Stepping stone to programming

Gone are the days of playing with wooden blocks, modern students are busy learning all about robots, programming and everything in between.
Sunshine Beach State School students have been taking part in a creative technology program including robotics and the use of Bee-bots and Pro-bots.
Students are learning how to program a mechanical device to follow a set of instructions through the use of Bee-Bots; a child friendly design, appealing to younger students and are a perfect starting point for teaching control, directional language and programming.
The students will be able to progress to Pro-Bots, which have far more capabilities and are the next step in the journey.
Aside from use in the classroom where they are used as a tool to enhance learning in literacy, science and numeracy through a multitude of activities, they also enhance creative problem solving skills, encourage development of communication and interpersonal skills, and encourage teamwork, creativity and collaboration.
Deputy principal Kathryn Cook organises the Robotics Club at the school, and said it was a great start for students wanting to learn technological skills.
“It’s a great foundation to develop the skills of coding and programming which it is believed to be a 21st century skill when our students leave school and go into the workforce,” she said.
“We are very excited to be able to offer such a wonderful opportunity to our school community to engage with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).”
Sunshine Beach State School is exploring the expansion of the robotics program with more technical equipment in the near future.
If you require information about Sunshine Beach State School’s Robotics Club, contact the school on 5474 6333.