Despite the hysterical press that drones have been getting recently caused by irresponsible amateur pilots, they do have many positive professional uses, especially for aerial surveying or real estate applications.
Below are two panorama images taken from between 70m and 120m above our school using a DJI Inspire 1. The drone takes 20 images in a 360 degree pattern, then special software is used to "stitch" them together. The results are astounding!
Click on the images to view these interactive panoramas. Once the images have loaded you can click and drag your mouse to move around the image.
Pretty amazing stuff!
Our work on integrating disruptive innovations into the curriculum made Australian Teacher Magazine this month. Read more here
One interesting new topic that has hit the headlines recently (and our Year 12 Applied Information Technology course) is the subject of drones in society. Not military drones that exist just to kill people; civilian drones that can be used commercially or for recreation. For example, you may have seen on the news about the ambulance drone that flies to the aid of heart attack victims with an on-board defibrillator - much faster than a traditional ambulance could get there. The drone operator can see and talk to the person assisting the patient, giving instructions on what to do until the paramedics arrive. A brilliant application of this new technology indeed, although there are so many more great things these drones can do.
Civilian drone application is certainly an engaging and relevant topic for students, and the technology behind it such as GPS and high definition film making is something that they WANT to learn. After all, engagement and motivation along with a focus on technology are some of Clarkson's top educational priorities. So the Technology and Enterprise department decided to invest in one of these drones to a) showcase the technology and incorporate it into our IT and photography curriculum and b) provide a fantastic asset for the school in terms of media and marketing productions.
As you may already know, Clarkson Community High School is all about Invitational Education - inviting students to learn through innovation, motivating projects and creating a safe and welcoming learning environment.
Our Year 11 and 12 Automotive students needed a car to work on for their course so we thought why not give them a project to be proud of. A long hard look through Gumtree found this little beauty, a 1964 EH Holden ute. All the bits are there, they just need some serious TLC and our boys and girls will certainly be learning a great deal about welding, panel beating, spray painting, upholstery repair and chrome restoration.
By Lucy Jarvis, North Coast Times Community Newspaper, 31 March 2015
Clarkson Community High School's Technology department is front page news this week!
Photo: Principal John Young presents students their new Macbook Pros
It's that time of year again when Clarkson Community High School rewards high achieving students with an upgrade to a Macbook Pro in our MATE Program.
MATE stands for Make A Total Effort, and the students who win this award are the top achieving students in their year groups from the semester one reporting period.
Well done to George, Catherine, Alexia, Hadiqa, Montana, Jake, Chanel, Marisa, Jacob, Lorissa, Florence, Saiphan, Kirby and Nathalie!
