ICT

ROBOTICS

As part of the ICT faculty, Robotics can be chosen as an elective. This elective focuses on teamwork, collaboration, technical and programmatical aspects such as using sensors to enhance the functionality and capability of the robots and coding robots to achieve specific goals. This was demonstrated in term 1 when students had to complete two challenging Learning Tasks: Figure 8 and Follow the Line. These tasks allowed students to demonstrate their problem-solving skills and the ability to show effective communication and collaboration skills. 

The below testimonies are from a couple of our current Robotics students.

Mary Ho

ICT Learning Area Manager

Robotics, as an elective, is an engaging subject that forces you to use logic and problem solving skills to reach your end goal. This past term has been filled with frustration, joy and frustration again. Even after this roller coaster, I can confidently say robotics is the best decision I have made in Year 9. Our first learning task involves making a robot follow a figure 8 line. This task was held over two weeks, two roller coaster weeks. Little by little, my partner and I slowly made progress, chipping away at the problem until the second last session. The moment of euphoria as the robot finishes the task is a moment I will never forget. The second learning task involved the robot following a white line through twists and turns.

Problems like this aren’t difficult, it just takes that little push to realisation. This dawned on me during my third session. Solving problems like these, that involve innovative use of logic and problem solving have benefits far outreaching the subject itself. These skills will allow me to excel in the workplace, standing out in the workforce. In the future, I believe I will be using these very skills, in a similar environment because of what robotics has provided me.

Mateo Capurro Martinez, Year 9

Robotics has been an enjoyable elective for me thus far. Not only have we undergone construction of a four wheeled robot, but we have learnt how to control it with block coding. I think the logic-based coding, and the simple construction are big steps towards my future, not to mention the puzzle-like learning tasks we’ve had. We have had to figure out how to use a sensor to detect colour, distance and brightness, a surprising amount of work went into making a robot drive in a circle. 

One thing I’ve taken from my robotics class so far is to isolate the changes I make to problems. I can't count the number of times I’ve changed the velocity and wait time at once. I am grateful that I chose robotics as an elective as I believe it has helped me in many ways.

Cassidy Richards, Year 9