TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

PORTFOLIO
Constructing an Agricultural Produce Sorter

Name: Mikah Stroude

Class: 3J
Group: 4
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Content Page#

Challenge………………………………………………………………………..1

Challenge Restated……………………………………………………………...2

Evidence of Research…………………………………………………………...3

Possible Solutions……………………………………………………………….6

Comparison of Solutions………………………………………………………..7

Development Plan……………………………………………………………….11

Testing…………………………………………………………………………..15

Evaluation……………………………………………………………………….21

References……………………………………………………………………….26

Appendix………………………………………………………………………...27
 CHALLENGE

SORT ME
Your group is required to design and make a device that can sort a named
agricultural produce of three different sizes.
The device must:
➢ Be able to fit on a surface having dimensions of 120cm by 75cm
➢ Not cause damage to the produce
➢ Have a capacity of three Kilograms (3kg)
➢ Cost no more than forty dollars to produce.
 CHALLENGE RESTATED
My group members and I are required to design and construct a device
suitable for sorting agricultural produce of three various sizes. The device,
additionally when being finished constructed must be able to fulfill four given
criteria including my group’s separate specifications. They include: 1)having an
appropriate size in that it is able to fit on a surface of 120cm by 75cm. This
measurement is the typical size for a person’s kitchen countertop. Therefore if the
produce holder is too big, it wouldn’t fit or if it is too small, it wouldn’t look as
presentable in the kitchen. As a group, we, therefore, have to ensure that the
finished product has an appropriate size.
2) Be structured in a particular way so that damage would not be caused to
the agricultural produce. This is an important factor seeing that customers would
not purchase the product if their produce is being damaged as it defeats its purpose.
This can be prevented by layering the sorter with sponge, bubble wrap, foam or
anything else that has a soft surface that would not damage the produce with
contact.
3)Be capable of holding produce of three or more kilograms. Several fruits
and vegetables tend to be quite heavy, hence our finished product must be very
durable to facilitate this. This can be achieved by simply creating this item out of
strong materials like wood, cardboard or anything else that may be suitable.
4)Not cost my group members and I an expense of above forty dollars to
produce. Seeing that we are children and not yet have a job to pay for our school
stuff, this requirement is implied to give our parents an ease but also open our
minds to creativity and using materials at home, recycling etc.
 EVIDENCE OF RESEARCH
Internet:

According to careerplanner.com, an agricultural produce sorter is used for

organising fruits and vegetables. A sorter organises the fruit holder according to
size and some cases color and places them into some type of container.

According to americasjobexchange.com produce sorters are responsible for:

➢ Having the ability to know when to start and stop.
➢ being easy to manipulate by persons.
➢ Not cause any mess to the surrounding area when performing its duty.
➢ Sort items effectively sizes or even colours.
➢ Determine the various sizes and in some cases colours of either fruits or
vegetables.

According to homebnc.com having proper storage in your household for produce is

quite essential. Additionally having all your ingredients in hand and already sorted
is a great aid in the kitchen. It can not only add a little zest to your kitchen but also
contribute to its neatness. Some basic produce holders that can fulfill this task
include:

➢ Wooden Collapsible Vegetable Storage Crate

➢ Kitchen Counter Fruit And Utensil Storage Cabinet
➢ The Framer’s Market Wall Baskets
 ➢ Cute and Compact Two-Step Table Top Fruit And Veggie
➢ Wooden Board Fruit Basket Holder

Text:

According to Anita Tull(1996) vegetables are important as they contain

Vitamin B(provides a great supply of Thiamin), Vitamin C,( Vitamin A, Vitamins
E and K, carbohydrates and vegetables which is an important factor in one’s diet.
Fruits are additionally important as they provide an important source of
Vitamin C(ascorbic acid). It also supplies one with Vitamin A, carbohydrates and
Minerals. In comparison fruits and vegetables are a dietary necessity to one’s meal.

According to Miles Kelly(2016) A good diet contains the correct amount of

proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber. and water. Additionally,
fiber which is found in vegetables is supplied with cellulose from plant cell walls
and citrus fruits such as oranges are a great source of vitamin C(richer in Vitamin
C than any other fruit or vegetable) which is great for healthy teeth gums and
bones.

Questionnaire:

According to the results of the questionnaire, Cardboard was seen as the easiest
material to work with and also something that is readily available and most
cost-effective. The most suitable produce sorter to construct was option 1( the
shoebox produce sorter) which was also voted as the easiest to construct and safest
for agricultural produce. The produce sorter is aimed at being multicoloured and
durable.
 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Solution 1 Solution 2

Name: Shoebox produce sorter Name: The Agrisorter

Description: This is for sure Description: Made from wood, this
environmentally friendly being made item is surely durable and lasts a long
from recycled shoe boxes, cups, PVC, time. With this, your product is also
and cardboard. With this you can manually sorted.
manually sort your fruits.
Advantages: Advantages:
➢ Attractive ➢ Durable
➢ Inexpensive ➢ Safe for produce
➢ Suitably sized ➢ Can withstand heavy loads
Disadvantages: Disadvantages:
➢ Not durable ➢ Not attractive
➢ May cause produce damage ➢ Expensive
➢ Can’t withstand heavy loads ➢ Too Large
Sketch: Sketch:
 COMPARISON OF SOLUTIONS

