STEM Program

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

STEM education is a term used to refer collectively to the teaching of the disciplines within its umbrella – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and also to a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching that increases student interest in STEM related fields and improves students’ problem solving and critical analysis skills. STEM sits within a broader foundational knowledge base and the teaching of STEM is a part, albeit important, of a balanced program of learning (National STEM School Education Strategy, 2016 – 2026).

T1 BLC Technology at Home and at School

BLC – ICT & Digital Technologies

STEM Skills

In addition to essential deep discipline knowledge, STEM education is an effective vehicle for developing skills in problem solving, critical analysis, creative thinking, evidence informed decision making, exploring multiple perspectives and communication. It can enhance dispositions towards curiosity, strategic questioning and collaborative risk taking. Within the Catholic context, capabilities of ethical thinking and acting for justice and the common good can be incorporated.

Photo Gallery

Sustainability & Environment – Waterwatch!

Digital Technologies/STEM Sandpit Activities – Term 1 and 2 2018

The year has started excellently in regard to our STEM learning at St Pius X. We are working at developing exciting learning experiences with our technologies and embedding robotics, coding activities all the while promoting cyber safe use and application of technologies.

Prep-2 Systems – Seesaw, Google Classroom and Computer Systems

We had the students and teachers learning how to use and manage the learner management system SEESAW APP. This system allows students and teachers to capture their work in photo or video modes and add annotations, drawing, voice over to illustrate their understandings. Our focus has been to use this application throughout Term 1 and 2.

Skills

Scanning QR Code

Taking photo

Adding Text Caption

Selecting TICK TWICE

Selecting their name

Adding to their folder

Creating a DRAW doc and Painting

Signing out

We have also been developing the students abilities to access learning content delivered to the students through the Google Classroom System.

We have had the students navigating to our Student Portal to access learning activities.

Prep-2 Data through Inquiry and Digital Solutions through Inquiry Projects managing data in its different forms and Coding with maps, directional activities and Beebots

Year 3.4.5.6 Project Tasks

We have been working on Systems through the use and delivery of curriculum content through Google Classroom and Google Slideshow workflows to guide the management of student learning and data.

We have been working with Seesaw for the older students as a Electronic Portfolio tool. Students and teachers are periodically adding content in a variety of mediums to showcase our understandings, learning and reflections.

Inquiry has been a valuable context to STEm our units, in particular this term with Science and Space being the focus. – Students have been engaged in a variety of activities through project journals and apps as well as robotics, Makey Makeys and coding through journals and Scratch Visual Programming – some are outlined below:

Cyber Safety Journal – Coding Journal (Intro to coding with guided lessons) – Inquiry Project workflows in Google Slideshows – Ipad Apps like Imovie and Pic Collage – Mind mapping Apps in Google – Robotics devices like Sphero

Digital Technologies/STEM Sandpit Activities – Term 4 2017

Prep-2 Investigators and Designers Projects

Year 3.4.5.6 Project Tasks

Digital Technologies and STEM in the Classroom

Scratch Junior – Programming/Coding 2 characters to move and have a conversation with each other.

Ozobots Robotics – Using the Ozobots to program a colour coded course along paper using colour programming/coding to move the Ozobots.

Beebots – Using coding instructions on the bots program them to travel around Australia Map as well as spelling out our names.

Makey Makey Circuit Board – Connecting the Makey Makey to the computer to run an APP.

My Maps – Creating a Google Map to show the journey to Australia of immigrants based on the My Place Story.

Ozobots – programming with colour in 5.6

Scratch coding – creating algorithms in Scratch to showcase our learning in our Inquiry unit. Connecting the Makey Makey circuit board as a controller to run the Scratch program.