D&T Major (1 Viewer)

[lilwhicker1991]

What are you doing for your major and how much work on it have you done?

 

[jr2390]

hi, i done the MDP last year, however, before returning back to school you should have the first section complete - project proposal & project management.

 

[Evilo]

do as much as possible imo. When you get back, you will have all the pressure of putting a major project together as well as all your other subjects. I did what Jr2390 said, but i had done as much of the major project as possible (initial ideas, research, tools etc). All the sections up to points where i was a) unsure what to do or b) had to check with the teacher about it. I had also put it in a "folio template". Putting in the time now will save precious time a week before it is due.

I remember the day before it was due, the students were still printing the folio and building stuff. I had mine done and ready to go over10 before it was due. This game me time to chillax and focus on little final display things (just make it all look nice).

 

[jirwin]

I agree with evilo, do as MUCH as possible NOW. I wish i had listened to myself last yr, i said i would but i never did. i was still evaluating concept sketches the night before it was due!

came to school early on teh day it was due, walked into the class room and here was heaps of people trying to get their's finished. someone wanted to print their ENTIRE folio in A3 isnt of just cutting and gluing like the rest of us. he hogged the printer so much

the A3 printer also stuffed up a title page of mine that morning so make sure u leave plenty of time for printing mistakes - the yellow ink had registered properly after being re-filled. luckily because i had it printed and ready to go i was able to just re-print that and put it in my folio after i had signed it in. still didnt look properly but least it wasnt pink!

MOST IMPORTANT THING:

Keep UP TO DATE with your diary! do not neglect it. i was the ONLY student to do this... there were still times when i wasn't up to date but i was always able to catch up. one student in my class started of doing an entry each week and then because they had left it so long they were only able to do an entry a month.... so it is very very important to keep up to date... and it doesnt take very long either. just get into a routine, every night/week whatever. just take 5min now and it will save so much stress towards the end.

anyway this post is getting quite long. if anyone has any questions or wants some advice just PM me!

 

[Thunderbolt]

Realistically, get stuck into your major right now. Get off this forum and start. No, really; do it!

I will guarantee that the rest of Year 12 will distract the absolute hell out of you and then end up rushing it at the last minute.

My source? I did pretty much the same thing.

Pick a Major Design Project (Stuck? Your hobbies should flourish many ideas (for example: an extremely quiet and efficient computer processor cooler)) start researching the flaws of the problem, in extreme and microscopic detail (from the example: what current solutions are there, how do they work... etc) and what you can do to make yours absolutely rape the competition.

Finally; dedicate at least an hour a day to each subject (treat your major like a subject, in addition to Design and Technology).

Good luck.

 

[Evilo]

I agree with evilo, do as MUCH as possible NOW. I wish i had listened to myself last yr, i said i would but i never did. i was still evaluating concept sketches the night before it was due!

oh yeah thats the other thing, evaluate it when you finish the page. As soon of a page of text id dont, get a different font/colour/highlight etc and write an evaulation. One of the last dot points on the marking criteria is "ongoing evaluation". It makes it bloody hard if you are trying to evaulate stuff that occured 8 months ago.

someone wanted to print their ENTIRE folio in A3

Thats your second warning lol. People always do it, don't be stuck at the end without a hardcopy of your folio. It may be some help if you print everything in b&w too. I remember people having to spend $250+ printing a folio at a commercial printer because they left it to the last minute. I printed mine for free at school.

Keep UP TO DATE with your diary!

jirwin is right - its not that hard to buy a diary and write some shit up in your next class lol. Or just print something off in word.

My most important tip - throwing money at your project does not mean extra marks. My project cost about $150 and others around me spent THOUSANDS! (literally). Alot of them didn't get a better mark.

 

[Evilo]

Realistically, get stuck into your major right now. Get off this forum and start. No, really; do it!

I will guarantee that the rest of Year 12 will distract the absolute hell out of you and then end up rushing it at the last minute.

+1 to both

 

[Thunderbolt]

Just to emphasise my (and others) points and to be a smart arse (because I feel like one today, for some odd reason)...

Before you continue: I am not having a go at you, just making light of the situation. Humour helps you remember things.

Really, if you want to get a decent mark in your Major Project; get off BoS, MSN, Yahoo, MySpace, Bebo, whatver 'socialising' activities you do, and start rooting around for problems that you can formulate solutions for, right now.

The most lethal thing you can do to your major project is procrastinate. Don't know what that means? Find out, because that's what most DT students do.

