For many of us outside of the Technologies faculty we aren’t overly aware of what these subjects cover, and why students should consider Technology as part of their subjects choices in later years. We spoke with Mr Jeff Ogden, Technologies Coordinator at Green Point Christian College, who unpacked this for us so we can gain a working knowledge of what’s involved.
Firstly, Jeff explained that the Technologies Faculty operate from an underlying philosophy for all our classes, which is twofold:
- to build upon and learn new skills through the development of projects and practical experiences; and
- to have practical experiences students enjoy, making wise use of industry standard technologies.
Building on this Jeff explained that Technologies incorporates a strong academic focus alongside the practical application. At this level it is excellent training and experience on how to oversee a project from scope, to brief, to planning, to implementation and delivery.
"Technologies incorporates a strong academic focus alongside the practical application."
In Years 7-8 all students do Technology as a mandatory subject. This is a transition year with Year 7 starting working on term by term rotations, while Year 8 are the last to do semester rotations.
Year 7 complete one term each of Food Technology, Textiles, Digital Technology (computers), and Engineering (CO2 Dragsters). Year 8 will do one term each of Food Technology, Textiles, Digital Technology and Woodwork.
In Years 9-12 we currently offer:
- Industrial Technology – Timber;
- Textiles;
- Food Technology;
-Hospitality: Kitchen operations for Year 11-12;
- Information and Software Technology (IST) for Year 9-10; and
- Software Design and Development (SDD) for Year 11-12.
The Hospitality Kitchen Operations is the restaurant focused course which is a higher level than that available through TAFE.
"Green Point Christian College has excellent facilities and resources that we are continually seeking to update and upgrade."
Finally, Jeff shared that the team at Green Point Christian College are also constantly on the lookout for new developments and technologies that are being used in industry that are suitable for the classroom situation. To this end, we have a laser cutter which is currently used in the Year 8 woodwork unit and Year 9-12 Industrial Technology. We hope to begin using the laser cutter for textiles also, and we have 3D printers for use as required.
If you have any more questions about Technologies subjects please don’t hesitate to contact our amazing team including Mr Jeff Ogden, Mrs Cherylyn Gibbins, Mr Graham Crawford, Mrs Virginia Lumby, Mr Matthew Newell, and Mr Paul Chambers. You can do this by emailing community@gpcc.nsw.edu.au.