The new ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Student Consumables and Resources Scheme

In the last week, parents/carers were sent paperwork identifying that the school has introduced a new ICT Student Consumables and Resources Scheme

The P&C supported this new levy in a meeting last year and subsequently the P&C set the fee at $50 per child.  This information was published on the Year1-6 booklists at the end of last year.  When the Prep Information Morning occurred last year, this information was not mentioned. It was also not mentioned within the Prep Student Resource Scheme.    We apologised for this oversight.

Over the past few years, the school has spent considerable amount of money to get ahead of the curve for replacing old hardware and to implement meaningful STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) /STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Maths) activities across the school.  STEM / STEAM is not just robotics, coding and green screens, it is construction of knowledge through doing.  Therefore consumables are needed.  This is an area that the school still needs support across the school.

Allowing students to design, make & appraise projects is where the most valuable learning occurs.  The resources needed for this learning can be expensive and are consumables.  Whilst the school budget has covered hardware etc, the P&C voted to set a levy in order to purchase consumables and ‘kit out’ the Maker Space thus allowing all children to access it.

The levy will be used to provide student and subject resources and consumables for the STEM / STEAM program where the core curriculum is extended through provision of practical learning experiences and materials eg green screen wearable resources and screens, art supply kits and construction resources for design, make and appraise within STEM / STEAM, charging stations for iPads and robotics, and extension of robotic resources.  At the start of last year, the school had very limited resources that supported this type of learning.

Through Howard Gardner’s research on learning styles, students should be exposed to the same topic through a variety of methods.  STEM / STEAM activities embeds Gardner’s research at multiple points

Over the Christmas holidays, a dedicated Maker Space area was built in A-Block where classes can play, learn and create their knowledge in all sorts of areas of the Curriculum.  All classes have already made use of the area and all students are engaged in the class activities.  Throughout the year, teachers and their class will be working with the STEM Coach to extend everybody’s knowledge of the technology and resources to show what is being taught in the classroom in different ways.

To start the process off, specific classes each week have been producing a 1-2min video about the social skill / PBL focus for the week.  This is being displayed on assembly and then becomes a permanent resource for the classes to use throughout the year.  Classes have the option to use any of the resources in the Maker Space to produce their video for the school.

Each term, 4-6 classes will specifically work with the STEM Coach on specific class activities around the year level curriculum.  This varies across the year levels and even within the year levels, depending on the skill knowledge of the teachers.

As a school, we have started this journey to empower our students to not just be consumers but be creators.

STEM Coach

John Rafter, STEM Coach