Design and technologies / Year 7 and 8 / Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

View on Australian Curriculum website Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
Curriculum content descriptions

Investigate the ways in which products, services and environments evolve locally, regionally and globally and how competing factors including social, ethical and sustainability considerations are prioritised in the development of technologies and designed solutions for preferred futures (ACTDEK029)

Elaborations
  • considering factors that influence the selection of appropriate materials, components, tools and equipment, for example Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ sustainable practices, custodianship and connection to Country
  • investigating how ethics, social values, profitability and sustainability considerations impact on design and technologies, for example animal welfare, intellectual property, off-shore manufacturing in Asia
  • critiquing competing factors that influence the design of services, for example a natural disaster warning system for a community
  • considering the rights and responsibilities of those working in design and technologies occupations, for example consideration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols
  • investigating traditional and contemporary design and technologies, including from Asia, and predicting how they might change in the future in response to factors such as social change and the need for more sustainable patterns of living
  • identifying needs and new opportunities for design and enterprise, for example promotion and marketing of designed solutions
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
Cross-curriculum priorities
ScOT terms

Human impact,  Ethics,  Designers,  Futures education,  Energy efficient design

Video

Catalyst: Shining the light on a more sustainable globe

Artificial lighting methods have changed with the invention of new lighting technologies designed to be more energy efficient and to reduce the use of resources. Since electricity has been used as an energy source, incandescent and fluorescent globes and, more recently, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used in our ...

Video

Landline: Drones and bugs

We don't normally associate robotics with farming but, in fact, robotics have revolutionised farming and agriculture in recent years. Find out how some strawberry farmers are using drones to disperse 'good' bugs for pest control management. Can you think of some other ways drones could be used to help farmers?

Video

Why become an engineer?

Are you interested in improving the way people live? What are some of the other reasons Ashwini Ranjithabalan gives for wanting to be an engineer?

Video

Low impact sustainable agriculture

This is a video (4:15 min) about how the Stewart family is regenerating their family farm, Yan Yan Gurt West, in south-western Victoria. Presented by family members, the resource describes how the land was over-cleared in the past and its hydrology or water resources were compromised when swamps were drained. The regeneration ...

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Travel Times

Life would be very different today if we did not have modern transport. In this activity, students calculate the time it would take for humans to travel long distances through different modes of transport. They then analyse the impact of these technological developments.

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Transportation Though the Ages

Humans are constantly working to develop and improve our technology and understanding. This resource provides step-by-step instructions to help students consider why innovative design and improvement is important. Students firstly identify as many types of transport they can think of and then discuss why new types of transport ...

Video

Growing exotic fruit - a niche market enterprise

This is a video(3:15 min) about John and Lyndall Piccone’s exotic fruit orchard at Tyagarah in New South Wales. The resource describes how the property produces more than 200 different tropical and sub-tropical fruits with the harvest beginning in early spring. Successive harvests serve to maintain customer interest in ...

Interactive

Thermal comfort – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This thermal comfort learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Online

Breeding a sustainable future

This is a unit of work that focuses on improvements in livestock and crop production brought about by agricultural practice, scientific research and technology. The unit is organised around six learning experiences that include investigating how agricultural products have developed over time; identifying the role of technology ...

Online

Balloon car challenge

In this practical activity, students design and build a balloon-powered car and race it to better understand the ideas related to rocket propulsion. The resource includes a step-by-step teacher guide and student worksheets.

Online

Kites

In this practical activity, students will learn about types of kites, some kite history and how kites fly before making and flying a kite themselves. The activity includes a teacher guide and student worksheet.

Interactive

Wing loading

Wing loading is a measurement that relates the mass of an aircraft or bird to the total wing area. This resource provides an interactive for students to compare flight capabilities of planes with birds, matching those that are the most similar.

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Biodiversity and farming for a healthy planet

This is a digital resource containing information and resources, such as printable games, that relate to biodiversity and farming, and how food and materials can be produced while protecting the Earth's natural resources. It includes an extensive glossary of important terms, and external links to teacher and student resources ...