magazine.T4L Issue 09

ISSUE 9 TERM 2 I 2020

Can you beat LEGO Master Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught?

Take the challenge!

the play issue build create engineer Image courtesy LEGO Masters / Channel 9

8 creative challenges for students inside

WELCOME TO ISSUE 9

T4L loves!

What we can’t live without right now DART Connections Virtual Excursions – check out the Forgotten Women of Astronomy

produced by the Sydney

Opera House.

Thank you!

Our team loves to play. Sure, we have fun, but this notion of play and experimentation is what drives our tech innovators to test, explore and consider how tech and tools can be used to support teachers, engage students and drive innovation and excellence in education.

This issue is devoted to openended activities that get your students building, creating and engineering. As students play, they will apply realworld skills. Many of these ideas began life in the T4L lab and now we’re looking to see how you tackle them!

These activities can be used across the curriculum. We want you to share your stories and work samples with us on social media and show us how you’re using them. Tag your post with #T4LAllStar!

Your support of students in this period of change has been immense and heartfelt. We look forward to continuing our journey with you in the second half of 2020.

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Encourage students’ teacher appreciation with this new Minecraft build challenge

!

See how quickly our flight habits changed, thanks to COVID-19 – look at the radar then and now

.

Take the 30-day Atlassian/Canva Challenge for Change

in

pursuit of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

T4L All-Stars Could your school be a T4L All-Star

?

If your school is innovating, share the love and upload your story on social media and tag us in it to be in the running to be featured in an upcoming magazine issue! #T4LAllStar

Join The Virtual Staffroom – T4L’s brand-new podcast Take T4L everywhere you go! Want to know what a school leader, an English teacher and a teacher librarian have to say about technology in schools?

The Virtual Staffroom is a bite-sized snack of education and #edtech news, covering all the tips, tools and tricks you love from the magazine.

Hosts Joe, Linda and Yvette from the T4L team, will cover big issues and small and feature special guests. Subscribe now episode 1 – coming soon!

to be the first to receive

ENGINEER Activity 1 Design, engineer and 3D print a backpack nametag CHALLENGE: Design and even 3D print a customised nametag for a student backpack.

CONSIDER: Think like an engineer – will your product be durable? How easy or difficult is it to print and produce – could it be done at scale? What materials work best? Could you turn the

Activity 2 Conceptualise and design a new car

production of nametags into a business?

CHALLENGE:

Suited to: Stages 3-6

Be guided by a masterclass video on designing

TOOL:

concept car with some cool drawing tools.

SketchUp for Schools

a Jaguar car and apply it to create Jaguar’s next

– a browser-based

modelling tool for primary and secondary students

CONSIDER:

that can be accessed through your G Suite log-in.

Auto engineers consider aerodynamics – will your

STEPS:

fuel? The designers consider the aesthetics too –

car design slip through the air, or sap energy or does it look awesome? And getting practical – is it

Watch this starter video

from SketchUp to get

functional and will the vehicle meet user needs?

the creative juices flowing! Then take this guided slide deck tour

of the nametag activity. Start

modelling with SketchUp here

Suited to: Stages 1-6

. Each activity is

supported with scaffolding to step you through.

This will work for a sequence of lessons.

TOOLS: Choose a tool for your device: Î Google Canvas - A simple browser-based tool useable on any device. Î Sketches School - A tool for iPadOS and Mac that will really bring out the inner designer. Î Paint 3D - Built in Windows 10 - this app could transform students’ sketches into 3D. Watch the masterclass video here

and

get creative.

Did you design a car? Did you print some nametags? How did you adapt the activity to address outcomes you needed to focus on? Share your stories of success using #T4LAllStar.

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CREATE

Activity 2 Develop an app CHALLENGE:

Activity 1

Can you design an app that will help track your

Develop a video game

How about an app that solves a problem for your

health, fitness or improve your financial situation?

CHALLENGE:

CONSIDER:

Can you create a video game that people want to play?

App designers always think about user experience – how is a mobile app better than a website?

