The latest ebooks and books we have available on STEM for our teachers and students
A list of the resources available to borrow from LEX. We also have a taster kit for school to try out one of each STEM device. The taster kit can be borrowed for 1-2 weeks.
A handy way of charging all your STEM equipment is via a multi-port USB charger. This is the charger we have bought for charging spheros, blue bots etc.
On Monday August 21st, at Our Lady of the Nativity, Lawson two teams of Tech Girls launched their apps - their entries in the Tech Girls are SuperHeroes Competition for 2017. The girls, who are Stage 3 students, celebrated at the school assembly with the school community and and at a special morning tea in the library with invited guests and their families. Special guests included Trish Doyle, NSW MP for the Blue Mountains and Greg Whitby, Executive Director, Catholic Education, Diocese of Parramatta.
At the launch, the girls shared the app they had designed to engage others within in their own local community with finding solutions to global issues. As part of the curriculum, the girls design their app using App Inventorand also develop a business plan and a video pitch. The teams were supported throughout the projects by their Teacher Librarian Maree Crawford. Additional assistance included 2 female Mentors from Accenture Technology and one of theDads, Joshua McKinnon. the students used Skype to connect with their mentors weekly- a very appropriate way the students can overcome the barrier of distance from Sydney.
We wish to congratulate both of this year's teams who entered the Tech Girls are Superheroes competitions. Preview their entries in the videos below
FIGURES OF HOPE: Lillie, Mikayla and Bridgette addressed homelessness and ways to provide support.
OUTSHINE THE SUN: Chelsea, Gabe and Lizzy. Their app was concerned with finding solutions to climate change
"Outshine the Sun" App Team and planning
In undertaking this challenge students have developed skills and knowledge from the current NSW Design and Technology K-6 syllabus. They have also developed a broad range of contemporary learning skills - including communication and collaboration, personal and social capability, creative and critical thinking, ICT capability . The photos show some of their ideation phase as well as planning their interface design.
We are very excited to announce that the "Outshine the Sun" team are NSW State finalists for the Primary Section in 2017. This is the second year the students of Our Lady of Nativity have reached the finals. Last year their team scored second place. We wish them success at the NSW Techgirls are Superheroes Showcase to be held at Darling Harbour later this week.
Blue Bots, Makey Makey and Little Bits are highly engaging tools in the classroom. Students at Kirinari - Xavier College were able to practise a variety of skills and achieve multiple outcomes utilising these STEM technologies.
This includes -
communication
teamwork in pairs
problem solving
leadership skills
listening skills and following instructions from their partner
story telling and writing
Every student displayed resilience, perseverance and determination as they were participating in each task. The tasks were open-ended and, often, student-driven. All of the students were engaged throughout the various activities. And they all had fun!
A very useful guide for teachers to gain an overview about robots in the Australian classroom has been compiled. Originated by educator Roland Gesthuizen it aims to give teachers information about what works well from practitioners in the field. A range of educators from across Australia are contributors. It provides:
some quick tips about best practice to introduce robotics in your classroom/school
a list of different robotic resources with information from educators who have used them or seen them used in schools
a table of features
an age recommendation table of when the technology would be best introduced
Access the Robots in the 2017 Australian classroom guide by clicking on the image adjacent or click here.
Our CEDP teachers have access to kits they can borrow to trial different robotic resources. Click on the image below to access the kit information or access the STEM resources for coding kit document .