Process: On the 5th of May 2019, my group members, Shania Beharry, Caitlyn

Lookfong, Samara Mathura, Kirstin Muradali, Destiny Quashie, Aneska

Ramkhellawan and I, Mikah Stroude, decided the best way to choose which device
we wanted to construct was through a vote. This was done at approximately 12:10
pm in the 2R classroom. For this vote, my group members and I listed off all the
requirements we thought suitable for this device. Each group member was then
given approximately five minutes to think about these requirements and which
device most effectively fulfilled these. At the end of these five minutes, each
requirement was called out and we then voted by raising our hands to support
which requirement each product better suited. At the end of this vote, the product
that covered the most criteria were chosen. I documented this vote in the form of a
bar graph.

Requirements for chosen device:

➢ Easy to use
➢ Aesthetically pleasing
➢ Durable
➢ Easy to construct
➢ Safe to use

➢ Inexpensive
Bar Graph showing results of the vote:
Discussion: From the results of the bar graph shown above it is seen that
solution one, the shoebox produce sorter is the most suitable choice. This is so as it
is the most aesthetically pleasing and least expensive device to construct, seeing
that it requires only recycled materials and is appealing to the eye. The beautiful
colours of this sorter is also sure to catch a visitor’s attention but also the fact that
it’s environmentally friendly. It is also easier to construct than the Agrisorter,
requiring fewer materials and having a shorter procedure and time to create.
Finally, this shoebox produce sorter is also much more safe to utilise than the
Agrisorter as it is not made of any sharp or easily swallowed materials.
Unfortunately, this device also has its downfalls being that it isn’t durable. In
comparison to the Agrisorter, the materials from which this is made, being from
cardboard and PVC is way less durable than wood and has a higher chance of the
product not lasting many years. Additionally, the shoebox sorter may be much
more difficult to use which links back to it not being durable. For example, when
sorting fruits and vegetables you have to be extremely careful when placing it so
that the produce would not be damaged by the device. Doing this may be difficult
for a person with very little patience.
Concluding, from the information provided above, it is seen that the
Shoebox produce sorter would be the best choice. Though it comes with its minor
downfalls, it covers more important aspects needed for this device than the
Agrisorter.

TheShoebox produce sorter’s purpose: To sort agricultural produce in an easy way

Chosen Solution: Solution 1- The Utensil Holder
 DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Tools:

➢ Newspapers
➢ Hole Puncher
➢ Hard Construction Gloves
➢ Scissors
➢ Glue Gun
➢ Glue Sticks

Materials:
➢ Recycled Cardboard boxes
➢ Recycled Styrofoam cups
➢ Recycled PVC
➢ Spray paint
➢ Recycled pool noodle
➢ Glitter Styrofoam
Procedure:

STEP 1: Recycled Cardboard boxes of sizes, small, medium and large were
collected. These boxes were then spray painted with candy pink spray paint

Cardboard boxes before being spray painted:

STEP 2: Three pieces Recycled PVC of sizes 3ocm each were then cut. This was
then spray painted in glitter gold spray paint.

STEP 3: Whilst the PVC dried labels were made using glitter and light purple
Bristol board paper.
 Labels When Completed:

STEP 4: When the PVC Dried it was then stuck in a Styrofoam cup using a glue
gun. To ensure that group members were not burned by this glue gun hard gloves
were used. When the PVC was stuck, old remnants of paper was stuck in the free
spaces so that the PVC was kept sturdy. This procedure was done twice.

PVC placed in Styrofoam Cup:

STEP 5: The two cups with the PVC sticks were then stuck at either end of the
large box
STEP 6: The small and medium boxes were stuck on the pieces of PVC
respectively , with the glue gun.

STEP 7: While these boxes dried a piece of a pool noodle was cut out and covered
with white glitter Styrofoam paper. This was then stuck between the small
medium-sized box.

STEP 8: To complete the product labels were stuck on the various boxes to
represent their sizes.

Finished Product:
 TESTING
Process: To test whether my group’s produce sorter was a success or not, my

group members Shania Beharry, Caitlyn Lookfong,Samara Mathura, Kirstin

Muradali, Destiny Quashie, Aneska Ramkhellawan and I, Mikah Stroude

interviewed ,Mya Gould at approximately 10:00a.m. and got an insight on what

she thought about this Shoe Box produce sorter. We asked her a series of questions

pertaining to the produce sorter and how she felt about it in her kitchen. This

interview was conducted at Mya’s dwelling in Moruga on the 26th of June, 2019.

