Technologies

Students at FNPS participate in a weekly Technologies specialist class. Learning draws from both the Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies areas of the Victorian Curriculum.

Through practical, creative and collaborative activities, students learn to design solutions, use digital tools, solve problems, code, build and test ideas, and use technology safely and responsibly.

Prep

Prep students learn through exploration, play and hands-on construction. They investigate how objects move, experiment with different materials and tools, and design simple toys and models.

Students also begin developing digital skills by taking and editing photographs, following step-by-step instructions, exploring familiar sequences and programming robotic toys such as Bee-Bots. They learn that digital systems follow commands and begin communicating their ideas through drawings, models and discussion.

Years 1 and 2

Students build their confidence using digital devices, software and coding programs. They learn about online privacy and cyber safety, practise logging into devices, create multimedia projects and use images, sound and text to communicate information.

They also investigate how instructions and sequences work, program robotic devices, collect and represent data, and use presentation tools to create slideshows, movies, posters and graphs.

During design projects, students develop and label ideas, select suitable materials, create solutions and reflect on how their designs could be improved.

Years 3 and 4

Students use the design process to investigate, create, test and improve solutions. Projects may include constructing bridges, designing protective containers, creating sun shelters or repurposing discarded materials to solve local problems.

In Digital Technologies, students explore coding, branching decisions, data representation and different communication systems such as Morse code. They create interactive digital projects, organise information for online collaboration and learn how to protect their privacy when using social media and online platforms.

Students also develop safe, responsible and cooperative working practices.

Years 5 and 6

Students undertake more complex design challenges by responding to design briefs, testing materials and tools, creating models and improving existing products.

They explore robotics, visual programming, binary code and conditional instructions such as “if” statements. Students may design quizzes, games, websites and user interfaces that respond to the needs of different users.

They also investigate how technologies can control movement, sound and light, consider sustainability and waste reduction, interpret data and identify the causes of problems. Students are encouraged to develop, evaluate and refine multiple design ideas before producing a final solution.