Digital Technology and STEM

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY & STEM

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Digital Technology is an emerging area at Ave Maria College. This year, the Year 11 Computing students developed knowledge and proficiencies in a range of areas, such as data manipulation and visualisation, networks, web design, various ICT issues, programming with Visual Basic.NET, as well as database design and construction. 2020 will be an exciting year for Digital Technologies at Ave Maria College, with classes at Year 9 through 12 for the first time in a few years. The exciting realm of ‘eSports’ also arrived at Ave Maria College this year, with both formal and informal competitions being run throughout the year. Ave eSports Season 1 kicked off in Term 2 with Mario Kart Wii. A fastest lap format was used to determine the Heat Winners, whilst a Grand Prix was used to determine the Season 1 Champion, Ebonie Gattellaro, Year 10. Ave eSports will be back bigger and better in 2020.

STEM

This year, our Year 9 and 10 STEM students gained hands-on skills and were able to experiment and apply knowledge through a range of activities such as building Spaghetti Bridges (Science, Mathematics), 3D modelling and printing (Technology), prototyping electric cars (Science, Technology, Mathematics) and working with electronics and robotics (Science, Technology). STEM students also had opportunities to see how STEM is present in the real world through visits to the Australian F1 Grand Prix (Semester 1 classes) and the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project (Semester 2 classes). Both excursions gave all students opportunities to experience virtual reality, 3D printing and drone technologies in action.

James Vella DOMAIN LEADER: TECHNOLOGY