The D-Tech News

We are off and running in Design Tech, and we have enjoyed our first few days. We have focused on getting to know each other a bit, engaging in a 3D name tag design challenge, a paper tower challenge, and even playing board games and card games to build community. In Design Tech, students will often work in groups for projects, while sharing materials and tools...so building a classroom connections is essential.

I was out on Thursday to visit my sister and new niece in Illinois, and I will be out tomorrow for a funeral of one of my best friend's mom. It's not ideal for the first week, but we have our awesome building sub, Mrs. Card, in my room for both days. I'll be back on Wednesday.

I look forward to sharing more about Design Tech with you through the D-Tech News, as well as at Curriculum Night on September 20. In addition, you are always welcome to ask your child to show you our Google Classroom to get an understanding of what we are doing in our class.

It would be helpful for your child to have a few things for our classroom. Each child will have a bin that they will share with another student to store their materials, as well as projects. They are welcome to keep some things in their bin, or they can have these things in their locker.

-A pencil

-Art supplies like colored pencils and markers (Not needed everyday, but helpful to have in locker. I have plenty in my class, but I know some kids like their own.)

-A Hot Glue Gun (I have these, but some kids like to use their own.)

-A bag of mini all-temp hot glue sticks to donate to the classroom supply. (We go through thousands of sticks each semester.)

-A composition notebook with gridlines for our Engineering Notebook. You can purchase them at Staples in the store or you can purchase them online. (Something like... https://a.co/d/11MmtCx OR https://www.staples.com/Staples-Graph-Composition-Book-9-75-x-7-5-Graph-Paper-Notebook-Blue/product_132674 OR Amazon Journal .

As the semester goes on, we may have special projects that come up with other needs, but this should be fine for now. We also have an Amazon Wishlist with materials that cover some projects and materials that would be helpful to have. I have added the link below, so if you would like to donate to our Design Tech classroom, there are some ideas for you.

Creativity is key in Design Tech, and often we find inspiration in materials that are upcycled. If you have interesting junk that could be repurposed...send it in or shoot me an email to ask if we could use it. Here are some ideas of things we love to use:

-Old small appliances that could be taken apart.

-Toilet Paper Tubes

-Lids and caps

-cardboard

- Scrap wood pieces or other construction materials

-containers

-clean egg cartons

-packaging materials with interesting shapes (We do not need packing peanuts or bubble wrap)

-Pringles Cans

-Yarn, thread, buttons, etc.

-Old t-shirts (We have a loom)

-Anything you think would be cool!

At the front of my room, I have a bin that is marked with donations. Your child can drop it off there or if it is something that is larger, I can arrange for a drop off, as we have a door to the parking lot at the back of our workshop.

Throughout the week I shared a presentation that highlighted things about me...my family, my interests, and who I am as an educator. Below is a copy of that presentation if you would like to check it out.

We have a Cricut, and I would love for kids to be able to use it more, including using it for textiles. I am hoping to do an entreprenuership unit, which will include the potential of using the Cricut to create products on the tshirt press. I am close to being funded for this project, as All State is mathing donations right now. If you would be willing to even donate $5...it will turn into $10.

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/entrepreneurship-excitement-in-design-te/7601560/?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=project&utm_term=teacher_1457410&rf=page-dc-2023-09-project-teacher_1457410&challengeid=22167103

I hope you enjoy the last day of your holiday weekend! If you ever need anything, please email me at JenniferBond@wlcsd.org. I look forward to engaging your child in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) learning this semester!