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Issue 50 – June 2014 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
Exciting New e-Learning Tools
T
here are a number of new and exciting e-Learning
opportunities at Queen Margaret College in 2014. The
College has recently acquried a brand new laser cutter. The
laser cutter (along with 3D printing) is an exciting new technology
which allows students to design and create all manner of projects
using hard (plywood, timber, acrylic) or soft (vinyl, fabric) materials.
The laser cutter will be used intially in Year 8 Electronics,
where students will design their project using Computer Aided
Design (CAD) software on their own laptops and then send it to
the laser cutter which will then cut it out very accurately (within
0.25mm). The laser cutter will also be used in other Technology
classes including soft materials (for fabric/vinyl cutting) as well as
in Business Enterprise.
The school has also invested in some new technology for the
Junior School; specifically Asus T100 tablet devices (pictured) and
iPads. These will enable the Year 2 - 5 students and teachers explore
the range of educational apps, online spaces and hardware tools that
are available across these devices.
The advantage of having two devices available means that
students and teachers will become adept using both platforms, as
well as developing key ICT skills: selecting the technology that best
fits the task at hand.
iPads are well known for their ease of use and the multitudes
of educational apps available to them, and the Asus T100s have
all the benefits of fully interactive, touch screen tablets as well as
having a keyboard and Office 2013 so that students can gain valuable
experience using production software such asWord and Powerpoint.
The Roboclub has started again this year, with the intention
of entering the RoboCup Junior New Zealand Competition. Tessa
Frazer, Year 8, will lead QMC’s entry for the Theatre Challenge.
This requires the robots to move (dance) in a defined stage area to
a sound track.