- Get a problem
- Start thinking of preliminary solutions (Granted: these won't be your final ones, those will grow and mature later on in the year as you research and test)
- Start a diary. Whether it be a scrap bit of paper, napkin, in your principal's prized dictionary, whatever. Write down what you did on what day. When you rush your dictionary...diary even... (what's wrong with me today?) the day before you hand it in (and you will, believe me), at least you'll have some sort of record of what you did right now. Your mental noting system will abandon you in Year 12.
- Anything that springs to mind (no matter how small or absurd): WRITE IT DOWN!!! It just might work.
- Start hounding 'experts' for opinions. They will give you guidance to make whatver contraption you wish to build, work.
- Be your own worst nightmare. Deliberately look for flaws in your major and exploit them. You'll learn from your mistakes quicker and make this contraption more solid and reliable. Assume that something which works well, doesn't work well at all. You'll begin to look for ways to improve it's operation.
- Document your major like your writing a best selling novel copy by copy, by hand. That means a lot of writing.

One last thing about a major: It does not have to be something physical.
You can create a major that is only theoretical; but make sure it makes technical sense, is at least remotely possible, and is very well explained. Markers don't know who the hell you are; nor how those cogs in your head spin.

Once again, good luck. Now, get cracking.

You'll thank me for this at the end of the year.

Motion to make this thread "important"? So this whole pep-talk by myself and others is not forever lost?

 

[P4M-G]

Hey..

Im doing a product.. but im finding my self writing a lot.. though it all makes sense.. would too much text affect marking?.. like wouldn't markers be skimming through it and because there's a lot of writing, they might miss some important points?

Oh and about the diary.. it seriously is hard to keep up with it! *hides*

thanx anyhow

 

[dawso]

i havent bothered 2 read all these people's reply

but in my experience, you should be continually updating ALL components of the project both written and practical throughout the entire thing

and dont listen to what people say about not being able to do it at the end....i did 60% of my work on the very last night, and ended up with 98, 3rd in the state

 

[lilwhicker1991]

I had to hand in the first part before the end of term 4 so they are done. I have got all my information, just need to put it into the program and document.

 

[P4M-G]

i did 60% of my work on the very last night, and ended up with 98, 3rd in the state

!!!

What did you do for your major??

 

[KneeNAR]

Have any of your teachers ever hindered your work?

Mine has an awful habit of thinking she's always right. She could be, sure, but she doesn't need to drag down our self esteem in front of the class at the same time.

I haven't decided what to do. Well I have, then i was discouraged, then I chose something else, which I decided was such a rip.

Who's had trouble deciding what to do your project on?

 

[em21]

Hey..

Im doing a product.. but im finding my self writing a lot.. though it all makes sense.. would too much text affect marking?.. like wouldn't markers be skimming through it and because there's a lot of writing, they might miss some important points?

Oh and about the diary.. it seriously is hard to keep up with it! *hides*

thanx anyhow

Seriously I so know how you are feeling right now but try not to worry too much and i mean i did 3 A4 folios for my major which was about 200 pages and i got a band 6 but just remember it is quality not quantity

 

[the name i want]

I have finished my first theory section part and just about finished second part, finished my mock up and about to start making my real one, will be done next tern week 3 hopefully.

 

[wickedxlady]

I've left it like so many others and now I'm really getting stuck into it. I wish I'd started to properly do my folio last Term but this Term I'm going to have to work solidly on it. I've gotten up to Project Realisation with just a few things to fix up here and there in the other parts and I've finished 1/4 of my practical. Urh, it seems we have no time!

 

[Cob-was-here]

Urh, it seems we have no time!

Well, lucky the main, $100 part of your project didnt break into 37 pieces on the way home from the place of purchase and had to spend 3+ months painstakingly sanding and repairing it before being able to continue on the project which was going to take months anyway

Always look on the bright side

P.S. I'm not complaining, just pointing out that it could always be worse

P.P.S. I'm actually ahead of most people in my school (out of around 30)

P.P.P.S. Good luck everyone, keep at it, don't give up and especially don't procrastinate

 

[Bekwa]

help with dt folio

hi. i need help getting my folio together. is it quite repetitive? or am i really on the wrong track. within the solution should i include seperate paragraphs for each outcome to be asessed or just make sure i incorporate all of these into a large description. any tips would be great. thanks heaps.

 

[blondechic]

i have only done my first section, i only started design 1 day before christmas holidays because my school stuffed up my UAI twice:burn: anyway i started doing a irish dancing dress had done the first section over the chrissy holidays non stop then couldnt justify it well enought and changed to a childs table. i have now completed 1st section but my design techer refuses to mark it "im not going to mark it in the HSC so im not going to now" so im pretty much on my own i really need it marked. i have started the 2nd section but i also have to do an industrial technology wood preoject and folio as well so im busy busy busy!! good luck fellow year 12's!

 

[wendus]

lol i'm kinda screwed...
my portfolio is still in the Term 4 stages [i.e. Project Proposal and Management]
i'm supposed to be finishing my product by the end of term, and tweaking the portfolio in the holidays :[
i am so not ready to hand mine in.

anyone else doing a textiles item, by the way? i'm making a bridal gown and was having trouble justifying my NEED...