Technologies
Technologies
Technologies ensures that all students benefit from learning about and working with the traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies that shape our world. Students have opportunities to consider the impact of technological solutions on equity including unconscious bias, ethics, and personal and social values.
By applying their knowledge and practical skills and processes when using technologies and other resources, students create innovative solutions. In creating solutions, as well as responding to the designed world, students consider desirable sustainable patterns of living, and contribute to preferred futures for themselves and others. They work independently and collaboratively to develop knowledge, understanding and skills to respond creatively to current and future needs and opportunities.
The practical nature of the Technologies learning area engages students in critical and creative thinking including understanding interrelationships in systems when solving complex problems. The learning area’s systematic approach to experimentation, problem-solving, prototyping and evaluation instils in students the value of planning and reviewing processes to transform ideas into solutions.
Learning in Technologies is also important for a diverse and capable science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. STEM learning involves explicit teaching of knowledge and skills in each learning area: Science, Technologies and Mathematics. A transdisciplinary approach can enhance the application of students’ scientific and mathematical literacy, design and computational thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills. Developing STEM competencies enables students to develop, model, analyse and improve solutions to real-world problems. It supports students to access further study and a variety of careers and jobs.
Year 7 Technologies
In Year 7 Technologies, students investigate and select from a range of technologies − tools, equipment, processes, materials, systems and components. They consider how the characteristics and properties of technologies can be combined to design and produce sustainable designed solutions to problems for individuals and the community, considering ethical, economic, environmental and social sustainability factors.
Students use innovation and enterprise skills with increasing independence and collaboration. They respond to feedback from others and evaluate design processes and designed solutions for preferred futures. Students investigate design and technologies professions and the contributions that each makes to society locally, regionally and globally through innovation and enterprise. They critique the advantages and disadvantages of design ideas and technologies.
Year 8 Technologies
in Year 8 Technologies students should have had the opportunity to apply computational thinking by defining and decomposing real-world problems, creating user experiences, designing and modifying algorithms, and implementing them in a general-purpose programming language. This involves students practising problem decomposition, using approaches such as divide and conquer to more clearly understand a problem by describing its component parts.
Students represent and communicate their algorithmic solutions using flowcharts and pseudocode. Students check their solutions meet the specifications by testing and debugging their algorithms before and during implementation. They develop a deeper understanding of abstraction by explaining how and why digital systems represent data as whole numbers, which are then represented in binary.
Year 9 Technologies
Year 9 Technologies students use design and technologies knowledge and understanding, processes and production skills and design thinking to produce designed solutions for identified needs or opportunities of relevance to individuals and local, regional or global communities.
They work independently and collaboratively. Problem-solving activities acknowledge the complexities of contemporary life and make connections to related specialised occupations and further study. Increasingly, study has a global perspective, with opportunities to understand the complex interdependencies involved in the development of technologies and enterprises.
Year 10 Technologies
Year 10 Technologies students explain how people consider factors that impact on design decisions and the technologies used to design and produce products, services and environments for sustainable living. They explain the contribution of innovation, enterprise skills and emerging technologies to global preferred futures. For one or more of the technologies contexts, students explain the features of technologies and their appropriateness for purpose, and create designed solutions based on an analysis of needs or opportunities.
Students create, adapt and refine design ideas, processes and solutions and justify their decisions against developed design criteria that include sustainability. They communicate design ideas, processes and solutions to a range of audiences, including using digital tools. Students independently and collaboratively develop and apply production and project management plans, adjusting processes when necessary. They select and use technologies skilfully and safely to produce designed solutions.
Electives
Food Technologies Elective
Food Technologies equips students with essential life skills in food and nutrition, promoting healthier choices in a health-conscious world. It covers balanced diets, food safety, and sustainable practices while fostering creativity through experimentation with flavours and presentation. Students also gain practical skills like meal planning and cooking, encouraging self-reliance. Additionally, it can spark interest in culinary arts and open career paths in the food industry, nutrition, and entrepreneurship, offering a well-rounded education that supports healthy living, creativity, and future opportunities.
Engineering Materials Elective
Studying Engineering Materials offers several compelling benefits for students. Firstly, it fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills, encouraging analytical thinking, creative solutions, and logical reasoning. Secondly, it provides hands-on experience in designing and constructing objects, enhancing practical skills and spatial awareness.
Aerospace Elective
The Aerospace elective introduces students to the Aerospace Industry, covering the fundamentals of aeronautics, operations, and safety management. Using systems thinking and problem-solving approaches, students learn to analyse complex systems and tackle real-world aerospace challenges. The subject builds key skills such as creative problem solving, decision making, and teamwork, while also focusing on the long-term impact of technological solutions. By fostering adaptability and essential 21st-century skills, this course prepares students for further study and careers in Aerospace and related fields.
Robotics
A robot is a physical device programmed by humans to follow a set of instructions with high precision. Here are four reasons to choose robotics: Robotics is one of the fastest-growing industries in science and technology, projected to expand significantly over the next 20 years. It encompasses multiple areas of expertise, including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, psychology, and data science, providing a fun foundation for each of these fields. Robotics also develops essential skills such as complex problem-solving, creative thinking, teamwork, and the ability to learn quickly. Additionally, robotics is influencing various industries, from assisting in surgeries and drone technologies in agriculture to military applications, manufacturing, and food preparation.