Electronics Deep Dive

Phase 1: Team Assembly & Topic Selection

The Mission

To investigate the history, technology, and milestones of a key electronic innovation and present your findings to the class.

You have two weeks to become experts on a specific area of electronics. This isn't just about looking at cool pictures; we want a deep dive into the history, the major milestones, the key inventors, and how the technology actually works.

Choose Your Topic: Once your group is settled, choose one topic from the list below. If you have a different idea, you must pitch it to the teacher first.

Electric Cars (Note: This is not a sales pitch for fast supercars. Focus on battery evolution, motor history, and efficiency).
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
Transistors (The building blocks of modern tech).
Computers (Evolution from vacuum tubes to silicon).
Television & Radio (With a specific focus on NZ history).
Electricity Distribution (The grid, AC vs DC).
Batteries (Chemistry and evolution).
Robots & Automation.

Phase 2: The Art of Presentation

Before you copy-paste paragraphs of text from Wikipedia, we need to talk about how human beings actually process information.

The "Finger Test" (Perspective)

Your laptop screen looks huge because it is 30cm from your face. The projector screen looks huge because it is 100 inches wide. But they are not the same.

Step 1: Hold your index fingers up about 20cm in front of your face. Line one finger up with the left edge of your laptop screen and the other with the right edge. Your fingers are likely 20–30cm apart.

Step 2: Look at the projector screen at the front of the room. Repeat the process.

Result: For those at the back, your fingers might only be 5cm apart.

The Lesson: The projector screen is actually "smaller" to your eye than your laptop. 11pt Arial text is unreadable from the back of the room.

2. Contrast is King

Your laptop is a high-contrast backlit device. A projector is a low-contrast device that relies on reflection. Make sure you test your powerpoint on the projector

Bad: Light text on a white/light background (it washes out).
Good: Dark background (black/navy) with large, white/yellow text.

Death by PowerPoint

We want to avoid boring the audience. Watch this TEDx talk by David J. P. Phillips to understand why less is more. (Watch as a class)

One message per slide.
Use Speaker Notes: Put your script in the notes section at the bottom.
The Slide: Should only contain a large image and huge bullet points.

Phase 3: The Build

Use these two lessons to research, verify, and build.

Checklist for Success:

[ ] No Wall of Text: Have I moved my paragraphs to the speaker notes?
[ ] Simple Language: If I pasted text from a website, do I actually understand what it means?
- Tip: If the text is too complex, ask an AI tool to "rewrite this so a 5-year-old can understand it," then use that as your base.
[ ] Relevance: Does my image actually relate to the bullet points?

Teacher Warnings (Students avoid these)

The Wikipedia Trap: Watch out for students simply copy-pasting complex jargon they don't understand.

The "We're Done" Illusion: Groups often think they are finished early. Encourage them to dig deeper or double-check their facts.

A Cautionary Tale: I once had a group choose the topic "Valves" (referring to vacuum tubes/thermionic valves). They didn't check their research and presented an entire slideshow on water plumbing valves. Don't be that group. Ask for feedback!

Phase 4: Presentation Day

Before presenting, ensure your group has filled out the cover sheet with your photos so I know who is who.

Assessment:

Individual Grade: You are marked on your slides and your research.
Teamwork: While grades are individual, major conflicts or refusing to work as a cohesive unit will be noted.

👨‍🏫 Teacher Note: Check presentations in an empty classroom (if available) prior to the final presentation to check for readability and content accuracy.

9 ELT - Presentation Marking Rubric

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