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The life cycle of your polyester t-shirt

This illustrated article describes the environmental impact resulting from the making of the textile, the off-shore manufacture and the retail distribution of a t-shirt to an Australian consumer.

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Contemporary fire management

In this resource, students learn about ways that groups are combining traditional indigenous knowledge of fire management with satellite imagery, fuel load mapping, and aerial incendiary technology. Students will investigate the interaction between traditional knowledge of fire management and new technologies. Using case ...

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Nets, shapes … and donuts!

In this lesson, students learn about industrial engineering and explore designing cardboard packaging nets that can be folded into innovative packages.

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Engineers think outside the square

Students explore the brainstorm and iterate phases of the engineering design process, with a particular emphasis on the importance of trying different ideas to ‘build a better mouse trap’.

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Harvesting and cooking murnong

Murnong is an edible Australian native plant that was prolific in south-eastern Australia. Which part of the murnong is eaten? Why was it so abundant in certain parts of Victoria? Watch Aunty Julie to learn how murnong is harvested and cooked.

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For the Juniors: First the base, then the frame

Come and see Hugo's house getting built. Find out how the concrete foundations are laid. What comes next? Carpenters build a wooden frame. Spot the tools used to build the house. How is each tool used?

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How to grow a pair of jeans

This is a slideshow for primary students that traces the steps in cotton production and processing from seeds to jeans. The ten slides in the show use photographs and relatively simple text to cover ground preparation for the cotton crop; seed planting; irrigation and the efficient use of water by Australian cotton farmers; ...

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For the Juniors: Ramping up the fun

Join Winston as he tests which materials slide down a ramp. Which ones will slip and which ones will grip? He's testing a wooden block, a stone, a glass bottle and an eraser. Predict what will happen. Watch to see if your prediction was right.

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What makes these paper planes fly?

Have you ever wondered what makes a paper plane fly? Think about the design of the paper plane as well as external factors like the various forces that are at play, then make a list of the design considerations and a list of the different forces.

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Reverse engineering

This series of short videos from Khan Academy deconstruct and explain the way household items are designed and how they work including a digital alarm clock radio, a coffee maker, a tap light (a toggle switch light), a hair dryer, a DVD player, a universal remote and a digital camera.

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For the Juniors: Super-fast jet boats

Jet boats can go really fast. Instead of an outboard motor and propeller, jet boats have an inboard engine and they eject a jet of water out the rear of the boat. Watch this clip to see how they work.

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For the Juniors: Tall buildings that won't fall

What makes tall buildings strong and stable? View this clip to find out how a tall building made from concrete is made even stronger. Look at a model of the building to see how it will look when it's built. See if you can pick up some design tips to help you build your own tall structure!

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For the Juniors: Wheely good wheels

Wheels are round and come in many sizes, but how does a wheel turn? In this clip we show you how a wheel and axle work together to provide movement.

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How to design and build a robot in six weeks!

Evan, a mechanical mentor for FIRST Robotic Competition's 3132 'Thunder Down Under', outlines the processes involved in designing, building and testing a robot in six weeks. What influences the team in their design and building processes? Can you think of anything else that might influence the design and build of the robot ...

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Cotton Australia: posters

This page provides links to 5 posters that can downloaded as PDFs. The posters include: field to fashion process, sustainable cotton farms and a map showing where cotton is grown. Variations of the posters are available for primary and secondary students. The web page also provides a link to order free hard copies if required.

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Opencourses Hub

The hub provides access to a wide range of resources developed to support remote Indigenous students. The resources employ multimodal learning frameworks to improve student engagement and overcome literacy barriers in order to provide a positive learning experience for Year 8 – 12 students while building students' self-confidence ...

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Invictus Games Sydney 2018 – Design and Technology – Stage 5

How can we make our contemporary world more inclusive? This Stage 5 Design and Technology module, Build a better world - investigating inclusive and accessible technologies and spaces, explores inventions and architectural designs that seek to improve access for those with disabilities throughout their everyday routines. ...

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Engineering is not just for maths geniuses!

You don't need to be a big maths brain to become an engineer. Listen as Ashwini Ranjithabalan from Women in Engineering and IT at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) describes how her understanding of maths grew from her interest in engineering. Sometimes understanding how maths can provide solutions to problems in ...

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Lunchbox Legends - the people behind your lunch (Animation)

This is a video about the various occupations involved in developing and producing the food used in a ham and salad lunch roll. The video is presented by Will, a primary-school-aged boy, who identifies and describes nine occupations in several broad groups including researchers, growers of plant food; producers of animal ...

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Introduction to Food Security

This is a video that defines and explores the concept of food security using animated illustrations, spoken commentary, and pauses for discussion. Identifying the accelerating growth of population and the proportion of people who are chronically hungry, it provides the United Nation's definition of food security and its ...