Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to your design and technology lesson.

I'm Mrs. Mee, and I am going to be teaching you during this unit of work.

So I am a design and technology teacher, and I work with children as young as 4 to as old as 18.

And I teach design and technology in the area that I live, which is Shropshire.

So what we're going to explore during this unit is we're going to be looking at reactions in particular, and we're going to be looking at control in D and T.

So if you did the previous unit, we will have discussed what is design and technology and what sorts of things might you design and make in design and technology.

Have a little think before we begin.

That's right.

Hopefully, you've identified some of the products that you are looking at right now, like the laptop, or I'm actually looking at a webcam.

I'm also looking in front of me at some furniture that's been designed and made.

I've actually also got some picture frames.

And what I have also got behind me on my desk is a pencil and a piece of paper.

So everything in your world that is manmade has been designed and made by lots of people.

So lots of people have been involved in that process: designers, manufacturers, engineers, scientists.

So during design and technology, we are going to just explore all of the things that are designed and made in it.

In this unit in particular, we're going to look at control technology.

So we'll be looking at and learning about electronics and control.

And we'll explore that in a bit more detail as we start the lesson.

Okay, so now we're going to look at what we're going to learn in the first lesson.

So we're going to be looking at understanding electrical systems, and you may have looked at some of this before in previous lessons.

So before we begin, let's look at my rules of play.

Now, Mrs. Mee would like you to have fun.

If you're not having fun, Mrs. Mee isn't doing her job properly.

So make sure you're enjoying your lessons.

If you're not, please give us feedback.

You need to also explore and experiment.

It's really important in design and technology to explore and experiment.

Be confident, but please play safe.

It's really important that we play safe.

So we are going to look at electrical systems today.

If you are fortunate enough to have electronics, make sure that you've got an adult nearby when you are working with electronics, and make sure you follow my instructions and my directions.

So in this lesson, you are going to need the following.

You will need paper and a pencil, that's really key.

The rest of the items are completely optional.

Now you've already got a device because you're working on it at the moment.

So if you would like, during this lesson, we are going to explore a piece of software which you can access online called Tinkercad.

And you'll need to set this up by asking an adult to use their email address to set you up on Tinkercad.

If you want to explore it during today's lesson.

But again, it is optional.

Also optional, if you have electronic components, you can explore with me today how to build simple circuits with electronic components.

But if you don't have these, it's absolutely fine.

A pen, a pencil, and a piece of paper is all you will need.

So pause the video while you get yourself ready.

Make sure your desk is ready, if you've got a desk.

Make sure your work area, make sure you've got a clean space.

So I've cleared all of my items off my desk.

So I've got a good space to actually create some ideas when we do start doing that.

So make sure you've got a quiet area to work as well.

So pause the video, get your equipment.

When you've got your equipment, come back to me, and we'll look at what we're going to look at this lesson.

Brilliant, so hopefully, you've got everything you need.

So during this unit, we are going to be doing investigative and evaluative tasks.

So that's where we look at existing products and evaluate them.

We're going to be looking at doing lots of focused practical tasks, which means we're going to be learning by making things.

So our second lesson, we are going to be making a product, and there are certain pieces of materials that you will need beforehand.

So that is a focused practical task where I will show you and you will follow, and that will help you understand different skills and techniques.

Once we've done those two things, you will have all of the confidence to be able to do lots of design and make tasks and activities.

So that's the type of activities that we explore in design and technology.

Now in today's lesson in particular, you should have already done your intro quiz.

We are going to look at introducing you to control.

When we've looked at the introduction of control, we're going to look at understanding the electrical systems. We're then going to look at what inputs, processes, and outputs are.

And then we're going to look at building a simple circuit at the end of this lesson.

But don't panic if you haven't got the physical components I'm going to you how you could do that on Tinkercad, but you don't need to actually do it to learn about it.

So don't panic if you haven't got those things.

So we are going to be using some key words during today's lesson.

So let's have a look at some of those key words.

The first word we're going to be exploring today is electrical conductor.

And this is an object or material's ability to allow for the flow of an electrical current in all directions.

We're also going to be looking at the word electrical insulator, which is just the complete opposite.

And that is where an object or type of material does not allow for the flow of an electrical current.

So we're going to explore those two things today.

We're also going through looking at and working with components, and these are in relation to electronic components or key parts that we use in an electrical circuit.

We're also going to be looking at building a simple circuit.

So a simple circuit is a path that allows for an electrical current travel on, and it is presented in a loop.

It's also known as a series circuit.

So let's begin.

So let's have a look at the term control technology and what that actually means.

Now, I want you to have a look at these products on your screen and think about what is control technology.

