or get scratched if hit.
Adaptor
Adaptors are great for all sorts of events. In all sorts of different countries different types of plugs are used and an adaptor and all your electronics will work if they are on the same volt. It makes plugs universal.
The problem with adaptors is that sometimes they are too big to carry around with you all the time and may be annoying to take places. It would also be nice if one adaptor fitted and plugged into all fittings.
Jackson Vaughan
Iphone
The object I chose that has a really good design and technology is the iphone. I think the iphone is really a good piece of technology and design because it looks good, it works properly, and it’s kind of easy to use. The Iphone 3g is also cheap and almost everyone can get it, the phone is cheap but the functions are awesome.
Now the negative aspects of the project said by my partner but I denied it was, it can get scratched and dirtied a lot on the back of the phone, and the messaging part is kind of hard because it’s touch screen. But I told him if you take care of it well and buy a case your phone won’t get dirty.
(Saif)
George
A watch
It is useful because I can use it to tell the time very easily. I can tie it on my wrist and just leave it there and not have to bother about it. It is water proof so it will survive if it gets wet and the battery can be used for years .It is also strong enough to withstand falls. The glass is lower than the metal around it so if you hit it on a flat surface the glass will be safe.
However the battery will eventually run out and it will have to get replaced. Too much water might spoil it. And the strap can also get spoilt if exposed to water. One last thing is the glass can easily break or get scratched if hit.
Ipod-touch
I feel that the Ipod-touch is the best item because it almost achieves the ultimate simplicity. It is able to play music and show movies providing hours of quality entertainment. The Ipod has for a long time been able to store large quantities of music on a portable music player. The Ipod-touch however took it one step further by adding touch technology, with touch technology apple eliminated the need for buttons and made the product a lot more user friendly. And at the same time they where able to improve the design because it became cooler and smaller. Also the back of the Ipod has a mirror, if you are able to not scratch it you will always be carrying around a pocket mirror.
The Ipod-touch does however have a few faults. The first is that the back of it that works as a mirror easily scratches and becomes unusable. Also dropping the Ipod and scratching the screen makes the enjoyment of the movie go away, as there will be scratches interfering. Also scratches on the scream makes the touch screen less sensitive.
Oyvind R Masst
Design Object: Keys.
As my design object, I chose my keys. I thought that this was a very successful and good design because keys are very useful objects in our lives and households. Keys are mostly small and easy to walk around with. They also don’t get scratched very easily because the metal doesn’t allow it. The shape of a key is simple but it is effective. A key is a great example of a simple design that Is very effective in our lives. Another good thing about a key, is that is cannot break easily. You can drop it on the floor, and you can bend and twist it, but still it won’t break. A key will only break under extreme measure.
Keys though also have bad things about them. For example keys tend to smell bad because of the metal, though this isn’t so bad for us but probably just for little kids. Another down fall of keys is that it can gather up a lot of dirt, that is why you probably shouldn’t let your toddlers play with them because they still have the habit of putting everything they have in their mouth. A key could also be too small so a person would lose it. The only way to solve that problem would be to order bigger keys, or ones that have longer handles and are harder to lose.
Emalisa Carvalho
January 20, 2009
USB
The USB is an awesome tool and piece of technology because of its use and its form. My USB has such a good form because it is so small. That is the whole point of the USB because now it is easy to transport and it is easy to put away. It also has a good design because it is very streamlined in shape which makes it look very modern. Its form is also good because it has a lid so you can cover the point which you insert in the computer. This is better than those retractable points because those could jam at some point which would render your USB drive completely useless. Its design is also very good because it is amazingly simple. Any computer you insert it in it works and all your data is there and accessible.
It is bad because in some cases the data which has been saved on the USB has been corrupted and doesn’t open. In other cases when the USB gets older the data sometimes disappears and unfortunately there is nothing to do about that. We have to wait until this technology gets developed further to achieve greater recovery of data.
Alizain Merchant
Djair Acubo
20/01/2009
Macintosh
That’s the object I chose, because it has a good design and technology which make it looks really cool and useful. The Macintosh I mean is the G5 one. That computer is just one screen with everything incorporate on it which makes it just one peace and makes it easy to fit in one place.
I also like Macintosh computer because it’s easy to use like for graphic works especially. Macintosh uses a operative system which is not easy to get crushed like get virus and things like that. Normally people use to format their computer at least 5 times a year because of virus but with Macintosh you can be like years without formatting it. So that’s why I like it.
My class mate sad that’s not really cool because it’s harder than normal windows to work but I don’t think so because you have everything more straight right there.
Television
The item I choose was television and the reason for that is that has loads of things which are good about it. To start out with is that television has given us entertainment for so long because we continually get new shows which make the television new no matter what time period it is. Secondly the television is good because we are introduced to the media which means that we will always be intact with what is going on all around the world. The last point which I found really nice about the television is how nice it looks like for instance the flat screen television and is very simple to use. Every year more advance televisions keep coming out.
The bad thing about the television which was told by my peer was that the television can make people very addicted to it and cause them to lose all sight of reality. Lastly that if mishandled the television can easily be broken like for instance the screen of the television.
