The Department has been a hype of activity in all areas of Technology and we have had a few changes with regards to staffing too.

In the second semester we welcomed Bianca Whalan who is teaching Food Technology and Alastair Sewell who is teaching Materials Technology Wood at the junior level. We also had the pleasure of Andrew Bowen who taught in the area of Wood while our Head of Department Andy Parsons was on sabbatical leave in Term Three. Andy visited many countries around the world and visited/worked with a variety of overseas schools along the way too. In Term Three Karen Daly (who is a technician in the Science Dept at LPHS) joined Teresa Mackay in the Fabric area to upskill/retrain as part of her Teacher Registration this year. It certainly has been a busy year.

Digital Technology (Mrs S. Whipp)

This has been a very successful year with the implementation of the New Digital Technologies Curriculum. With this, it has brought changes such as updating the school to the Windows 10 environment, incorporating new software such as Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Code Avengers (online coding skill development), virtual reality gaming/futuristic opportunities and conversing with artificial intelligence Chatbots online. Senior students enjoyed redesigning the Google logo to include a distinctive New Zealand theme and many challenged themselves by creating unique news themes for their video production assessments.

We had students who sat the ICAS exam again this year at Years 9-11 with many of the participants receiving High Distinctions or Distinctions. This success has been consistently upheld for the past 8 years. In 2019 the Level 1 course will separate into a Digital Design course and a Computer Science course each with their own Achievement Standards, so students can follow their strengths in one or both courses. I also wish my Year 13 students all the very best for their future endeavours and it has been an absolute pleasure to have taught them since Year 9.

Design & Visual Communication (Mr W. Hodgkinson)

Junior students have worked tirelessly on their understanding and diverse knowledge of this subject area and looking forward to continuing their success next year.

Level 2 Design and Visual Communication students began the year with some research on sustainability as a design movement, and were able to incorporate some of this knowledge in their design for a Sleepout. This project provided the majority of their assessment for the year, including the development of a visual presentation of their final design, and a set of Working Drawings, and 2 Point Mechanical Perspective for external assessments. Level 3 students progressed towards a fully developed spatial or product design of their own choice. They were also encouraged to develop an exhibition of their final design to finish the year. All will be sending work away for external assessment and we have had some encouraging ‘Excellence’ results from students who are willing to put in the level of work required. I am sure this year will continue this success.

Fabric Technology (Mrs T. Mackay)

In Fabric Technology this year my students have impressed me with their creativity and their work ethic. Senior students have developed a range of outcomes including hoodies, lined jackets, pleated skirts, evening dresses, jumpsuits and pants. One of the advantages of teaching technology is the diversity of assessment opportunities for my seniors whereby they are able to self-select their garments according to their wants, needs and abilities. From Level 2, students are making their own patterns for their garments. I extend my best wishes to all of my seniors leaving this year, many of whom I have had the absolute privilege of teaching since Year 9.

In junior classes, Year 10 students have worked really hard to complete the required assessment tasks in order to begin garment construction at this year level. Again, this is down to students working hard during lessons and being focused and on task. Their outcomes are a continuation of their development work at Year 9 and demonstrate their creativity and their ability to problem solve, a lifelong skill that is essential. The Year 9 students have been introduced to a wide variety of skills and techniques, including designing and developing their own appliqué patterns. Many students have taken the opportunity to extend their designs and have demonstrated their own creativity within the development of their 6 sided cube, and have produced very successful outcomes. I look forward to teaching many of them again next year.

Food Technology (Ms H. Reid)

The Food Technology department has had a rewarding and exciting year as it continues to grow in numbers and develop new courses. Year 9 saw the introduction of a gingerbread Whāre unit where the students made gingerbread houses and decorated them in designs which reflected their own culture. Year 10 has grown to two classes this year and they have developed amazing hamburgers, foods from different cultures, vegetarian recipes for their families and sports recovery drinks.

Years 11 and 12 has seen the introduction of both Hospitality and Food Technology courses with students developing their practical culinary skills or developing such products as jams, lemon meringue pies, breakfast breads, making healthier versions of family baking recipes and 2 minute noodles. Students also visited the New World bakery to compare the difference of making bread commercially compared with the domestic kitchen. Year 13 has seen the introduction of making pickles, chutneys, relishes and jams in commercial quantities which the staff have enjoyed. In Term 3 Bianca Whalan joined the Food Technology team teaching a Year 9 class bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

Materials Technology Metal (Mr W. Hodgkinson)

It has been another busy year in the Materials Technology Metal workshop with some interesting projects completed by all year levels. Year 9 students kicked off the semester with a Junior Hacksaw as a skills building project, which introduced them to the workshop and the tools/equipment available to them. As well as general measuring and marking out their work, they got to use the pillar drills and engineering lathes, and tapping screw threads. They then completed a sheet metal toy or ornament of their own design, and similarly 1 or more pieces of jewellery.

Year 10’s started with a sheet metal container, and moved through various forging, welding, and aluminium casting projects of their own design.

Senior students have been engaged in a range of design projects including the Year 11's (Level 1) who have completed a Parallel Clamp to a fixed design as a skills building and assessment project.

Materials Technology Wood (Mr A. Parsons)

Continuing in a well-established tradition students have once again produced a range of creative and innovative projects resulting from research, problem-solving, modelling and testing and the application of skills learnt as part of the Technology programme at Logan Park across all levels.

One particular highlight this year has been the work carried out by Theo Molteno. Theo worked closely with the Design Department of the Otago Polytech, in particular two workshop technicians. This involved the use of specialist equipment to enable him to create a prototype of a product that could have commercial viability should Theo choose to take it further. Theo developed his design using CAD modelling and after some discussion we decided to approach the Polytech to see if it was feasible to use their laser cutting equipment. They were keen to oblige and Theo carried out some initial trial work. He was able to convert his CAD drawings to a format compatible with the laser cutter. The intricate and repetitive design was able to be cut to very high accuracy to allow the project to be assembled relatively smoothly. This process would not have been practical to complete by hand. Theo’s initiative, ingenuity and creativity has led to a very functional and aesthetically pleasing outcome which is fit for the purpose of storing and carrying his Dad’s telescope. This is just one of the many student driven projects that has been a highlight this year.