A plan for coding and robotics in Queensland state schools
Our world is changing more rapidly than at any other time with the influence of technology spreading to touch every aspect of our lives. Queensland children and young people are ready to engage in this exciting future.
We are preparing students for the jobs of the future and developing their skills in critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and innovation.
Premier’s Coding Challenge #cybersecureqld
Open to all Queensland students, the
Premier's Coding Challenge is an annual statewide initiative for state and non-state and home-educated students from Year 3 to Year 10. The coding challenge offers great prizes and an excellent opportunity for students to code an interactive and innovative digital solution to raise awareness of cyber security and help Queenslanders by providing tips to improve their cyber security.
2019 winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 The Premier’s Coding Challenge. The winners were announced by the Minister for Education on 13 November 2019.
Years 3 and 4—Scratch/Tynker
- Individual category
- Nelson Smith, Springfield Central State School
- Pairs category
- Jordan Ramos and Olivia Knight, Walkerston State School
Years 3 and 4—Other
- Individual category
- Luis Satrustegui, Samford State School
- Pairs category
- Philip Kienast and Harper Wohlsen, Samford State School
Years 5 and 6—Scratch/Tynker
- Individual category
- Raphael Moratalla, St Edward the Confessor Catholic Primary School—Daisy Hill
- Pairs category
- Hannah Jeavons and Sara Alfadil, St Anthony's School—Kedron
Years 5 and 6—Other
- Individual category
- Indianna Kowalczyk, Cooran State School
- Pairs category
- Bethel Habte and Eslie Goka-Sedzi, Good News Lutheran School—Middle Park
Years 7 and 8—Python/JavaScript/HTML
- Individual category
- William Broadhurst, Ferny Grove State High School
- Pairs category
- Jemma Reeves and Abbie Richardson, Mansfield State High School
Years 7 and 8—Other
- Individual category
- Blair Mackenzie, Varsity College
- Pairs category
- Suhani Goel and Alexandra Davis, Somerville House—South Brisbane
Years 9 and 10—Python/JavaScript/HTML
- Individual category
- Corey McCormick, North Lakes State College
- Pairs category
- Ethan Ngyuen and Lillianna Alas, St John's Anglican College—Forest Lake
Years 9 and 10—Other
- Individual category
- Zachary Fenwick, Capalaba State College
- Pairs category
- Dylan-Lee Voss and Sahil Chand, Redbank Plains State High School
Next wave—advancing education
Schools are resourcing technology labs, investing in the skills of their teachers and engaging students in learning using the technologies of coding and robotics. The next wave is about developing every student's digital literacy, skilling young coders, nurturing young innovators and creating young entrepreneurs.
Highlights
To learn more about our #codingcounts initiatives in Queensland state schools, view the
#codingcounts animation and
#codingcounts supporting plan (PDF, 579KB).
Next gen collaboration
Extending partnerships with industry, universities and researchers to harness the creativity of the technology community and connect students and schools with cutting edge innovation.
Queensland Coding Academy
Providing hands-on learning opportunities for students and teachers, creating virtual classrooms of coding excellence, supporting innovation in teaching, linking students to the real world of work and research.
Fast-track digital technologies
Developing every student's digital literacy with the implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies in state schools from Prep to Year 10, with teachers supported through professional development, practical teaching resources and online communities of excellence.
Incubate the entrepreneurs of tomorrow
Sparking the imagination and passion of students by providing opportunities for young Queensland entrepreneurs to work with industry to shape their ideas, and develop business plans to solve real world challenges.
Ideas in action
Robotics in schools
The Robotics for the future lending library introduces schools to cutting edge humanoid robots. Students use both their computational and creative thinking skills to code Pepper and Nao to address challenges around their schools as part of their Digital Technologies classes. These opportunities allow students to learn about different coding applications, the function of robotic components and how humanoid robots could be used in workplaces of the future.
Learning through collaboration
Four teams from three Queensland schools competed against 16 international teams in the World Robot Challenge—Junior Category, as part of the 2018 World Robot Summit in Japan.
Schools were hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Students tested their skills in an international competition and worked collaboratively with teams from around the world in the Global Collaboration section of the Challenge. The 2017 champion, Merrimac State High School, was awarded the Special Junior Award in recognition of the high standard of work that the team has undertaken. An award recognising their algorithms was presented by the Japan Society for Artificial Intelligence.
Recognising the importance of STEM
The 2019 Premier’s Coding Challenge received a record 762 registrations as students from across Queensland demonstrated their coding skills to raise cybersafety awareness, or to help make Queenslanders safer online. 24 winning students shared $10,000 worth of robotics and electronics prizes either as individuals or as members of two-person teams. The awards were held at Ferny Grove State High School with awards presented by Education Minister Grace Grace.