Design, in any language, is about planning, creating, and thinking critically. It’s an expression of human creativity that knows no borders. The poster is a tribute to the universal nature of design and its power to connect people across different cultures. It’s a reminder that, no matter where we are in the world, we all share the same creative instinct to plan, design, and make ideas come to life.
I hope this poster serves as a celebration of creativity and inspires others to think about design in a global context. After all, design truly is a universal language.
Understanding the ACARA General Capabilities: A Guide for Students
In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s important that students not only gain subject-specific knowledge but also develop essential skills that will help them thrive in school, work, and life. That’s where the ACARA General Capabilities come in.
They are a set of key skills and knowledge areas outlined in the Australian Curriculum. They focus on providing students with the intellectual, personal, and social abilities needed to actively engage in the modern world. These capabilities are embedded throughout all learning areas, ensuring that students are well-rounded and prepared for life beyond the classroom.
The General Capabilities include critical thinking, creativity, personal and social skills, and a strong sense of ethics—things that are just as important as academic achievements. These skills will empower students to confidently participate in the workforce, contribute to society, and adapt to the ever-evolving demands of the future.
To make these capabilities clearer and more relatable to students, I created a poster that outlines the seven key areas of focus. The goal is to spark a conversation about why we’re learning these skills and how we can explore them in Design and Technology.
If you want to dive deeper into these essential capabilities and use them as a guide for planning and student learning, you can download the poster I made for my room below and start reflecting on how you can apply them.
I recently redesigned some of my old posters for a design and technology woodwork class. The aim was to create visually engaging and informative materials that would aid students in understanding various concepts related to woodwork. The topics covered in these posters include timber joints, measurements, chamfers, bevels, housing joints, and mitre joints.
Timber joints are a crucial part of woodworking, as they determine how different pieces of wood are connected together. My posters provide detailed diagrams and explanations of each type of joint, helping students to visualize and understand their applications. Measurements are another essential aspect, and accurate measuring can make or break a project.
To bring these posters to life, I used Blender for rendering the images. And did the layout and design using Affinity Publisher, trying to organize the information in a clear manner.
If you’re interested in downloading the digital files of these posters, click the link provided. These resources can be a valuable addition to any woodworking classroom or workshop, providing both beginners and advanced learners with the knowledge they need to succeed in their projects. I hope these posters will help many students in their woodworking journey.
This year I got another new (old!) classroom to teach my year 8’s a course called Systems and Design and with some colleagues we also started a Code Club once a week. Well the walls in this room are a bit bare and could do with some colour. I wanted to put posters up that promoted our new Makey Makey’s and encouraged kids to come to Code Club. Well to get to the point I could not find any Makey Makey graphics that suited my needs so I knocked one up in good old Illustrator. Here are the files if you want them, have fun, make nerdy geeky cool posters for your walls, or worksheets for your class. Feel free to link any cool work below in the comments.
Another poster found, this one relating to Design & Technology. It dates back 8 years ago and was made using Publisher. Would I make it different now? Yeah, I would try to simplify it and maybe spread it over a series of posters, however, it’s not on my immediate to do list so here it is, as it was from 2004.
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