Technology News
Technology at Glen Eira College
The Technology Learning Area would like to welcome Ms Sun to the team and to Glen Eira College. Part of her teaching responsibilities will be to teach the Year 11 Applied Computing class. This is a class that has not been offered since 2019 and points to a growing interest in software development and data analytics, and the many opportunities available to people with skills in those areas.
In popular culture, “Technology” has become synonymous with anything related to computers, but it is much more than that. At GEC we cover the key areas of Food Technology, Materials Technology and Digital Technology, plus this year we have added a new subject at Year 9 on, Systems Technology. In each of these subject areas our students have opportunities to work with their hands and their minds. They develop their skills in planning, designing and creating, all the while applying what they are learning in Maths, Science, English, Humanities, Health and the Arts.
In Years 7 and 8 students get a taste of each of the Technology areas. They learn about food, its nutritional properties, how to prepare it and its place in our culture. They learn about robotic systems, their role in our society, and how they are engineered and controlled. They learn about computers, how they can be used safely within a networked system, how they can be used productively and how they can be used to create code to make new digital products.
In Year 9 and 10, Technology subjects are offered as electives. In these subjects, students delve into the Technology areas in much more depth. In Food Technology, students are now moving from learning about foods to designing and planning recipes and meals. They consider healthy and unhealthy aspects of the foods we eat. They explore foods from around the world including the significance of food in various cultures. In Materials Technology students learn how to work with wood and how it can be used in a sustainable way. This year we have also added a laser cutter to the tools available for students to use. This adds a new dimension to the types of products the students can make. In Digital Technology students develop their coding and data analytic skills, learn the principals of game design and web page creation, and delve into the inner workings of computer hardware and electrical systems. With the introduction of the new Systems Technology subject at Year 9, students will have the opportunity to look at robotics in more detail, including how they work, how they are controlled and how they can be modified through the creation of 3D printed parts.
A quick reminder that students in Food Technology subjects do need to bring a reusable plastic container with them when they are cooking so they can take food away with them. This helps minimise plastic and food waste.
A big shout out to Paul McNeill, president of the Parents and Friends Association, for his efforts in helping to obtain the new laser cutter. It is a beautiful machine!
Keep eyes open for lunchtime and after school extracurricular activities that give students opportunities to get involved with technology outside of the classroom. There will also be chances for students to join in local, state and national competitions in areas of digital technology and robotics.
Breaking Technology News
Glen Eira College received notification on Friday, 9 February that we were successful in our application for funding to facilitate travel to a national STEM related competition. More information will follow, but it means that there will be some money to help support the travel of up to 12 students to compete at the RoboCup Junior Australia national championships in Brisbane in October.
David Ebert
Technology Learning Area Leader