Lesson at a Glance | He Tirohanga Whakamua
Ngā Whāinga Ako | Learning Intentions
Students will know
- Tracing raw material origin, manufacturing energy, usage lifespan, and end-of-life disposal.
- Applying kaitiakitanga as an active design constraint rather than a surface aesthetic.
- Selecting sustainable materials justified by lifecycle energy and recyclability data.
Students will demonstrate
- Conduct a cradle-to-grave audit of candidate outcome materials.
- Compare environmental footprint of renewable vs non-renewable components.
- Document material selection rationale in Level 1 Digital Technology Design Log.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Context & Issue Audit (10 mins)
Evaluating raw material extraction (embodied energy, toxicity, transport miles) vs circular economy principles in Aotearoa.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Mint Innovation — Sustainable E-Waste Metal Recovery in Aotearoa
Video Source: Mint Innovation NZ (Runtime: 3m 8s)
Watch the full clip — 2 min 59 s. Source: Wild For Taranaki. Otaraua hapū exercising kaitiakitanga over their own rohe — the half of this lesson that a product-lifecycle diagram cannot teach. For the taiao half, pair it with 1News on Aotearoa's unregulated e-waste (1 min 53 s): together they give ākonga a duty and a problem to apply it to.
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
How do we recover precious metals (gold, copper) from discarded electronic circuit boards without toxic smelting?
👁️ 2. After the Clip (Work With a Job)
- Kōrero: Identify the biological/clean chemistry process used to extract metals from e-waste.
- Kōrero: Note how local urban mining in NZ prevents exporting toxic e-waste overseas.
- Kōrero: Record how circular metal recovery reduces mining pressure on raw ecosystems.
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Pause at 2:15 to connect local urban bio-mining with kaitiakitanga taiao (protecting land and waterways).
Immediate Task: Calculate the material efficiency gains in your Level 1 Digital Technology Design Log when specifying recycled vs virgin metals.
📖 Activity 1: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) & Material Selection Matrix (15 mins)
Take one material you intend to use and trace it end to end: where it is extracted, the energy to process it, how long it lasts in use, and where it goes afterwards. Give every stage a source or write UNKNOWN. Then find one material that beats it on lifecycle and say what switching would cost you in performance or price. A sustainable choice that costs nothing was never a trade-off.
✏️ Activity 2: Level 1 Digital Technology Design Log Workshop (25 mins)
Complete a simplified LCA audit for candidate materials (PLA vs timber vs recycled metals) and document kaitiakitanga trade-offs.
- Draft annotated concept diagrams highlighting key sustainable materials and functional features.
- Document stakeholder requirements gathered from target end-users and environmental audits.
- Evaluate concept trade-offs using the Tri-Pillar Sustainability Matrix (Environmental, Social, Economic).
🎯 Poroporoaki | Exit Ticket & Portfolio Check (10 mins)
Write a 2-sentence summary in your Level 1 Digital Technology portfolio explaining: "How does my conceptual design for Lesson 3 actively prevent environmental harm while meeting core user needs?"
📂 Level 1 Digital Technology Portfolio Milestone: Lesson 3
Ensure your design log entries for Lesson 3 (Material Lifecycle & Kaitiakitanga) are saved and updated with annotated sketches, stakeholder notes, and sustainability justifications.
🧭 Kaiako Planning Notes & NCEA Alignment
NCEA Level 1 Digital Technologies Alignment (6 Credits Internal):
- Technological Practice: Undertake development to make a conceptual design for an outcome.
- Differentiation & Scaffolding: Provide physical component samples and sentence frames for stakeholder interviews and justification writing.
- Extension (Excellence): Challenge students to conduct a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tracing raw material extraction through to end-of-life e-waste processing.
- Te Ao Māori Integration: Ground material choice in traditional ecological knowledge (mātauranga taiao) regarding resource extraction and seasonal renewal.