Year 7 Digital Technology

Our Year 7 digital classes have just started understanding Programming and in Term 4, we have started understanding what Algorithms are. 

Imagine you had to train a robot how to help a child complete their morning or evening routine. Students had to really think about what they did, the sequence of brushing teeth, for example, and how each task was actually performed. How does someone successfully brush their teeth? How would you explain it to a robot so they know what is involved? Its more complicated than you think!

This week, to complement this thinking, students have been writing algorithms to complete the repeatable process of creating a paper plane. Students completed the design process starting with the design brief: flying a paper plane the furthest. Then students had to design a repeatable process (algorithm) and write it down. As the unplugged part of the lesson, students then followed their written process to create a paper plane, test it by flying it, and work out how it flew and what needed to be adjusted (debugging and iteration cycles) before students finally reached the completed design (possibly only a finished iteration and test cycles due to time constraints). Students then took their designs out into the 'wild' and flew them against other students. 

Enjoy our Year 7 students flying their final iterative designs!

Janene Watt

Art & Technology