ICT
YEAR 9 CODING
As we arrive halfway through the term, the academic year is already bringing with it new opportunities and challenges, especially for the Year 9 coding class. The dynamic and enthusiastic groups of students that have chosen this elective have had a wonderful start to their coding journey, diving deep into the very basics of how computers follow instructions or algorithms, considering the logic of how a computer makes decisions.
We’ve completed our first assessment already but that was just the beginning. Now, the class is moving on to learn one of the most versatile and powerful programming languages in the world - Python. Python is an incredibly popular language that is used for everything from creating simple scripts to powering complex web applications and even scientific research.
It's an essential tool for any aspiring programmer, and our Year 9 students are diving into it headfirst. They are currently working on creating simple scripts that use various functions, if statements, and loops. Python is a fantastic language for beginners, as it has a simple, easy-to-understand syntax that is perfect for learning the fundamentals of coding.
But that's not all - some of our more advanced students are being given the opportunity to extend their skills even further. They are being challenged to begin to create games using the turtle module, which is a great way to get hands-on experience with Python while having fun at the same time. Alternatively, some others are being extended to learn a bit of JavaScript, which is a powerful language used for creating interactivity and games on the web.
In today's fast-paced digital world, programming languages are constantly evolving, and it's essential for aspiring programmers to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. That's why we believe it's crucial for our Year 9 students to be exposed to more than one programming language. Through this, they can gain a broader understanding of the fundamental principles that underlie all programming, and they can begin to notice the similarities and differences between different languages.
A good programmer needs to be able to write in various languages, using references and tools to support this. Even the teacher has accidentally demonstrated to students how sometimes they’ll confuse that Python uses the keyword “elif” while JavaScript uses “else if” for the same purpose yet have shown them in class how to be able to quickly identify an error and problem solve a way out of it.
Either way, our Year 9 students are well on their way to becoming skilled programmers and innovators, and we couldn't be prouder of their progress so far!
Beginnings of a game using turtle library in Python
Drawing a snowman using processing JS library in Javascript
Mr Juan Ospina Leon
ICT Teacher
GROK NCSS FEBRUARY CHALLENGE
Thank you to the students who completed the NCSS Grok February Challenge. A big congratulations to Geet Monga (Year 7) for finishing the 4-week challenge within the timeframe provided. Certificates will be handed out when access is given to us by Grok. An additional shoutout to Ilya Zyuzin (Year 11) and Sofia Linardou (Year 12) for attempting the Intermediate challenge.
More challenges will become available, so keep an eye out for them being advertised on Compass and in the newsletters next term!
Ms Mary Ho
ICT Learning Area Manager
Geet’s experience in working through the GROK challenge:
“This term at our school there was the GROK challenge. In this challenge, we learnt how to use the python turtle to make drawings and we also learnt how to make functions, how to call on functions, strings, inputs, if, elif and else statements and a LOT more!
At the beginning of this program, it was simple things such as how to print but as the program went on, we learnt more advanced programming! The best part was the turtle drawings because after hard work you get to see a colourful animation!!
You can start this program with no knowledge of python at all because it has very straightforward instructions and tutors are online as well if you need help! I suggest this program to anyone who likes coding at all!
At the end of this program, you can also get a certificate of completion and every time you finish an activity you get points! I loved this program and I think it made me love coding and programming more than I already did!”
Geet Monga
Year 7 Student