- home | about us | membership | council | other STAs | CONSTAT | ASTA | professional learning - 
 -  National Science Week | Tasmanian Science Talent Search | publications | awards | useful links -
 

Technology Page This new 'Technology Page' contains classroom ideas, project examples, Questions and Answers, etc. Also a Question and Answer page will soon be operating in case teachers have specific concerns. Please email stsearch@bigpond.net.au if you have a question or two. Questions and Answers Question 1: Do I need to register my students for the Judging Day? Answer 1: We do ask that teachers entering students in the Tech Challenge send to the TSTS Director a list of names by August 8th of those students expected to enter, so we can have participation certificates printed before the day and ensure we have sufficient judges for the number of entrants. Only those who actually turn up for judging will be charged an entry fee. Other students may still enter but will only receive a hand-written certificate. Students will be given an “order of arrival number” for the judging order. Some waiting is to be expected, but being National Science Week, there will be exhibits of interest in the nearby area for them to observe whilst waiting.   Question 2: Some of my students want to know if the Ping Pong ball launchers have to sit on the ground or can they be held in the air? Answer 2: Once they are set off, you cannot touch them any more so I'd suggest they put them on a stand if they want to start with it elevated... as long as it can be dismantled into the A4 box.   Question 3: Do the students need to wear school uniform on the judging day? Answer 3: No they don't.   Question 4: Is the journal required to be bound or in a folder? Answer 4: It’s best stapled together in a plastic pocket.   Question 5: Are parents and teachers able to watch? Answer 5: Yes Yes! Teachers may even help us as judges if they are available!   Question 6: Can the journal contain photos as well as diagrams? Answer 6: Yes. Especially to show the modifications you have made to the design to show improved accuracy.   2009 Technology Challenge "Excerpt from Newsletter No 3, 17Jun09" I know a few schools where students are already busy designing and building their ping-pong ball launchers for the Technology section of TSTS. Here is a great opportunity to “learn by doing” about gravity, forces and motion, and link up with studies on space flight. The Northern Public Judging Day will be held on  Sunday August 16 at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Invermay Road, Inveresk (Launceston) between 9am and approx 1pm. The Southern Public Judging Day will be held at The Activities Centre at the University of Tasmania Campus at Sandy Bay on Sunday August 23, 9am until approx 12:30.       Judging for NW students will be arranged by negotiation. Students need to bring their launcher to be judged, as well as their construction journal outlining the “design, make, evaluate” process they have worked through. The journal will be left at the venue for further scrutiny by judges. As this event falls during National Science Week there will be many displays at the QVMAG of interest to students and families while they wait. It is Open Day at Hobart UTAS campus, so there will be other events as well there. We have had up to 100 entries in Launceston before, so families will need to be prepared to be patient! For further details see:  2009 Booklet Page 4  or the Technology Page Any questions regarding this can be emailed to the Director  stsearch@bigpond.net.au and the answers will be displayed on the Technology page on the website.   Classroom Idea ~ Ping Pong Launcher Click here to View the Outline of this Challenge Click here to view the Lesson Plan & Student Worksheet sourced from the internet. "Conceived and developed by Raghuveer Parthasarathy and Dan Durkin UCB physics dept."