Anesu Mutambara
January 20, 2009
Cell phone
The object design I chose is a cell phone. The cell phone is very useful nowadays. They are very useful because you can not only communicate with anyone and everywhere, but navigate on the internet, have a conversation with someone through video (3G). Some of phones also have very good cameras. It’s not as perfect as a real camera but it can get there. Cell phones also offer space for music. In my case I have a phone that has 8g’s and I can store as many music’s as I want.
My partner Djair said he agreed with me on how the phone is very useful but being specific. He said that my phone has software problems. It doesn’t last very long probably because the phone has a lot of functions and probably the owner of the phone over uses the phone and the software get messed up.
Mayisha Camal
Cell phone
The object design I chose is a cell phone. The cell phone is very useful nowadays. They are very useful because you can not only communicate with anyone and everywhere, but navigate on the internet, have a conversation with someone through video (3G). Some of phones also have very good cameras. It’s not as perfect as a real camera but it can get there. Cell phones also offer space for music. In my case I have a phone that has 8g’s and I can store as many music’s as I want.
My partner Djair said he agreed with me on how the phone is very useful but being specific. He said that my phone has software problems. It doesn’t last very long probably because the phone has a lot of functions and probably the owner of the phone over uses the phone and the software get messed up.
Mayisha Camal
My Nokia 6500 slide
My cell phone is an awesome object with a great design because it is attractive to the eye. I really like my cell phone because it is very lady-like and it is very easy to use. I can do various things with my cell phone such as listen to music, go on msn, use the internet, and take pictures and it still does its original purpose (texting and phone calls) flawlessly. The screen is big which makes it easier to read! It has good form and good function. My phone is really cool because unlike the 6500 classic it slides =)
Djimo and Jon pointed out that my phone has a few problems as it freezes sometimes because I have to much memory taken up. They also pointed out that my Lcd is not strong because I have had the phone for four months and the Lcd is already damaged. I think that people just need to be more careful with the phone and not drop it as much as I did because if you drop it the Lcd breaks. And in order for the phone not to freeze I just need to get a memory card with more memory or delete a few things that are unnecessary.
Miriam Sharif
My Watch
My watch is great because it’s very colorful so it goes with just about any clothes I wear. It is also very light so it doesn’t bother me when I wear it. It does everything it has to do which is tell time. The battery is very easy to change. It’s very easy to understand because it has numbers, some other watches have no numbers which makes it harder to tell exact time.
The bad things that Emalisa pointed out were that the screen can scratch and break easily and the bracelet being plastic, the top part comes off. She also said that the bracelet with time starts getting yellowish and that the little piece that keeps the bracelet from flapping is very easy to brake off.
Filipa
Design and Technology
My iPod Touch is the most well designed and technologically advanced tool that I use. It lives up the phrase, “Simplicity is the greatest sophistication”. Its touch screen makes navigating through videos, music, the internet, and games a walk in the park. It has an easy to use interface that is the true definition of user-friendly. Its appearance is attractive and eye-catching, complimenting its many useful utilities.
Although it has many positive points, it has one major flaw: it is very fragile. The touch screen and stainless steal back are susceptible to scratching and cracking. This can easily be avoided by buying one of the many styles of cases for your iTouch. This actually adds to the form of the iPod and makes it more attractive.
All-in-all, this piece of technology has form and function: usually hard to find properties that are part of why the iPod is the best selling portable music player.
--Jon Skaggs, 10F
Djimo Serodio
Design and technology
1.) I have a black and white billabong belt that I like very much. It is thick and strong made for any hard use. The technology put into it makes it the best belt I have ever seen because it is made of very strong and durable cloth attached to an aluminum frame. Even though it is a large belt, it is pretty light and feels strong. The fact that it is black and white means that it can be used with almost any kind of fashion. Finally, it is very easy to use as there are no holes. All you have to do is pass the belt through the frame and close it.
It is true though that it may be a bit too big for some kind of uses. Also, it may be too long for skinnier people and too small for fatter people.
2.) My ball-pen is my second object that I think is very simply, user friendly and very well designed. The BIC pens claim to have enough ink to write 30 kilometers. They are light, small, therefore, extremely portable and easy to use. The don’t need a cap to close the pen because they have a switch that lets the bic get out and stay or be locked inside. The flow of the ink is excellent and being a ball pen it means no ink is wasted.
However, ball-pens don’t have ever-lasting ink, and when they finish, they are not re charable.. The are not ozone friendly because many pens are thrown away into the environment and since they don’t decompose, they pollute. A major fall back is that ball pens cannot write on any kind of surface. Ball bens are made for paper, nothing else. When they write on glass or any other kind of surface, the ball doesn’t turn.
Sunglasses
I think sunglasses are a technology because it is used for a good purpose which is to protect your eyes from the sun so you don't harm them. Because sunglasses have become so useful and common for people people started making different forms and designs. People now have fancier looking sunglasses. There are sunglasses that are wider and broader. There sunglasses that have gradual a tint and full tint. There are changing both the design and form.
I chose sunglasses because it is something comman we use and important in our daily lives. And sunglasses have changed their designs and forms ober the past years and shows a good change.
Gayatri Talukdar
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