iCreate - How Technology Has Changed - Photography

Designing & Developing Digital Outcomes

Year 4 students have created an outstanding photo montage showcasing their understanding of photographic elements.  Investigation through practice showed how images are captured and how photographs have changed with technology and innovation. They showcased their hard work with an online exhibition and an actual exhibition for Grandparents Day. The girls even taught their grandparents how to take a selfie!

This unit of work is a strong example of student operating within the new Digital Technologies Curriculum, due to be mandated in 2020.

 

How History is Remembered and Shared

Learning to capture images from varying perspectives.  Taking part in a treasure hunt of photographic elements showing 'strong lines'

Year 5 and 6 are working together on a topic called “How History Is Remembered and Shared”.

The girls have visited Turanga Library to kick start their research.  We are hoping to revisit the Library once the girls have narrowed their research topic. Next steps, will be to share their learning comparing two views in time.  The girls will code a visual presentation with the use of Scratch, a block coding platform. Learning to code challenges students to think creatively, work collaboratively and reason systematically.

Part II

The girls have excelled all expectations with this integrated unit. They worked with Sam Bates, their performing arts teacher, Rachel Wilford their Music teacher, Linda Chong and Audrey Campbell, their Digital Technology teachers to present their learning through mime, singing and coding. What a fabulous celebration for our girls and their parents.

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We are changing where you can follow us

To all our lovely followers.  We are changing where you can find us.  Please continue to see what we are up to by clicking on the following link
Centre for Innovation Website - [https://smc-cfi.wixsite.com/mysite]

Robocup 2019

I have been involved in robotics for a number of years now and it never ceases to amaze me that robots in an unfamiliar environment behave in unexpected ways. What worked yesterday can, at times, mysteriously malfunction. 

The day started with some pressure to urgently debug and problem-solve errors in the code. The search and rescue teams were stretched to the limit to overcome the mysterious phenomenon of robots behaving badly. The rescue competition consists of four rounds.  At the end of round one, there was much frustration and we performed at a level below what we had anticipated. As the day unfolded, our error detection and problem-solving skills, along with much perseverance and grit got us through to the end of the fourth-round.  Each round presented new challenges but we had managed make improvements. Hannah should be commended for not only giving Robocup a go as a first-time competitor but also for competing solo on the day as her partner was unavailable.

 

In the Theatre division there was more room to be creative and flexible. The Australian and New Zealand robots took the stage in a sporting arena to perform a range of races. Millie’s narration could be modified if the robots misbehaved. Her timing of the movement of the robots and the visual performance was amazing.  All the angst and hours to prepare for the two minutes on stage was well worth it.  

Robotics is more that just coding! It not only enables our girls to have an opportunity to learn to programme but also to develop essential skills in a real setting.  Often family members also go through the stress and frustrations that these keen programmes are experiencing. It is with family support and willingness to take a risk that these girls learn to adapt to unforeseen challenges.  Rarely does everything work out perfectly on the day. Robocup is reknown for providing an experience with the whole spectrum of tears through to ultimate joy. On this occasion we all performed absolutely stupendously. I am proud that you represented St Margaret’s College with such positivity.

SMC Robocup Team: Millie Edwards, Hannah Waring, Claudia Hundleby (in absentia), Tessa Sitjes, Lucy Eyre-Walker, Mel Leaderland and Jessika Sanders.

Results for the regional robot Robo Competition:

First Senior Theatre Competition: Millie Edwards - year 7

First and Premier Search and Rescue Competition: year 9 students: Tessa Sitjes, Lucy Eyre-Walker, Jessika Sanders and Mel Leatherland

Link to Theatre Performance

EPro8 Competition

EPro8 Competition ( Engineering, Problem Solving and Innovation)

Over the past two weeks, the Year 5-9 Construction Club girls have competed in the EPro8 competition.  EPro8 is an Engineering, Problem Solving and Innovation competition based around a set of challenges to be completed within a given time frame.  Each time the girls completed a challenging task they earned points, racing up the leaderboard. EPro8 encourages teamwork, communication and perseverance.  Each team of 4 worked tirelessly over the 2.5 hour period without stopping for food, water or toilet breaks!  We are incredibly proud of our girl's first attempt in this competition.

The girls involved were:-

Year 9 - Tessa Sitjes, Mel Leatherland, Lucy Eyre-Walker and Cara Birch,

Year 7 - Gemma Sitjes, Anjali Selveraja, Charlotte Brown and Millie Edwards,

Year 6 - Hannah Millar, Sophia Govan, Lucy Mitchell and Qiaoyu Guan,

Year 5 - Ivy Mehrtens, Lexie Boon, Leilah Pukepuke, Marnie Bell, Poppy Blakely, Genevieve Surridge, Alisha Arora, and Sienna Choat.  

