Northwestern Middle School - Technology Timeline

This lab was the most complicated and in depth of all the labs I decorated...  AND my favorite.

It had a very specific theme and set of images.  I created a timeline of technology going from the abacus in 3000 BC through 2010's websites, emails and other recent inventions. 

The timeline is made using red vinyl strips cut 2 inches wide.  I used George and Basic shapes for the horizontal and vertical pieces.  The years were marked with 2 inch vinyl 8/5/3 inches long depending on the year.  Once I identified the amount of information for a certain era, I measured how many years I could get on each of the walls.  Each wall has a different scale.  The latest years were 8 inches for each year while the middle wall had 8 inches for every 25 years.  The first wall didn't actually have a scale.

We were attempting to show the students a few things:
1.  the inventions and work leading up to the creation of the computer over many years;
2.  the relatively short period of time that individuals have had access to computers; and
3.  the incredible proliferation of electronic information in the VERY recent past.

I ended the timeline with a large question mark.  The timeline continues on to the year 2020 so it can be updated over the next few years.

As you can see from the above pictures, I continued the theme of computer words but I didn't put any websites in this lab.  I also included Grace the mouse, the computer mouse and the computer mouse cord.  Most of this room uses graphics which were laminated.  I found that the laminator had some troubles with multiple levels of cardstock.  It was a bit thick for a good laminating. 

Now for some of the graphics in this lab.

Because the first computer was an abacus, I started the timeline with the abacus.  I bought some clipart from Creative Delights (you can find them here. Tthey have some wonderful clipart, dingbats and graphics for the classroom and specials for teachers.  This is the link directly to the abacus.)  I traced the clipart in SCAL, deleted some of the lines that I didn't want and then cut this in black.  I thought about doing it in primary colors but decided it wasn't worth the additional work.

I used this open book as the graphic on a couple of items.  It comes from Cricut Cartridge Cursive 101.  I cut the cream colored page to fit in the printer so I could print directly onto the page.

I also wanted to put each of the pieces from the technology timeline into perspective.  The sun is from Just Because Cards.  I created a circle which fit in my printer.  This one talks about Galileo and the heliocentric solar system.

In addition to the book image, I used the computer monitor a number of times.  It was an easy image to use.  When I made it as large as possible on a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock, the screen was the perfect size for an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, printed landscape.  I cut the mouse off because it didn't fit on the page and it wasn't worth the work.

I made the slide rule using George.  The round slide rule was printed on a color printer.  I used my Cricut E with a mini sharpie to make the numbers on the slide rule.

These pictures are also items I created.  The first I call "binary lace".  It is a page full of 0's and 1's which was the first computer language.  The second is an old punch card.  I used my sharpie to indicate most of the places that the card can be punched.  I also have a "hanging chad" on the bottom row.  I'm guessing most of the students will neither notice or understand the reference but I loved making it.  Both of these were made using my Cricut cartridges, George and Basic Shapes for the punch card and Plantin for the binary lace. 

I was especially pleased with the way the floppy disk turned out.  I used George and Basic Shapes to make it.  The base is inexpensive black cardstock from JoAnn Fabrics.  The silver is from the metallic stack by DCWV.  The printing was put on a piece of vellum.  Doesn't it look real?

Here are a few cuts from different carts.

The Declaration of Independence comes from the My World cart, the laptop comes from Locker Talk, the cell phone, globe and envelope come from Going Places, the typewriter can be found on Doodletype, the football comes from Sport Mania, the Mickey Mouse can be found on a couple of cartridges but I used Mickey and Friends.  That cute mailbox is from Doodlecharms.

Don't these apples remind you of the Apple logo?  I love the way they turned out.  I found it on Give a Hoot, there are two apples on the cart, it is the one on the top row.  I used an oval to create the bite out of the apple.

I wanted to finish this on a strong note.  Don't you love this robot?  I was hoping to use the screen on the robot to say, "1964:  The first fully automated, computer controlled factory is inaugurated by Sara Lee" however, the screen wasn't big enough.  So, I used the monitor and put the robot next to it. I decided to make the robot a her because it was a Sara Lee factory.

Tomorrow, I will highlight the pieces of the timline created with SCAL.