STEAM News

Foundation 

Foundation Students Buzz Into Coding with Bee-Bots

Our Foundation students recently took their first steps into the exciting world of robotics and coding. The classroom was filled with excitement as students met Bee-Bots. These are colorful, easy-to-operate, bee-shaped floor robots. The children learned to use the physical directional buttons on the robot's back. They programmed the robots to move forward, backward, and turn around.

Mastering Basic Algorithms

This hands-on activity introduced students to the concept of an algorithm. An algorithm is simply a step-by-step set of instructions. Students worked with a partner to guide the Bee-Bot to various items on their grid maps. They counted squares and anticipated turns to help their Bee-Bots reach specific targets.

Year 1/2

This week, Year 1 and 2 students are leveling up their coding skills by programming Bee-Bots across large theme based floor mats. Our young tech experts transitioned from simple steps to creating longer, multi-step algorithms.

🤖 What Our Students Are Learning:

• Longer Sequences: Planning out a complete path from start to finish before pressing "Go".
• The "Clear" Rule: Learning to press the clear button first so old commands do not mix with new ones.
• Debugging Errors: Finding and fixing mistakes in their code when the robot takes a wrong turn. 

We are incredibly proud of how our students are developing their logical thinking, resilience, and problem-solving skills through these hands-on challenges!

Year 5/6

Last week Year 5/6 students took part in the Safe Structures incursion which introduced students to engineering design principles for natural-disaster zones. The incursion was run by volunteer engineering students from the University of Melbourne. Students had to critically evaluate how structural engineering creates resilient communities. During the hands-on activity, students designed and built their own disaster-resistant structure using budget-friendly household materials and tested its strength against simulated environmental forces.

Regards,

Dorothy Markou & Jess Dijanesic

STEAM Teachers