We look forward to entering more girls in the competition next year.

Technology at St Margaret's College

An Interview with Dan Goldin

Dan Goldin was Administrator of NASA from 1992 - 2001.  Dan had a strong upbringing in music both playing and listening.  His father regularly took him to museums and to planetariums. This was where he discovered his love for space. Dan's passion to work in space and go to space grew through his childhood.  He made planes and dreamed of becoming an astronaut.  When Dan was a youngster, NASA has not yet been established so space exploration was new and unknown. 

Doctors advised Dan not to play contact sports due to his extreme myopic eye condition. There was the risk of becoming totally blind if his retina detached so his astronaut dreams were always going to be challenging.

"My eye doctor laughed so hard I thought he was going to fall over"

Dan's father taught him to "pick an objective and never give up no matter how difficult it got"

"Don’t let anyone or anything get in the way of your objective"

Even to this day, Dan still has a dogmatic approach.  His story about his approach to learning to paddleboard resulted in 3 broken ribs and he was black and blue all over BUT he didn't stop until he had mastered it!

"You cannot stop the march of technology! "

Dan believes that the greatest opportunities in the near future are in the life sciences.  Leaning how our environment impacts our physical make up - the size of our bodies, shape of the face, etc.

This knowledge can then be used in a weightless space environment - what can we learn from life science that will help us in space?

Currently, there is a lot of research being carried out by geneticists.  Crucial decisions are being made by ethicists as we manipulate gene structures.  What then if an error were to occur, where do we as humans get to have our say?  Society sleepily goes about it's daily business whilst the actions of some scientists are being executed which will have a huge influence the future.  Dan believes that "Humans need to be more in charge of their futures."

The purpose of the Space programme has always been for the benefit of humanity.  A balance of science and ethics might enable astronauts to transform biology to be better prepared in space. Dan sees manufacturing as something that will be done by bacteria and not human hands.

"The future lies in the balance of biomedicine and bioethics with physics and engineering skills"

The concept of being able to "walk and chew gum" is an expression that Dan used often.  It means that have the ability to attend to the problems of today but we also must look to the future otherwise concentrating too much on the here and now will stifle exploration and development.

Some parting advice from Dan:

• Never worry about what others think of you. Whatever is in your core is right.
• When you make a change it’s not a popularity contest. Don’t expect to be loved. Accept the consequences
• Believe in yourself and understand you are fully in charge of your destiny. Believe in your version of life and your conduct in life.
• Be outstanding in whatever you do.
• Don’t lose energy in worrying about things you don’t have control over.
• Don’t fight the battle of increasing the number of women.
• Develop yourself to be the best and then you will be contributing to the world.
• Competition is great as long as it is to sharpen the mind; rather to 'win'
• Be the best engineer that happens to be a woman, not a woman who is an engineer

Recommended Reading:

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe

The book also argues that due to the immense size of the universe, even if another habitable planet like Earth does exist elsewhere, and that the Earth is not the only planet in the universe with complex life, such planets would still only appear in relatively small numbers compared to planets that are habitable only to bacteria, and would most likely be too far away for any intelligent life, if they exist, to make contact with each other as well as with our own planet, as the vast distances between those planets would essentially isolate them, and by the time any signals reach their destination, the planet the signal originated from may no longer be habitable anymore except for at least bacteria, and whatever life that sent said signal may already be extinct, making any form of contact with each other useless. 

Beginning to Code

The Year 3 students will begin using Scratch Junior. They will be developing their skills in coding by using the Scratch Junior App. This will be building on from the computer science foundation these girls received as Year 2’s.

ScratchJr Mission statement - ‘As children code with ScratchJr, they learn how to create and express themselves with the computer, not just to interact with it. In the process, children learn to solve problems and design projects, and they develop sequencing skills that are foundational for later academic success. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of numeracy and literacy. With ScratchJr, children aren't just learning to code, they are coding to learn.’

Minecraft Club

Another technology club that has been introduced in Term 2 is the Minecraft Club.  

We are delighted that three Year 7 girls have been mentored to be facilitators of this group.  

Imogen Masters, Maia Stanbury and Ceira Roche are using their leadership skills to guide

students through tasks using Minecraft.  Currently, students are learning a variety of skills

within Minecraft which will enable them to exist in ‘survival mode’. A number of strategies

can be executed to collect resources, build structures and battle mobs, manage hunger and

explore the world to survive and thrive.

