Developing some thinking about junior programmes

I have been doing some thinking over the past couple of days around this, and looking at what the current CT and DDDO Progress Outcomes are, as well as Technology Achievement Objectives. Unfortunately we won't know until December sometime when the actual curriculum will be released.

We have themes in our school, so I am having to think about my planning to go under these categories. 

SEMESTER 1		SEMESTER 2
TERM 1	TERM 2	TERM 3	TERM 4
IDENTITY	SPACE & PLACE	CITIZENSHIP	HOW THINGS WORK

This is only just thinking stages at the moment. Also thinking about culturally responsive practices, priority learners, 

How Might We INNOVATE through personalised learning?
How Might We ENGAGE through powerful partnerships?
How Might We INSPIRE through deep challenge & inquiry?

Which relate to our school values of INNOVATE. ENGAGE. INSPIRE.

Identity
Link up with social science learning area under a module that links in the original ideas of the BNZ Amazing Place competition held in Christchurch a number of years ago. The Amazing Place was a series of competitions for the children of Canterbury of different age groups to have a real say in the future of Christchurch by connecting them with the redevelopment of the central city.
Getting students to rethink their ideas about how cities are changing and what could be on offer, to be able to develop surveys, understand data, communicate ideas, use SketchUp to develop ideas. This is a more a generic technology unit idea, mainly because I still see these concepts being important for students to develop and understand, to propose ideas, to be able to inquire. Important aspects that need to be learnt and grafted.

Computer generated art, developing the thinking for a student to be able to develop their own art. Not with brushes, but with programming, I have come across this guy who with 10 lines of python code has been able to create some interesting cloud images. https://scipython.com/blog/computer-generated-contemporary-art/ thinking about what this could mean, there is talk of a book that he has written.
Then there is this, https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/boundaries-drawings/overview/

I love the idea of insta:ants https://cdv.dei.uc.pt/insta-ants/, getting students to take a photo and then have an algorithm to change it up. Then is even a mp4 created of it being drawn.

Flow chart to get it working


An example image created



Digital media, moving image, https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/how-to/rotoscoping.html
Rotoscoping is an animation technique used by animators to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, when realistic action is required. Originally, photographed live-action movie images were projected onto a glass panel and re-drawn by an animator

One of the ideas I threw away at the start when doing some idea generation around this was the use of blends. https://cdv.dei.uc.pt/pigangelcactus/ the following is when combing pig, angel and catcus to enable some new images to be created.

One of the other pieces of work, and I hope to try and work out the coding around is this:

These wall drawings are generated by a series of predesigned instructions that dictate their form. The instructions give both constraint and flexibility, so that the piece that unfolds has a clear structure and at the same time expresses the individual aesthetic preferences of the participants who contribute. Since each step depends on the previous steps, the result is a dynamic, collaborative piece, authored collectively by the artist and the exhibit visitors.  https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/boundaries-drawings/overview/

I can imagine students creating the code of the outline for this, and then using collaborative process within class for students to enhance and develop the original piece of work. I need help from a maths teacher for some of the maths around this.

Example of code to help develop 2D Shape Patterns
http://code-it.co.uk/2Dshapepatterns


Electronics 

Paper based circuits for space and place concept. Getting students to understand the world around them. Carry on the idea of the battle for our birds. http://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/battle-for-our-birds/ Getting students to develop an understanding of electronics, thinking about the ideas of trapping and the electronics now involved. Would love to link in with a partnership with https://squawksquad.co.nz/ to be able to get students understand the place of technology within this and develop the concepts of design and developing digital outcomes to support new ideas. Link in with the wwf NZ Conservation Innovation Awards possibly.

With this also linking into the ideas of how electronics can be used within different ways. I was introduced to https://papersignals.withgoogle.com/ tonight, using voice controls to get students to control.


Gear
https://nicegear.nz/product/adafruit-feather-huzzah-with-esp8266-wifi
https://nicegear.nz/product/continuous-rotation-micro-servo-fs90r
https://nicegear.nz/product/premium-femalemale-extension-jumper-wires-20-x-6
https://nicegear.nz/product/short-feather-male-headers-12pin-and-16pin-male-header-set
ends up to be $49 NZD

Citizenship

Still thinking about this one. Though I do want to look at game design, both online and board game based.
Hoping that this could link in with the NZTA Education competition, still waiting to hear back on what this may look like next year.

It is sad to see that this competition will not be happening next year.

CS - Developing an understanding of computer science principles. 

Focus on HCI, searching and sorting, data representation. Getting students to think about how things work, I have experienced EROAD over the past 4 days driving up and down the country, developing an understanding of speed, centreline databases, and harsh acceleration and sharp cornering, and how it is gamified to make you a better driver.
To get students to have access to this book, https://www.no8recharged.kiwi/ and be able to start looking at what is the world around them, and how New Zealand has made a difference. This is the next book on from No. 8 Re-wired.
With this comes the second aspect of Arduino programming that students will be able to investigate how things work through sensors.

Identity
Create a character, design and create a 3d character using Blender.
Main focus will be on the tools within blender to support the learning. Being able to design and create yourself as well. This is similar to some work that media design school did a couple of years ago with the development of a super hero character.

The project that was worth no credits

This year I have been working with a student as part of the independent project at school. I have been a guide to his project.

He aim was to help develop fitness using the point's parks and reserves.

The project looked at the current ideas of the powerade challenge, parkrun and apps on a phone.

It is a pretty great system he has come up with and is looking at how to develop this to an actual community project as part of next year.

But that is not what this blog post is around.

It is the learning, when this project started, he didn't want any credits from it, it was more about the learning and him wanting to develop something for the community. He is a year 12 student currently sitting NCEA Level 2. He already had the plan for what he was wanting to study this year, and what credits would fill the pieces, he already had worked on part of his level 2 pathway at year 11.

During the year he was encouraged to look outside the box, brightsparks was identified and the requirements looked at. A video outlining his project.

As part of the independent project requirements, a dragons den were presented the projects and those that were allowed to develop an individual project got the opportunity, an individual log was required that showed some form of planning and reflection, he was encouraged to take photos along the way to show his development and ideas. Out of this fell the views and perspectives social science standard.

The project was entered for Brightsparks, and he is now a finalist, in the engineering and software categories.
Update to this from brightsparks; 3rd place senior software, 3rd place senior engineering, 1st place senior best design concept.

A week before externals were to be sent away we were discussing the project, technology scholarship was talked about, would he be able to put his work together to meet the requirements. A late entry and the challenge was on.
He managed to complete the work and the timelines. We wait to see what the outcome will be.

After the submission, I started sharing the idea and the video. Since then we have found out that the ideas of the project could be submitted for PE scholarship.
It has also started being talked about within PE circles and the student has been encouraged to share his ideas and project through a podcast, The video will also be shared this week as well as part of it.

Through this project has also fallen out the Kendall Engraving Supplies Ltd Student Design Award, as the project has been laser cut through our school's equipment, this provides another opportunity to show his learning.