Have a little think.

What have all those objects, those products, got in common? That's right: they all use electrical systems. But the other thing they use is something called control technology.

And this is where each of those products have a microprocessor, like the one I've got here, that we're going to look at during our unit of work, which is like a mini computer, and it is used to programme and control what that product does.

And that's how our electrical system works.

So today we're going to explore a simple circuit, but then we're going to look at how we go from being a simple circuit to being used in a complex electrical products like those ones on screen.

So some of you might have a games console.

Some of you might be lucky enough to have a virtual reality headset.

I know I'm not.

Some of you might be lucky enough and hopefully you've got a laptop in front of you.

A microwave, anything that's electrical is programmed and controlled in some way.

So from these statements here, can you select the statement that relates to control technology? Is control technology a component used in electrical products? Is it a method of using any products? Is it the use of microprocessors that are used to programme and control how an electrical system works? Is it an innovative way to present a product? Which of those options would you select? So point to the screen to let me know.

Brilliant.

Hopefully, you got the correct statement.

So it's option three.

It is a microprocessor, which is like a mini computer that's used to programme and control how the system will work.

There's one more for you now.

Control technology can be integrated into any type of product.

Is this statement true or false? Point to your screen.

Is it true or false, or write it down.

Correct.

It is false.

If you've got that right, well done.

Control technology can only be integrated into products that contain electrical systems. Now, I have got a short task for you to do just to explore the concept of control technology.

So I would like you to find examples of products within your home that have been programmed using control technology.

Can you go away and do that for me? So pause the video.

You might want to collect and bring them back.

And select any product in your house that is being controlled.

That has a micro-processor built-in, an electrical system that is programmed and controlled.

You might want to also write them down.

So pause the video, complete that task, and then come back to me.

Excellent.

So what did you get? Fantastic.

Now, some of you may have said mobile phone.

Absolutely correct.

So here's my mobile phone.

Brilliant.

Others may have said laptop, iPad.

That's right.

You may have said TV.

You may have said games console.

So there are lots of electrical systems in your home that have control technology embedded into them.

And that is what we're going to explore during this unit.

How do we actually build those and how do we actually programme and control them? That's what we're going to look at in this unit of work.

So let's explore understanding electrical systems. So before we start control technology, we're going to look at electrical systems by exploring the following: component parts, what electrical insulators are, and what electrical conductors are.

So here is an example of an electrical system.

Can you identify the component parts on that simple circuit? So you've got the torch on the left and the circuit on the right.

Can you identify where the components are? Excellent, hopefully, you've got them correct.

So we've got a switch, a lamp, and a battery or cell.

So those are the parts that make up the electronic circuit.

And you could also say that the wire is a component as well.

They are different parts of a circuit.

Can you name all of these component parts? So here's some electrical component parts.

Can you name which one's a switch, which one's a buzzer, which is the motor, and which is the battery or cell? Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, so let's have a go.

Which is the first one? Hopefully, you've got that correct.

The first one is a buzzer.

And what about the second one? Tell me.

Brilliant.

Well done.

The motor.

Hopefully, you got that correct, but don't worry if you didn't.

We're here to learn.

What about the third one? Fantastic.

That's a switch.

And then the final one, which is really important? The battery or cell.

So we need that to supply the circuit, the system with power.

So if we were designing an electrical system for the following product, what components would we need to make it work? Now, this would involve a simple circuit.

Yes, we'd need a switch to turn it on and off.

We'd need a battery or cell to give it power.

And we'd need a lamp, wouldn't we? What about this next product? This next product has been made by somebody.

It's been handmade, and it is a vehicle, the chassis of a vehicle.

And it hasn't got a vehicle body on it yet, just a chassis.

So what component parts can you see? Brilliant, well spotted if you saw that.

There's a handmade switch, a motor.

Well done, that is used to make it move.

And don't panic if you didn't get it right.

And the battery or cell is actually hidden underneath, but it does need that to make it work, or some form of power if it's not a battery or cell.

It could be a solar panel.

Right, now let's look at electrical insulators then.

Let's explore what is meant by this word.

So here we've got three items. We've got a wooden spoon that's made out of wood.

We've got plastic covering on wires.

We're ignoring the wire in the middle.

We're just looking at the plastic on the outside.

And then we've got rubber.

Can you explain to me what is meant by the term electrical insulator using the following objects and material? Can you explain it to me? I'm going to listen and hope that your voice travels over the Wi-Fi to me.

Well done.

Well done if you've got it correct.

An electrical insulator stops the flow of electricity.

So here I've got a circuit.

Yeah, and it's got a battery pack, a cell.