The Summary of the interview’s results is on the

following page:
 SUMMARY OF RESULTS
From the results of the interview, it is seen that my group’s produce sorter
covered most of its specifications for the finished product. Our interviewee, Mya
Gould stated that our device was something that will stand out on a shelf with
several others like it and was very attractive. This device was also seen as
something that could be easily constructed as it had very easily obtainable
materials. Finally, this device is also cost-effective yet safe to be situated around
younger children as it has no sharp pieces or easy to swallow parts.
Sadly, this device was unable to satisfy two specifications being that it is not
durable and makes a person’s job more difficult instead of easier. In conclusion, I
would say that this utensil holder had an amazing outcome, achieving the majority
of its specifications.
 EVALUATION

Table showing specifications for the utensil holder, the

results of the device from the interview and how
improvement can be made based on interview results.

Specification Results How it can be

improved?

Easy to Use My Group’s produce sorter This can be improved by

was said to be difficult to
utilise as it is not sturdy
meaning that it falls easily.
giving the cardboard boxes
a base for support, like
wood, etc. so it would not
fall as easily and stand
strong.

Aesthetically Our device was seen as very To add to our device’s

Pleasing attractive as the colours used
were truly a great eyecatcher
and also made it stand out
from others.
attractiveness, we could
have added a wider variety
of colours to it and some
more decorations. We could
take our time when
constructing the device so

Durable Our produce sorter was
deemed not durable as the
materials used were not
strong and long-lasting ones.
They were seen as something been held up with another
that could easily be
destroyed and not serve
many years of usage.
Easy to If presented with the
construct opportunity to remake this
device our interviewee said
that this would be quite easy
as all the materials were
easily obtainable.
there could be a much
neater finish.
To make our device durable,
recycled wood could have
been used instead of
cardboard and it could have
material besides a styrofoam
cup like a plastic container.
To make our produce sorter
easier to construct,
newspapers could have been
used to fill the styrofoam
cups and the boxes could
have been painted.
Inexpensive This product was seen as
something that would be
bought for thirty dollars as it
is a quite reasonable price.
The product can be made
less expensive by using
cheaper materials such as
newspapers, poster paints,
and more recycled items.

Safe to use This device was deemed as To make this device safer
something that would be safe around children, the PVC
for utilisation around could have been covered in
children as there are no sharp a soft material like foam or
or easily swallowed parts. sponge and the device stuck
with stronger glue so it
wouldn’t break as easily.
 SUCCESS OF FAILURE
Personally, I would describe my group's shoebox produce sorter as
undoubtedly successful. This is so, because we were able to construct an
agricultural produce holder which covered almost all our desired criteria. To me,
this was absolutely excellent due to the fact we had zero experience in constructing
produce sorters or as a matter of fact, constructing anything. However, our
inexperience did not hinder us from using our various skills to create a device that
can only be described as magnificent.
Though our Shoebox produce sorter was not perfect and didn’t meet every
criterion, it was something that displayed the hard work, effort and partial
cooperation which was put into creating this device which is truly the reason this
project itself was a success.

OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT

Some of the main things my group members and I could have done to improve the
produce sorter include:

➢ Using recycled wood instead of cardboard boxes.

➢ Take our time when constructing the device so there would be a neater
finish.
➢ Painting it with paint instead of spending loads of money on spray paint.
➢ Attaching it with stronger glue so it wouldn’t break as easily.
➢ Using a plastic container instead of styrofoam to support the PVC.
 SELF PEER EVALUATION
Truthfully, this group was one of the worst groups I ever found myself in. Firstly,
the majority of my group members were not helpful. On the other hand, group
members would rarely ever reply to messages asking for advice or not complete
given tasks. Group members were given very little to do yet they could not fulfill
these tasks or did long after it was due. Even when we had to do a presentation in
front of the class only three members had learned their lines while the others
waited before the class to learn it which also ruined our presentation.

Additionally, I believe that I was a good group member as I helped with

creating the questionnaire, interview, gathering materials for the produce sorter,
and attended all meetings. I also ensured that my assigned tasks met its deadline so
my group will not be held back from progress. Sometimes though, I admit, I can be
a little controlling when it comes to group affairs in that when the deadline for the
product was only approximately a day away and our group still had some things to
do, I didn’t ask them for their opinions but I just did what I wanted and told them
that’s it. Next time, I’ll work on better communicating with my group.
 REFERENCE

(2018, October 17). 14 Fruit and Vegetable Storage Ideas to Make Your Kitchen a Whole Lot
More Organized. Retrieved from https://homebnc.com/best-fruit-and-vegetable-storage-ideas/

CareerPlanner.com Inc. (n.d.). SORTER, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE Job Description.

Retrieved from
https://dot-job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/SORTER-AGRICULTURAL-PRODUCE.cfm

Kelly, M. (2016). 8000 Amazing things you should know. Thaxted, Essex: Miles Kelly.

(n.d.). Production Sorter Job Description: Americas Job Exchange. Retrieved from
https://www.americasjobexchange.com/production-sorter-job-description

Tull, A. (2001). Food and nutrition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

APPENDIX