Digital Technologies @ GHS in 2018
Computational Thinking Unplugged
How do you apply computational thinking to everyday problems and come up with algorithms for them? 'Unplugging' and breaking them down into smaller components to come up with solutions is what most programmers do! We at Grey High are on are on a journey and have a few projects lined up for 2018 to try and unravel these ideas as we make them our own. The exciting changes that Tim Bell and his team have brought to the 'Unplugged' website is augmented by the resources that Gerard MacManus has made available to the DDTA teachers to tweak and make their own. Andrew Hornblow, Liam Beale and others up and down the country are willing to share their resources and ideas around so that we can Re-wire the #8 attitude that Kiwi's are so famous for.
On our part, we want to make our resources and our metacognitive processes are available to you so that you can tweak and make some of these projects you own, as we streamline our own journey of discovery; making interactive and authentic project based learning a part of the learning culture at Grey High.
Progress Outcomes for Computational Thinking
Progress Outcomes for Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes
Iterative Design on Paper 53
The designs for the progression of learning are conceptual drawings for SONRISA MS (TM, 2014). Originally it was designed as a possible App for volunteer teachers delivering learning to refugee children (my Master's thesis @ The University of Canterbury, NZ) in a crisis, however it's clean design makes it applicable in any classroom. It has been sketched over the last four years to streamline the learning journey and present pathways of progressions that can be accessed Teachers & Students on a Mosaic of learning.
Tracking the Universal Design for Learning Journey
In 2018, to dovetail with the New Digital technologies curricula, the aim it to map the learning progressions and enable the students to inform and track their ow learning based on the signposts.
Universal Design for Learning
The Curriculum Roadmap is based on a progressive journey with built in checkpoints at relevant points. For Grey High, the key one is at Year 8, which is transitional point for the local primary school children entering the High school. Having worked on the Year 8 journey in 2017 to build learning capacity, the focus will be on allowing the students to access learning pathways in Year 9, through the new Digital Technologies curricula.
Year 9's Journey into 2018
If we were to land on Mars how would we move around ?
This 8 week unit has two modules which require an understanding of the solar system and movement. In group of three they explore what they will require to know for a trip to Mars and how they will train for it. What do they need to know about each other, their vehicle and how it will be manoeuvred?
Through an exposure to various robots, their digital systems; input, output and storage functions, students will gather ideas for their own robotic landing gear on Mar. While researching current landings, they will also explore remote human computer interaction (HCI) by accessing the Mars Lab and manoeuvring the buggy. 3D spatial awareness and virtual reality are concepts that will be further explored from Year 8.
The Check-Points in the 8 Week Journey
Design Thinking for Designing Games
Year 10's Journey into 2018
Evaluating Game Platforms
The Year 10’s have an opportunity to explore the x,y & z coordinates while creating a virtual tour of the various departments at Grey High School. As they go through the design process they develop their 3D spatial awareness. Now that they are getting comfortable with identifying that the code they write in JavaScript for their game on Codecombat they are to springboard to their next project in collaboration with another Year 10 class for a up-cycling fabric's project. They will act like the engineers to 'Light It Up' using the Raspberry Pi and LED's ensembles on the garments the students design. The project code and the process available through the class website. They will also be working on Html and CSS, redesigning the Greymouth High School website.
Using computational thinking and software knowledge, they will learn to solve problems in an authentic learning environment and discover how the Game Design Industry works. Establishing foundational skills for the NCEA level 1 Computational Thinking and Game Design course; this can also be used as a stepping stone for electronics, immersive game design and Computer Science.
Year 11's Journey into 2018
The Level 1 students will be the first group at Grey High to attempt the New Digital Technologies NZQA standards which have been well designed to engender and develop authentic learning programmes. We were very fortunate to have the Rotary Chair, Dr Woods, visit us in the classroom to share some ideas about the development of the new Grey Base Hospital’s Paediatric Ward. The aim for the students is to engage with the various stakeholders and develop a proposal for a character for a game that can become iconic for the children and their parents on the West Coast. The students will present their initial sketches and the basic concepts in a project brief to Dr Woods and a few other stakeholders. We don’t want to give away too much but watch this space as the students will be running a few events and surveys so people can vote on the characters. They will be using a student version of a software called Maya which works really well with Unity. JavaScript is the language of choice this year as it also compliments Unity. As the develop concepts of game mechanics, they will weave in ethics and empathy into the process, keeping their target audience in mind.
Year 11 Assesment Statement.pdf