Welcome from the Directors

We have had a jam packed fortnight at the Whittlesea Tech School!

The panel for our 2020 inquiry program convened on the 14th of August. The panel had representatives from industry, community, teachers, student ambassadors and members of the Tech School team. The panel worked through a design process, considering the needs (and opportunities) of our community, which resulted in the theme of our 2020 inquiry: Mental Wellness. The next step involves our Teacher Ambassadors coming together to co-design the program and pitching their prototypes to a panel of Student Ambassadors, who will ultimately select the inquiry focus.

Our next Student Ambassador workshop will take place at Whittlesea Tech School on Thursday September 5th. Our STEM communications officer, Michael Wilson, will lead the workshop, which will focus on the design and planning of our next School Makerfaire, to be held in December.

We continue to offer professional development opportunities for teachers and pre-service teachers. Recently we hosted La Trobe’s pre-service teachers, running a workshop on curriculum design and app development. The workshop was well received and provided an opportunity for new teachers to learn about the Tech School model.

Dr Sandra Mckechnie

Director

Tech School Highlight

National Science Week Extravaganza

On Friday 16 August, as part of National Science Week, we held a fun-filled celebration of science, technology, engineering, (art) and maths (STE(A)M) for girls, women and non-binary people in our local community. Kindly sponsored by the Royal Society of Victoria and Inspiring Australia Victoria, we were able to invite organisations, She Maps, DATTA Vic and Melbourne Arboretum to join us for the day.

Firstly, we had students and teachers from our partner schools take part in a range of interactive STEAM activities – from designing and laser cutting their own jewellery, making their own bees wax eco-wrappers, designing the site of the new exciting Melbourne Arboretum project, and flying drones. The young people had a fantastic time, with those who would say they are interested in STEM increasing from half of the students before the event to nearly 90% after the event.

In the afternoon, we opened our doors to all women and non-binary people in our local community with the same great activities engaging the very young to the very old. People were able to make things to take home with them, explore the technology we have on offer at the tech school as well as chat to local organisations showcasing what they do in STE(A)M.

Keep an eye on our socials and newsletters for more great events.

Dr Vhairi Mackintosh

STEM Communication Officer

STEAM Highlights

Something To Do: Instructables

For this newsletter we're taking a bit of a turn and providing with you with information on one of our favorite resources: Instructables.

Run by Autodesk, the company behind Tinkercad and Fusion360, Instructables is a free community website dedicated to building, making and creating. Unlike other sites such as Pintrest, most projects include detailed instructions and sometimes even teacher resources to help complete the project. Instructables run frequent competitions to help spark creativity.

If you spot a project you would like try, but need a little help to start, come along to our STEAMengine maker-space sessions on Thursdays from 3:30 to 6 and our amazing Tech School staff can help you get started.

Michael Wilson

STEM Communication Officer

Find Their Feet

Thursday 5 September

Is a free event, created for High School students and their families, this is not your typical careers event or expo. Using current interests, strengths and skills as a starting point and one-on-one discussions with future-focused employers as a guide, students will leave #FindTheirFeet feeling inspired and confident with a much clearer idea of where they’re headed and how to get there

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/explore-the-future-world-of-work-at-whittlesea-tech-school-tickets-65504207849?utm_source=whittlesea-tech-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=find-their-feet-2019&fbclid=IwAR3HEWUK8382gNinGfa-hBiC8di2YWn_-HbxY7FP10arRkfQLdicj20RyMg

IGNITE TASTER #8 - Pitching Your Startup

Tuesday 10 September

This free workshop is for entrepreneurs and startups who want to:

• Learn how to package their startup concept within a pitch

• Attract investors to their startup

• Walk away with the knowledge to develop their own high-quality pitch

Some topics will be discussed:

• Succinctly defining a market problem—and your solution to it

• Condensing your entire business concept into a ten-minute pitch

• Preparing for any questions and criticisms from investors

• Personal presentation, including attire, stance, and voice

https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvic.us9.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D67af6f2390386d9fc45071174%26id%3D9403416823%26e%3D3faf2c16e5&data=02%7C01%7Cbrasacchio.christina.c%40edumail.vic.gov.au%7C8f11fd231795466d9e5008d72c11f586%7Cd96cb3371a8744cfb69b3cec334a4c1f%7C0%7C0%7C637026328004094703&sdata=ZK%2BXNbOSI7E%2Bm3Oqj4llT7a3Nb%2BA4cNx9fmrUaa4vPo%3D&reserved=0

DATTA Members' Evening at RMIT School of Design

Wednesday 11th September

Celebrate learning and exploring user-centred design and emerging technologies. You'll hear a keynote presentation by Dr Scott Mayson, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design at RMIT's School of Architecture and Design and a member of the Centre for Additive Manufacturing. Participants will get to see the facilities at the School of Design and learn more about RMIT's pivotal role in the world of Australian design.

https://www.datta.vic.edu.au/content/special-members-evening-rmit-school-design-pl1931

Design and Technology Week

14th - 20th October

Teachers - This is your time to promote a fantastic learning area, and showcase creative, innovative and challenging work your students engaging colleagues, principals, families and the wider community. This event runs from the 15th - 21st October, and 20,000 students throughout Australia are already registered to take part!

By registering, you are helping to change many minds about the value of D&T in our society, and with that will come more understanding and support from school leadership teams, increased encouragement from parents and greater engagement with our students. Plus you’ll go in the draw to win some fantastic prizes for your school!

https://www.datta.vic.edu.au/content/design-technology-week-2018

Social Media

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@WhittleseaTS | Twitter

WhittleseaTechSchool | Instagram

Newsletters

Issue 26 · 30 Aug 2019

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