A time to thrive

Unexpected learning outcomes have been widespread around the College this year. Instead of throwing in the towel after the struggles of COVID-19, our students have chosen to thrive. In Junior High, the case is no different, with students embracing new learning opportunities wholeheartedly.

KELSEY BRICKNELL

communications officer In Year 7, St Peters students study a sixmonth Digital Technology program. The subject covers programming, networks, robotics and culminates in a group Ethi‘Cool’ Project. Now in its fifth year, the Ethi‘Cool’ Project requires students to apply their Digital Technology knowledge to a real-world problem with an ethical dimension. Students work together to develop a technology-based solution and then pitch their ideas (‘Shark Tank’-style) to a panel of industry experts.

The project, overseen by Mr Peter Hurwood, is a chance for students to work like they would in a practical IT environment. “Teamwork is what you do in Digital Technology,” he told us. “My personal hope is that what I’m doing is getting more [students] interested in technology.”

And that, he certainly is. Year 7 students, Chloe and Oscar, met with Plus Ultra to reflect on the Project. “It was quite fun,” Chloe shared. “We got the chance to actually express our ideas [in person], even after At Home Learning, so we’re very lucky.”

Chloe and Oscar were in different groups, yet their motivations behind choosing their real-world problems were similar.

“We looked at helping people,” Oscar said, “with a focus on the bushfires [across Australia]. We looked at using drones to track the fire fronts to improve knowing where the fire is headed and therefore being able to help [the people on the ground].” Chloe’s group focused on how drones could improve access to medical resources in rural communities—an issue close to home for the young boarder from Moree, country NSW.

“Where I live, we only have one ICU bed,” she said. “And it’s expensive trying to fly to health facilities for [specialist] care.” Like the other groups in their cohort, Chloe and Oscar’s groups examined current technologies before developing a polished pitch of a unique or re-imagined product. They considered risks, sustainability issues, social practices, equity, privacy and security in the design of their products and did so in a two-week timeframe. “I found it good that we were [only] given a short period of time,” Oscar shared. “It was a bit stressful, because I’ve never done a project like it before, but I guess it was more like real life— ‘Project, due date…get it all done’. I enjoyed it!” Neither Oscar nor Chloe seemed to be intimidated by the impressive panellists in front of them. Comprised of Katrina Lawrence (Regional Sales Director, Dell Australia); Kym Mellor (Programme Manager, Tquila ANZ); Amanda Rablin (St Peters eLearning Coordinator); Glen Richards (CEO Greencross and Shark Tank Australia panellist), the students said, more than nervous, they were grateful that the panellists came along.

“I didn’t mind,” Chloe said. “Honestly, I can talk to anyone!” This, Mr Hurwood shared, was one of

the most surprising outcomes from the Ethi‘Cool’ Project. “A lot of students said afterwards, ‘I thought I was going to hate it—I thought it was going to be a six on the Fear Scale, but it was a zero!’. I’ve been saying to these students, if that’s your reaction, you should look for more opportunities to practise these skills around the College.”

Going forward, Mr Hurwood will look to extend the presentation timeframe to include a lengthier Q&A session with the panel.

“That’s where the students really get the buzz,” he told us. “They get to have interesting and intelligent people asking them questions and that’s when you can really see the cogs turning—as they apply their knowledge in real time.” Chloe told us that the Ethi‘Cool’ Project taught her a lot.

“I learnt that it’s always good to be in groups where you have different strengths, because you can always come up with something better than what you’d come up with on your own, and it can grow to be something amazing. Also, it’s fun to brainstorm and problem solve with technology!” Thanks to the support of Mr Hurwood and his panel of experts, the Ethi‘Cool’ Project will remain a staple of the Year 7 Digital Technology curriculum.

“If we can give the [right technology] skills to students at [an early] age,” Mr Hurwood closed, “they’ve got them for the rest of their high school career.”

Pictured (left): Year 7 Digital Technology students, Chloe and Oscar (above L-R) Panellists Glen Richards, Kym Mellor, Amanda Rablin and Katrina Lawrence with Peter Hurwood. (below) Scenes from student presentations.