Robotic Electric Guitar

We have started to create musical instruments for our band.  We are happy with this collaborative build, however, playing it with a recognizable tune is our next challenge.  

Y8 DVC

Over the past term, the Year 8 students have been learning the process of design, research, and creation of a mobile phone charging station.  They have learned to isometrically draw their designs before crafting their models from foamboard.  Seeing their prototype models being developed has been exciting.

The girls are keen to further develop their cutting skills.

Girl Engineers

As part of Construction Club, the girls are faced with challenges of many kinds. Challenges that may require fine motor skills and dexterity, others may involve electronics and circuits but all require teamwork, communication and perseverance.

These girls made a drum beater - and in the process learned how to make a solid structure and a lever mechanism.

These girls made a strumming instrument, similar to a guitar, but the challenge was the musician had to be 5 metres away from the 'guitar - like' structure. This posed a few problems.

This term ventures into circuits. 

Have a go at creating your own circuit here then try to complete these challenges below

CHALLENGES

1. Make a circuit with a bulb, battery and a switch

2. Make a circuit with 2 bulbs but only one is switched on/off with a switch.

3. What happens when you have 6 batteries and one bulb?

4. What happens when you have 6 bulbs and 1 battery?  

Pirate Day

When Ms Campbell comes to our class we put on our computer science thinking hats, but today instead we dressed up in our pirate outfits for Pirate Day.

Throughout the term, we made our own maps, compasses and features for our maps. We learned of North, South, East & West directions and how we can use the directions as an algorithm ( a set of clear and accurate instructions)  to get from our pirate ship to find the buried treasure.

The challenge was to transfer the dotted pathway into directional code.

These are our best pirate faces!

These are our best pirate sounds!

Technology supporting Y7 English Curriculum

Year 7: Using the laser cutter to create a template for a "matchbox" that the students put together and decorate. Inside is a trinket that the students have hand drawn and it is then laser cut in a material of the student's choice - wood, coloured acrylic. This is all part of their process for recount writing in English.

3D printing development

Hyrdogel could be the next advance in 3D printing development.  It is a polymer that is in its early stages of development.  Hydrogel is expected to be self-adhesive and bendable material.  The possibilities of its use look promising. This polymer could be the answer to a range of issues from playing a role in cancer treatments to becoming parts for soft robotics.  Hydrogel can be fashioned into Lego-shaped blocks that may be a carrier of chemicals that could help in the delivery of life-saving medicine and treatments.
For more information, click the link HERE

Art and Technology

The year 7 students have modeled their latest work on the artist Dolan Gieman.  Girls have selected an image that is personally significant to them.  Specific coloured strips have then been carefully selected and arranged on the base.  The laser cut image is then added on top.  The overall image that shines through portrays a gorgeous piece of art. 

Have a Go Day

A new initiative from the Technology and Innovation committee is to give girls a "Have a Go Day".   Prefect Holly Macdonald was supported by Hannah Ferguson and a number of senior girls from the Technology and Innovation and Arts Council.  This week the activity was to try Sphero Robots.  Once the girls learned how to drive the spheros, then the challenge was to negotiate obstacles and to have a speed race.  We look forward to many more lunchtimes when Holly and her team will be able to introduce other exciting tech activities.

Evolocity 2019

The launch for the Canterbury Evolocity Challenge got off to a great start. Students worked in teams to problem solve and fix an electric motor kit to a bicycle.  This year there are record numbers of students across New Zealand who have registered interest to take part.
Mia and Angelina joined with Charlie and Tim from Christs' College to start this adventure.  The evolocity challenge continues outside of school time with specific days set aside for building.  These build days provide access to experts who support students to learn skills in welding, programming their controller using code as well as checking that their vehicle meets the criteria for racing.  This project provides students who have an interest in engineering, science, and design, mechanical and electronic technology to apply their knowledge to achieve a vehicle fit for racing.  The regional competition usually takes place in October and within this challenge are several competitions.  We look forward to following their progress.

 

4D printing and animation

It is amazing what creative minds are making with access to 3D printing. Plant forms are being brought to life to move as if they are in their natural surroundings. 

What could plant forms do and look like in the future?

Could plants save our planet?

To read more about how Nicole Hone has been creating hydrophytes, click on this LINK

A simple inflation bulb can create the movement for her 3D printed hydrophytes.

What is even more fascinating is watching these creations come to life 

Click on the link below to watch a video of hydrophytes in action.

https://vimeo.com/nicolehone/hydrophytes-4d-printing