It's got a buzzer on it, and if I connect it, it works.

Okay, ooh, very quietly.

Yeah, I could test it by putting something wooden.

Now, I haven't got a wooden spoon, but I have got a wooden pencil.

Now, if I put that in the middle, what's going to happen to that flow of electricity? Any guesses? That's right.

It's going to stop the flow.

So it's going to stop the flow.

It won't allow that current to continue.

And if I put this crocodile clip on the plastic wire, what happens to the circuit? It stops working.

Whereas if I move it, what might it do? So that'll help us explore the next term.

So that's electrical insulators.

It stops the flow.

So could you find a range of objects and materials in your home that would be great electrical insulators? And how can you show they are insulators.

Now, I do not want you touching any mains electricity.

So you could, if you've got a simple circuit, test it with a circuit.

If you haven't, you could use warm water or hot water to see if it heats up that material.

So we use wooden spoons in the kitchen because they are good insulators, so they don't get hot.

So when I'm stirring my soup, the wooden spoon won't get hot and I won't burn my hand.

So have a little think, have a little find of those materials.

Pause the video and resume when you're ready.

Brilliant.

So hopefully, you found lots of materials and objects that might be great insulators.

So keep them in mind.

So why are insulators important to use on electrical products? That's right, a key word is there.

It is for safety.

So all of these products have plastic covering to stop that flow of electricity.

Now, the electricity that is flowing through that lawn mower and that plug and that light switch can be very very high voltage, and it could be very harmful and could lead to death if you was to touch them.

So you must never ever ever mess with electricity in your home.

You must leave it to a professional.

Of course, if you've got electronic circuits and you want to build those, they're very low voltage.

You can use those, but you still needed an adult supervising, but please do not mess with any electrical items in your home.

That is for a trained electrician.

Now let's look at conductors.

So what is meant by the word electrical conductor in relation to electrical systems? So here we have a stainless steel spoon, a copper wire, and aluminium foil.

So we have lots of metal items. Can you explain what is meant by the term electrical conductor using the following objects and materials? What will these materials do to Mrs. Mee's electronic circuit, can you explain? And you might want to write this explanation down.

Electrical conductors, and write down your explanation.

Pause the video and resume when you're ready.

Okay, so you've had a go.

Now, Mrs. Mee happens to have a stainless steel spoon just because she does.

Shall we test it? So can you explain to me what is meant by a conductor? So what will this spoon do to the flow of electricity? If I put that spoon on my circuit, what will it do? Will it insulate or will it conduct.

Will it allow for that flow of electricity? So if I do that now.

Yeah, so the electrical current can flow through that spoon.

So you can only test this really with a simple circuit at a very low voltage.

And if I was to test it with copper as well, okay, it could do the same thing.

Like that.

So you can test it.

You can test your circuit if you have a circuit using those materials.

So maybe once you're back at school, you can use these materials to test electrical conductors.

Can you find a range of objects in your home that you think would act as conductors? And how can you show they are conductors? What could you do? Now, we can only test them with electronic circuits if we've got a simple circuit to hand with a low voltage battery.

But yeah, there are other ways you can test conductors, aren't there? So pause the video and have a look for objects and materials.

Excellent, so hopefully, you found lots of materials.

So what have you found? Excellent, a metal spoon, a metal fork.

Excellent, you might have found a metal mug, yeah? So all of these things are conductors.

They will allow the flow of electricity to keep flowing around that circuit.

So well done.

So why are conductors important when designing electrical systems? Are they important to keep all the components connected? Do they make the product look better? Do we need to use materials that are conductors to allow the electricity to flow uninterrupted around the circuit? Or do we need it to allow the product to function? Which is the best description for why it is important? Have a think.

Well done if you got it.

Now, it does allow it to function.

But actually, the really important descriptor is it allows for that flow of electricity around that circuit.

Inputs, processes, and outputs.

So we're going to explore the key parts to an electronic circuit before we begin to build our own.

So we're going to look at inputs, processes, and outputs.

So the input is the component or action that gets the circuit working.

The process is the transfer of that power from input to output to make the output work.

And then the output is a component or action that is the circuit is operating correctly.

It works, so it turns on.

So it lights up or it buzzes or it moves.

Can you identify, looking at the torch again, where the input is, where the process is, and where the output is to this electrical circuit, this electrical product? Have a little think.

That's right.

The input is the switch that you turn on.

The process is the current flow, the electrical flow from the battery pack.

And the output is the lamp, the lights.

That's what the output is.

So let's have a look at it again in a more complex system.

So here is a microwave.

Can you point or label where the input is, where the process is, and where the output would be, Input is the buttons, correct.

