
TEDxYouth@BGS
- To see the full list of speakers and their bios click here.
- To see the speakers presentations on the TEDx YouTube channel click here.
Article taken from the BGS News and Events page.
Article taken from the BGS News and Events page.
The Library staff joined forces with the Science Department to celebrate Science Week last week. In a very busy schedule, boys and staff took time out to play with and reflect on the use of Technology in STEM, in particular autonomous technology with the theme being Drones, Droids and Robots. Middle School boys were the main target audience and droid races between Darth Vader, R2D2 and Yoda took centre stage one lunchtime. It was fantastic to see the excitement on the faces of the boys as they tried to race their droid to the finish line first. Much hilarity ensued as droids went off track and intercepted each other.
One of our Science teachers, Mr Scott Jones, led two sessions; one for Middle School boys and one for Senior School boys. The topic was Top 1-0 Countdown: Superpowers you Could Acquire in your Lifetime. There was also a trivia quiz for boys in Years 7 and 8 with prizes awarded to the top team. Boys in years 5 and 6 took part in a Science in Action event where they built their own hover board CDs using balloons, glue, bottle tops and CDs.
An undoubted highlight was the Robotics Expo in Centenary Library. This showcased the exceptional work that some of our students are doing in this field. There was even a drone which people could attempt to make fly.This joint partnership between the Science Department and the BGS Libraries is valued by both sides and we look forward to continuing its development in the future.
In celebration of the upcoming Rio 2016 Games both Middle School Libraries have been running a series of Olympic themed activities in the past few weeks. The first week of Term 3 saw the Centenary Library students harnessing their creative skills to make a olive wreath for their heads. These came in all shapes and colours and looked fantastic when finished. The Middle School boys had the opportunity to make their very own Olympic Torch complete with flames which proved to be a very popular activity. The activity was made complete with a session of slow motion running with the finished products which was a lot of fun. Years 5 and 6 boys were also treated to a screening of Rio over a number of lunchtimes.
The final event was making Olympic Torch Cupcake Cones where boys assembled cake, ice-cream cones, icing and roll ups to make edible torches. This was an extremely popular activity with boys wishing to make more than one. For some boys it was their first experience of piping icing which was both fun and messy! With the Games beginning on the weekend, the boys are now enjoying watching the Games in their break times. Go Australia!!
Today we have had an opportunity to share Brisbane Grammar’s progress with Emerging Technologies with QUT Primary training teachers. The group of 40 students were keen to experience hands on, and see the boys enjoying new technologies, and had travelled from as far as Caboolture campus and overseas campuses to join us.
Tara Richmond, Acting HOD D&T and Debbie Hunter, Teaching and Learning Librarian met with the group before a Lunchbox Club session, and then the students were invited to join in the lunchtime meeting with the boys. The Year 7 and 8 boys were happy to share what they were doing, and explain what technologies they were using to get the job done. Lecturer Dr Michelle Mukherjee, Lecturer in Digital Learning and Science Education and Co-ordinator of BEd. Primary Program, was pleased to be able to show her third year students the levels of engagement and enthusiasm generated by this style of learning.
Tara and Debbie conducted a professional conversation that targeted the challenges, comparisons and differences between the classroom curriculum and a Maker Space environment in implementing these intense activities. We look forward to a follow up visit from a new group of trainee teachers to further showcase our activities.