CONSIDER:

Consider app structure, user journey and

Game developers think of everything from how the

Consider your target market – this will affect

user experiences the game, to how it can be sold

design, language and gamification elements used.

experience and what the goals for the user are.

and marketed. Consider game levels, the overall challenge and the narrative storyline of what players will experience. Design, graphics and functionality

Suited to: Stages 2-4

are all things to consider when developing a game.

TOOL:

Suited to: Stages 3-4

Guide your app-building process using the App

TOOL:

content to be used on other platforms such as MS

Design Journal

to most complex: 1. Code.org

: use this simple coding tool

available to NSW DoE schools 3. Minecraft

: use the education edition to

prototype your game design 4. MakeCode Arcade

: build code online with

this free web-based browser 5. Unity

: many game designers use this

coding language to develop games Read the very first issue of T4L Kids magazine

Read more about how to create an app in Issue 8 of magazine.T4L

: this free online browser will step

you through coding in no time 2. Tynker

in Apple Pages, or adapt the

PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Here are some tools, ranked from easiest to use –

for a step-by-step guide to

develop video games.

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school community?

.

Activity 3 Produce a student film CHALLENGE: Can you plan, layout and edit a short film to tell a story or explain a concept?

CONSIDER: What message is your film getting across? Is it informative, or a creative piece? Filmmakers consider shot selection, pre-production and postproduction.

Suited to: Stages 1-4 TOOLS: The Student Filmmaker course will step you through the filmmaking process using tools like:

Activity 4

Î Clips on iPad Î iMovie on Mac Î The Adobe Creative Suite across devices Î Windows Video Editor on Windows devices Try The Student Filmmaker

–

Produce a 360 tour you can use in VR CHALLENGE: Create an immersive (3D) tour of your school,

a five-module independent learning

classroom or home. Why not try your local area or a

course for students and teachers,

site of significance?

created by the T4L team.

CONSIDER: Tour creators consider narrative, user experience and immersion. What is the goal of your tour? Is your audience being stepped through a timeline, information journey, or narrative? What skills or info are they learning along the way?

Suited to: Stages 1-4 TOOL: Google Tour Creator – a free online virtual reality tool to help create virtual worlds.

Learn more

about Google Tour Creator

then check out

the stem.T4L

learning library resources on Google Tour Creator - head to My Learning Tools in your portal.

Did you design a game or app, make a film or create a virtual tour? Share your stories of success with us using #T4LAllStar.

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BUILD

Activity 2 Build a better classroom using Minecraft CHALLENGE:

Activity 1

Can you design and construct a better classroom

How high can you go with your LEGO? CHALLENGE:

by testing it in Minecraft?

CONSIDER: Think like an architect or interior designer.

Design, engineer and build the tallest structure you can with LEGO!

Reimagine your space by building your classroom (and school) in Minecraft – what solutions can you find? Consider accessibility features, environment and sustainability solutions – how can you make the

CONSIDER:

whole classroom experience more user-friendly?

Think like a builder and an architect – plan your build. What supports do you need? Have you selected a strong site location in your classroom or home? What base structure do you need to consider? Think about stability, durability and practical solutions.

Suited to: Stages 1-4 TOOL:

Suited to: Stages 2-5 TOOL: Î Minecraft: Education Edition – use Minecraft: Education Edition as a design, layout and prototyping tool. Î Minecraft link for DOE users

.

Follow our school story of Minecraft:

You’ll need to raid your LEGO stash and organise the perfect construction site in your classroom or home. If you don’t have LEGO, try using a visual design tool like Tinkercad, which can convert 3D designs into LEGO pieces. Check out the stem.T4L Learning Library

Education Edition

in previous issues of

magazine.T4L (first story here) and check out the new Minecraft: Education Edition podcast

that explores the pedagogy

behind teaching with Minecraft.

resources on Tinkercad (go

to My Learning Tools in your portal).

Watch our T4L STEMaSESH video with LEGO legend Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught (from TV’s LEGO Masters) and head to the stem.T4L Learning Library for more resources.

Did you build an amazing LEGO tower, or redesign your classroom? Share your stories of success with us using #T4LAllStar.

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