The process is the microprocessor.

Well done if you've got microprocessor.

It's that flow of electricity, but because it's a complex electrical product, it would need a microprocessor.

And what is the output? Yeah, there's lots of outputs on a microwave.

It pings, doesn't it, when it's ready.

It moves around in the inside, and also a light comes on.

So that is why we need a microprocessor to control it.

Let's have a look at this product.

This is a Nintendo Switch.

Where is the input, where is the process, and where is the output? Brilliant.

The input is the button.

So when you're tapping away on it, the process is the microprocessor again, because it's a very complex electrical system.

And the output, yeah, it gives off light and sound.

Well done.

So now we're going to look at building a simple circuit.

Now, hopefully, you've done this before.

So we're now going to look at designing and building a simple circuit that we can use to make something move.

So out of all of these components, which ones will we need to be left with to make something move? Will we need a buzzer? No, we won't need a buzzer, will we? Will we need a switch? Absolutely.

We will need a switch.

Oh, actually we could do it without the switch, but the switch will allow us to turn it on and off.

So we could do without the switch.

Would we need a single battery cell? Hmm, It's a tricky one.

We actually don't need the single battery cell.

We actually need the battery cell that's got two batteries in it.

Do we need the wire? Yes, we do.

We actually need two or three crocodile clips, crocodile wires, sorry, to help us connect our components.

Do we need the lamp? No, we don't.

But we do indeed need the motor.

So let's have a little think and then explore.

So what I would like you to do is have a go at illustrating how you could connect the following components to create a simple circuit.

I'd like you to annotate to identify the component names.

So what are they called? Which are insulators, which are conductors, and which is the inputs, the process, and the output.

So label it to show what you've learnt previously.

And then Mrs. Mee is going to then demonstrate it to you by physically building a circuit on the screen once you've had a go.

So have a go at sketching how you would connect those components to make it work, and label all of those key parts.

Pause the video.

When you're finished, resume, and we will continue.

Okay, so Mrs. Mee is now going to show you how to build an electrical circuit.

So I'm going to show you how to build it.

Okay, so here we have all of our components, so we're going to now look at building a simple circuit.

So which are the two components that are really important for this circuit to work? That's right, the motor is really important, and the battery pack, that's right.

Without the battery pack, we'd have no power, would we? So these two are really important.

So it's really key that you think about how you're going to connect these.

So, well, how do I connect them? Do I put the plastic wire on the casing? No, I need to put, I'm going to use a wire with a crocodile clip on the end, and I'm going to connect it to the metal pin.

There we go.

So I've got metal to metal, metal to metal, and hopefully, it will work.

And now I'm going to take another wire, connect it there, and connect it here, and it should work.

Now, you'll notice, I've not used a switch at the minute.

So let's connect that, and it works.

Can you see? So that is a simple circuit.

Now, if I break the circuit here, I can actually add my switch, and I can actually show, then, whether it will work when it's on or off.

Okay, let's move it around so you can see it properly.

So if I pull that out, you can see that is a loop circuit, a series circuit.

But if switch the switch on now.

And off, it will work.

If I switch it on and do something here to this connection, can you tell me why it's not working? Yes, I've accidentally connected it to the plastic and not the metal conductor.

The plastic is an insulator, remember.

So if I turn that off so my motor doesn't crawl across the table, you could actually use that now to illustrate.

So let's try and move that up for you.

So here is my simple circuit that I have built.

So you could simulate that on a piece of software called Tinkercad, or you could just simply draw it like I've asked you to do.

So pause the video if you want to use this to help you draw your simple circuit.

Hope you've enjoyed looking at how we build simple circuits.

Brilliant, so here is our finished circuit.

Now, you can see this circuit here, I've added a motor clip to it, but here is the circuit.

What sort of products could we make using this circuit? Have a think.

Yes, so we could make products that move, so we could make a vehicle or a fan or a crane.

Anything that moves.

And we're actually going to make a crane next lesson using this circuit.

So you are going to need some cardboard, some string, and some wooden skewers or an alternative to wooden skewers in your house.

And we are going to have a go at building it.

Don't worry if you've not got the circuit.

We can simulate that using the computer.

So I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson.

You've had a go at the intro quiz.

You've looked at an introduction to control.

We've looked at understanding electrical systems. We've looked at inputs, processes, and outputs and we've actually looked at building a simple circuit.

So thank you for joining me in today's lesson.

If you've got anything you'd like to share, please ask an adult to share it by tagging us @OakNational, use the hashtag #LearnwithOak.

And I look forward to seeing you next lesson, where we'll explore electrical systems further.