Digital Technology - LEGO Robotics!

Room nine were recently given the opportunity to work with new technology in our classroom! They were given a series of problem solving tasks that range in complexity. This tested their ability to follow instructions and problem solve with the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

In the pictures below are some of the examples of what we did!

Robotic LEGO: 
The robotic lego was a popular choice. We were given instructions to follow to build a small robot which we made alterations to. We also made a robot that was able to break dance! We found this particularly challenging however, when we finished it we were so proud of our determination! Hopefully we get another opportunity to use this one day and learn how to programme it to break dance.

Duplo:
Some of us used the Duplo blocks to create structures that completed different tasks. This was fun as we got to fire canons at blocks and create an interactive theme park!

Unplugged robots:
We also had the opportunity to play with unplugged robots. This meant we didn't need a device and they are programmed to follow certain tasks or courses we set for them. We were able to programme these robots by either using images or by drawing the track using different colours. We learnt that the robots are programmed to react to a certain path or colour. We programmed our robots to move in different ways and complete certain tasks.

Our start to Term 3! - Volcanoes

We have had a great start to Term 3! This term we are volcanologists and are learning about the different types of Volcanoes, how they work and are discovering the Volcanoes we have here in New Zealand!

We wonder how many volcanoes there are in New Zealand and how active they are! 

We know a volcano is a mountain that has a molten pool of rock below the surface of the Earth (Magma). When pressure build up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments. There are different kids of volcanoes of all shapes and sizes. 

We have also learnt about how volcanoes are formed through plate tectonics. New Zealand is made up of many volcanoes with some still being very active! Volcanoes form when magma from within the earths surface works its way up to release pressure. It erupts to form lava flows and ash. Over time a volcano erupts and continues to erupt getting bigger and bigger!