2019 School Magazine

YEAR 7 TECHNOLOGIES T his year we learned how to design prototypes and use digital tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. We have also learned drafting skills through sketching orthographic, perspective and isometric drawings. A highlight was designing and developing wearable technology from acrylic and LEDs. Our teacher, Ms Jones, taught our class how to make prototypes from various materials using both laser cutting and 3D printing. We have also studied computer science fundamentals such as binary, computer networks, functions, variables, bitmap and vector image processing. Everyone in our Technologies class enjoyed creating our own designs. We were all surprised by how much our knowledge and understanding of the digital and design world has developed. This subject exposed us to different challenges that required collective thinking and innovative and complex solutions. Ava Gerbino (7E) YEAR 8 DESIGN AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES T he Year 8 Design and Digital Technologies course has provided us with an incredible range of new technology skills. In the first unit of work, we were required to design and create mini ‘dragsters’ fuelled by Co2 cartridges. To do this, we studied aerodynamics and applied previously learned knowledge of practical prototyping skills to produce dragsters from a block of balsa wood. We also had to adhere to engineering specifications in the assignment criteria. This unit was extremely rewarding as we raced our finished products. In Term 2, we learned how to construct a website using HTML and CSS coding. Design aesthetics, colour choices and web layout were all crucial components in creating an effective and informative website. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator applications were incorporated into the unit to produce vector and bitmap images and web ready banners. Our third unit of work involved robotics, algorithms and flowcharts. Using the program Lego Mindstorms, we learned to program EV3 robots to perform specific tasks. We also used the application Flowol to design pseudocode and flowcharts to complete precise actions, such as mimicking traffic lights. This unit helped develop a better understanding of how computer science is integrated throughout our daily lives, while also improving our digital literacy. Year 8 Design and Digital Technologies has been a thoroughly enjoyable subject and has taught us many skills that will be useful in the future. Isabel Skarott (8L) and Alyse Stewart (8E)

CURRICULUM

TECHNOLOGIES

082 | BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2019