The NZ Science Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellowship scheme, funded by Government and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand, seeks to raise the profile of science, mathematics, social sciences and technology within the wider community. One way of achieving this is to provide teachers with new experiences and understanding outside the classroom that enables them to become more effective educators.

Fellowship Title: Technological Practice in Commercial and Tertiary ICT

Some of the companies I visited:
National College of Design and PRISM software Ltd in Auckland
Waikato University Computer Science Human Usability Laboratory
Admark Imaging Ltd and John Walker Printers in Hamilton
Animation Research Ltd and Taylormade Productions in Dunedin
HITLabNZ and Air NZ Engineering Division in Christchurch.

My Fellowship to investigate ‘Technological Practice in tertiary & commercial IT’ significantly enhanced my understanding of Technology philosophy. Following jobs in industry from inception to implementation extensively increased my technological awareness, understanding and knowledge bases.

As a Teacher Fellow I found companies interested in my objectives and amenable to letting me video their operations. This lead to an extensive range of experiences not initially planned for, such as visits to the HITLabNZ and the Air NZ Engineering Division in Christchurch.

Visiting fourteen very different tertiary and commercial organisations enabled me to develop videos that increase students’ understanding by viewing a wide variety of real life examples. Each video emphasizes different aspects of the curriculum in an ICT context.

I used the Fellowship to explore the relationship between practice in industry and the curriculum. I found the technology curriculum to be good preparation for students to enter the workplace. The teaching of sound underlying ICT principles at school allows for the transfer of skills and learning on the job.

Two of my Fellowship Objectives and achievements
1. To research and report on skills expected of well-prepared secondary students by commercial organisations and tertiary institutions preparing students for careers in ICT.
At each organisation I visited, staff in positions of responsibility were keen to describe the skills they expected of well-prepared employees. Without exception, they required their staff to have sound problem–solving strategies; social and environmental awareness; communications skills to articulate their ideas; the ability to analyze, evaluate and justify their design decisions; and the ability to work as part of a team. They also expected them to have in-depth knowledge and understanding of ICT principles and concepts.
Programmers and designers I interviewed at Animation Research Ltd and HIT LabNZ, had studied mathematics, science or law at University and then switched to Computer Science once aware of the huge potential of ICT. Academics at secondary school, they had been denied the opportunity to study IT and envied the opportunity offered students today to study Technology in an ICT context.

2. To enhance my awareness and understanding as a technology teacher by documenting the applications of technological practice involving ICT to produce products and services.
At Animation Research Ltd of Dunedin I learned about designing 3D animation for the National Film Library and international sports telecasting. Much interaction with clients was done remotely via email. Staff either had Computer Science or Fine Art qualifications. With the developments happening in the 3D Animation industry, they impressed upon me the need for schools to enable students to study both these two subjects at secondary school. With
my interest in both of these areas I found their work fascinating.

Description of Videos created:
Working Together (Animation Research Ltd & Taylormade Productions Ltd, Dunedin)
“Working Together” demonstrates the ways in which the staff at Animation Research Ltd and Taylormade Productions work collaboratively, each using their individual expertise to contribute towards the creation of a product. The video captures the production of the Saturday morning kids TV program ‘Squirt’ using one live and two motion-captured presenters on an entirely computer-generated set. The video demonstrates the software and the motion-capture hardware, designed and built in-house; and the roles of the actors, production and sound crews.

Working with Clients (Animation Research Ltd, Dunedin)
“Working with Clients” demonstrates the role of two 3D animators at ARL and how they use skills learned at school and university to design internationally recognised TV commercials eg: Bluebird water-skiing penguin advertisement.
“Inventions that Changed the World” was a 6 part BBC documentary series that examines the impact of six key inventions that have changed the world we live in. To produce this animation, ARL used the Internet to communicate with their clients. Working from Dunedin, they applied for the job using email and, without ever meeting face to face with the client in London, they demonstrated their design concepts online, discussed modifications and delivered the entire production on line as well.

Developing Real time TV Graphics (Animation Research Ltd, Dunedin)
“Developing Real time TV Graphics” demonstrates the way a small Dunedin company in welcoming diversification and innovation, has changed the way the world views sports on TV. In 1991 Animation Research Ltd developed the first real time yachting graphics package for the Americas Cup. More recently ARL has delivered 3D animation graphics for the world wide coverage of the Whitbread Around the World Yacht Race and has developed a revolutionary 3D computer graphics package in live to air golf, cricket and motor racing coverage. The programmers explain how their “Resource Consent” software uses satellite and aerial photography, and a combination of LINZ survey data with orthophotographic terrain data to produce a computer model of a site. This site can then be viewed from anywhere interactively, line-of-sights can be investigated and the visual impact of building structures on the terrain can be viewed 'on the fly'. Additional data such as street addresses, valuations, construction materials, noise zones etc, can also be accessed and superimposed in true space.

For further information on the Fellowship scheme, visit: >Teacher Fellowships

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