PUBLIC SPEAKING & MATHS
Public
T
he students involved in Public Speaking @ Barker have had a rewarding and exciting start to the year, and are reaping the rewards of their efforts.
At Barker College’s Public Speaking Competition
—Public Speaking coach Tim Berney-Gibson with Sean Landis, Lawrence Campbell Oratory competitor.
on Monday 16 March 2015, all students spoke with passion and conviction on their chosen topic, engaging and educating their audience. Congratulations to the following students for their success in their section of the competition:
He unfortunately did not place but it was an invaluable experience for him. He and William Solomon
Junior Jack Breden (Year 8)
will also compete in The Sydney Morning Herald Plain
Intermediate William Solomon (Year 10)
English Speaking Award in late May (results announced
Senior
in next issue of The Barker).
Sean Landis (Year 11)
Best Prepared Speech Seamus Dove (Year 12)
Both competitions offer the students challenging and rewarding opportunities to lift their public speaking
Term 2 was eventful as our students participated in
skills.
a variety of public speaking competitions. Sean Landis represented Barker College in the Lawrence Campbell Oratory competition.
Melissa Dooley and Vicky Argyrakis Coordinators Public Speaking
Using iPads
P
roviding iPads to each Year 7 student has opened up a new range of possibilities to the newest members of the Middle School. They use a suite of apps installed on every Barker iPad to access their textbook, draw geometrical diagrams and perform calculations, but anyone with a mobile device can take advantage of the myriad of mathematical apps available. Algebra Touch helps to show how the rules of algebra work and what operations can be performed. Its dynamic visual interface makes it easy to see what steps are needed to solve an algebraic equation. WolframAlpha can answer almost any mathematical question. It performs basic calculations but has the power to produce step-by-step solutions for long and
THE BARKER | WINTER 2015
involved problems. It can also answer questions
32
on sporting results, population estimates and much more. This is a great tool for our senior Mathematics students or anyone curious about the world around us. Andrew Mallam Mathematics Technology Coordinator
—Above WolframAlpha showing a step-bystep solution to Question 13 (a) of the 2014 Extension 2 HSC paper.