Digital Technologies
Year 7 Animations
Remote learning has not hampered our Year 7 students and their quest for learning all about animation techniques.
So far in Animate we have studied drawing tools, motion tweens, shape tweens and frame by frame animation. Students are putting these skills to use in creating their final animation pieces. Here are some examples of our early drafts for our animations. Stay tuned for the finished works of art!
Year 8 Photoshop
Year 8 students are right in the middle of one of their favourite DTE units, Photoshop! Students have been building on the skills learnt in Year 7 by revising brush work, use of text, manipulating shapes, combining images and adding special effects with gradients, filters, adjustments and layer styles.
Here are some examples of the very first task, creating a book cover. Students chose a book that they have read (and loved) and created a unique cover for it using Photoshop brushes, shapes and text. The results have been quite professional, and I know the Library would love to see some of these covers on their bookshelves!
Year 10 Website Designs
Sadly, we have come to the last few lessons of our Year 10 PGW (programming, gaming, web design) class. During these last few weeks students have learnt all about HTML and CSS and have designed amazing websites on topics of their choosing in Dreamweaver. From manga to games to political ideologies to space to astrology to art to outer space to aliens there have been many interesting topics being researched!
Unit 1 Applied Computing: Programming Portfolios and UI/UX
Students have been hard at work this term in Unit 1 Applied Computing improving their programming in Python skills. They’ve worked on variables, lists, functions, if statements, loops, Microcontrollers and even input/output devices. Each week they were given a challenge based on that week's learning that they had to follow. One of the modules had them create an app that worked out change for the canteen. Another got them to design a ‘Sport Day Scorer’ that could tally up the number of students who walked (and got points) for their houses.
Probably one of the most fun was the module where they created an app that would collect data on how students were feeling as they left school each day. Students could press a button for happy, sad and 'meh' and these would add up points. Students also had to design the User Interface for this program. They hand-drew their designs and another student in the class built their design based on their annotated diagram. They looked amazing! I think we have a few budding UI/UX designers and engineers in this class!
Unit 3 Applied Computing: Hand drawn designs for SAT
This year seems to be flying by far too quickly for our Year 12 students. This term our Year 12 Applied Computing students have been hard at work planning, researching and designing their infographics for their major assessment task. It was with much relief that students handed in their extensive portfolios for marking last Monday and now they can focus on the fun part - spreadsheets, databases and making the infographics. How amazing do their hand-drawn designs looks though?! If the infographics look anything like this, they are going to be spectacular.
Techbots 2021
Techbots is back (or at least it was before lockdown!) Every Friday lunchtime you can see some of our amazing DTE students from Years 7 to 10 coming along to improve their skills in programming, 3D printing and web design.
We also have some students who are keen to take on the STEM MAD challenge and they are currently building up their programming skills using the micro:bits to prepare for this challenge.
If you are interested in joining us, email adrienne.donoghue@kilbreda.vic.edu.au
Adrienne Donoghue
Learning Leader:
Digital Technologies
Year 7 DTE - Semester 1
Everybody isn't a genius. I wasn't a genius with technology before I went to Kilbreda College. I knew I loved technology, though. So, I listened in all my classes and we learned many things I thought weren't possible before I learnt them. For example, I photoshopped myself with Ariana Grande on a beach. I also created an avatar and handle for safety when using technology. But my favourite out of them all is animation. I have created many animated GIFs. The computer technology is so easy and simple to use, and I have had no trouble with mine. So, no matter how good or bad you think you are, you can still learn to use DTE easily.
Alannah Chung
Year 7
Year 8 - DTE Semester 1
At the start of the year in DTE we started our first topic of robotics. In robotics, we learnt how to use the Edison program which is a programming platform that you use to create a program for your robot to do things, like run an obstacle course or turn on the LED lights.
Our second topic was spreadsheets. For this topic, we used Excel. Using Excel, we learned lots of new skills like how to format a table and all of the different formulas.
The next topic was 3D printing. We used Tinkercad which is a program that you use to create things. I was lucky enough to get my penguin 3D printed.
The topic we are doing now is Photoshop. In Photoshop we have learnt how to use the brushes and combine images together. One of our tasks was to create a new version of a book we have read. I chose to do 'The Killing Woods' by Lucy Christopher. To make this I used the gradient tool, text, brushes and shapes. I chose to do this book cover because I had just finished reading the book and I had good ideas of how I could reinvent the cover using some Photoshop skills I had learnt.
The highlight from this semester was when I got chosen to have my penguin 3D printed.
Maya Johnston
Year 8
In DTE this year we have been learning about excel, robotics, 3D printing and Photoshop. The highlight of DTE so far is Photoshop. I like learning about Photoshop because it is an exciting software that has allowed me to explore the different areas of designing, editing and creating new things. I chose to do a book cover for 'The Magpie Society' because it’s a very interesting murder mystery and is one of my favourite books.
Maya Johnstone
Year 8