Digital Technologies Snapshot
Digital Technologies Update
Semester 2 has kicked off with plenty of excitement in the Digital Technologies Department! From coding and robotics to game design and even egg-drop engineering challenges, our students are putting their creativity and problem-solving skills to the test.
Year 7 students have dived into JavaScript with CodeCombat, guided mBots through tricky mazes, and designed their own Scratch games. It’s been a great introduction to both text and block-based programming.
Year 8 Engineering students have been busy learning JavaScript, racing Lego EV3 robots, exploring 3D modelling, and constructing protective casings for quail eggs to survive a dramatic two-storey drop in Week 10. They’ve even 3D modelled their own wind-up toys.
Year 8 Creative have combined coding with creativity—tackling debates on hot tech topics like artificial intelligence and social media, experimenting with Photoshop (mixed-up animals, movie posters, and memes), and designing shooter games in Scratch.
Evee B Year 8
Dafni T Year 8
Amy C Year 8
Alan Y Year 8
Evee B Year 8
Dafni T Year 8
Amy C Year 8
Alan Y Year 8
Year 9 Computer Systems Design students built platformer and asteroids-style games, investigated cyber security threats through the GROK Academy challenge, and took their first steps into Python programming.
Year 10 Software Development students have pushed their coding further with intermediate Python competitions, designed games in GameMaker and Godot, and battled it out with Lego robotics races and sumo matches. They’ve also explored cybersecurity through threat-modelling projects and polished their design process skills through oral presentations.
Year 11 Applied Information Technology students are working on a major group project that combines hardware and software design: building gaming PCs, creating Minecraft adventure worlds, and coding their own SHMUP games in Python—all to be showcased on the computers they’ve built themselves! Along the way, they’ve studied digital citizenship, copyright, data storage, and the Spam Act.
Year 12 Applied Information Technology students are finishing the year by combining their Semester 1 NPC mascot characters into fully functional educational websites for young learners, teaching topics such as online safety and the digital world. They’ve also explored the digital divide, the right to disconnect, and the social responsibilities of technology. We wish them every success as they take these skills beyond school.
Kirra Carwardine Year 12
Brody Last Year 12
Kirra Carwardine Year 12
Brody Last Year 12
Afterschool Clubs have also been thriving! The Warhammer Club ran its first game (with freshly painted miniatures), our brand-new Magic the Gathering Club had its inaugural session, and CoderDojo/Robotics students wrapped up a term of game design with competition-ready projects.
Digital Technologies at Applecross is all about imagination, innovation, and problem-solving. Whether coding, creating, or competing, our students are building the future—one project at a time.
Jocasta Collier, Digital Technologies Teacher