Being digitally literate is one of the most fundamental skills a student can have as they move through school. Taking that literacy one step further in the form of programming allows students to engage with a world of new career options most of us have never even heard of.
The inaugural Young ICT Explorers Competition (YICTE) was held on the 24th September at UniSA, Mawson Lakes with 11 participating schools. This competition held nationally continues to grow at such a rate that next year the estimated number of students participating will potentially triple.
Across Australia YICTE offers students an authentic way to present digital innovative solutions to a panel of judges in a market fare type situation. Students collaborate in teams working together on projects, pulling together skills in coding, design presentation while soft skills such as teamwork and communication.
The Pedare teams represented themselves extremely well with 3 of our teams finishing 1st and one team finishing 3rd. Students were presented with awards, met the Minister of Education, Susan Close, and were able to hear from the Co-Founder of Jem Soft, Emily Rich.
The Digital Technologies Curriculum at Pedare will continue to evolve with business entrepreneurship competitions like YICTE becoming embedded within the curriculum. We look forward to next years competition and the growth our students gain from these experiences.
Emil Zankov
Design & Technology
