Driving Question:

How can we use media to respectfully share Indigenous Australian Dreamtime stories and cultural knowledge while honoring Aboriginal rights and sensitivities?

Module Summary:

The module titled “I See You” challenged students to engage deeply with complex themes of power dynamics, equity, and oppression, examining their manifestations both in Australia and their respective cultural contexts. Emphasizing experiential learning, the module aims to cultivate an understanding of media’s multifaceted roles.

A significant focus of the module was on respectfully sharing Indigenous Australian Dreamtime stories and cultural knowledge, while honoring Aboriginal rights and sensitivities. With over 500 distinct Aboriginal groups and a history spanning 60,000 years, Aboriginal culture’s profound connection to the land is central. The module included immersive experiences in Aboriginal communities, such as in North Queensland, where students explore fundamental questions about land and its significance.

The culmination of these experiences often results in creative projects like films. For instance, “Dear Yabula” and “Lore of the Land” are films crafted by students. These works aim to convey the deep perspectives and wisdom of Aboriginal cultures, particularly their relationship with ancestral lands. Inspired by the songlines of various Aboriginal peoples, including the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, Bunurong/Boon Wurrung, Gimuy-walubarra Yidi, and Dyirribarra Bagirbarr, the films are developed with permission and serve as respectful conduits for sharing Indigenous stories and knowledge. The module thus underscores the importance of media in fostering understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures while navigating ethical considerations and respecting cultural protocols.

Driving Question:

How can the art of analogue film photography serve as a powerful conservation tool, revealing the intricate interplay between plants and animals within vulnerable ecosystems?

Module Summary:

The module titled “Snapshots of Nature Symphony,” explored how analog film photography can serve as a powerful conservation tool by revealing the intricate interplay between plants and animals in vulnerable ecosystems. They began by explaining their use of pinhole cameras, which were made from cans and operated by capturing images through a small hole acting as a lens. These images, initially inverted, were then processed digitally to reveal their true colors.

The students also learned from Doug Gimy, a renowned wildlife conservation photographer, who taught them how to create compelling stories using photographs. Additionally, they experimented with cyanotypes, a photographic process that involves creating images on fabric or paper using light-sensitive chemicals and natural elements like leaves and flowers, which were then developed in sunlight.

A visit to the zoo provided them with insights into ongoing conservation efforts and allowed them to apply their film photography skills to capture images of wildlife. They also had the opportunity to visit a dark room, where they learned about the film development process, including techniques such as developing, stopping, enlarging, burning, and dodging.

The module included a field trip to the Daintree Rainforest, where they engaged in field studies to analyze water quality and learned about local conservation initiatives. They also designed and printed conservation-themed t-shirts using a silk-screening process, which involved coating screens with emulsion and exposing them to create designs.

For their final project, Keetah B. wanted to focus on the relationship between wildlife conservation and the dying cultures of the aboriginals while also celebrating the diversity and beauty of Australian nature. In the Daintree, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people are nowadays part of the wildlife conservation effort, but in the past, they had their land taken away from them by colonizers who destroyed their native land. Although these issues mainly occurred in the past, there are still cases of this today. A sacred birthing hole was taken away from the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, and they are no longer allowed on the site. Not only that, but climate change and other environmental factors pose a huge risk to Australian wildlife conservation, and the Daintree is not exempt from this. Although it has been around for hundreds of millions of years, it can very quickly be destroyed by human actions.

Keetah wanted to bring these themes together into one image by taking a piece of aboriginal culture, the boomerang, an object known for “coming back,” and placing it with the wildlife that is at risk, all while showing the beauty that is important to preserve.

Driving Question:

How might we understand the relationship between physics and human performance in aerial and aquatic environments?

Module Summary:

The module Over/Under: Air, Water & Physics explored the relationship between physics and human performance in aerial and aquatic environments. Their project involved taking trapeze classes for five weeks, where they learned and practiced various tricks, reflecting on the physics involved in their movements. They focused on understanding forces, pendulums, and the transformation of kinetic and potential energy.

Midway through the term, they participated in a workshop in Cairns, where they learned additional aerial arts and tight roping, and completed a water safety diving course. This course included pool training in breath-holding techniques, streamlining, and basic swimming skills, which they later applied in a lake, encountering real-world aquatic conditions, such as swimming with a crocodile. They also visited the Great Barrier Reef, where they swam with turtles and saw sharks.

The educational components of their module emphasized the physics of trapeze, such as gravitational, centripetal, and air resistance forces, as well as pendulum motion and energy transformation. In diving, they focused on swimming strength, equalizing pressure, rescue techniques, and efficient breathing.

Rianon T.’s final product is a physical scrapbook titled “A Physicist’s Guide to Trapezing and Free Diving!”. This scrapbook serves as an educational and informative overview of the physics involved in trapezing and free diving. Throughout the module, she focused on developing the 21st-century skill of adaptability and managing complexity. This was exemplified through various activities, including trapezing, creating physics experiments, building a car, launching a baking soda rocket, experimenting with pendulums, learning to free dive, and adapting to new challenges constantly.

She found this module particularly engaging and enjoyable, especially the trapezing aspect. The open-ended nature of the summative assessment allowed her to creatively interpret your learning, resulting in a fulfilling and engaging final product.

Driving Question:

How can AI be applied in investigative, opinion, and solutions-based journalism in the context of digital communities in Bosnia?

Module Summary:

The “AI Journalism” module explored the intersection of artificial intelligence and journalism. The module aimed to understand the capabilities and limitations of AI in news writing and its impact on current events.

Students investigated the origins and evolution of journalism in their home countries and Bosnia, comparing human-written articles to AI-generated content. They examined various types of journalism—investigative, solution-based, and opinion—and learned how AI can be ethically and legally integrated into these fields.

The module included excursions to notable sites like the Al Jazeera Balkans, the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Sarajevo Film Festival. Guest speakers provided insights into wartime reporting and modern journalism challenges, emphasizing the irreplaceable human element in storytelling.

Through practical experiences and reflections, students created their own articles, juxtaposing them with AI-generated pieces to discern the unique human touch in journalism.

For instance, senior student Santi D. created an article titled ‘Unraveling the Web of Deceit: Serbian Media’s Role in Spreading Fake News During the Yugoslav Wars,’ which examines the impact of misinformation during the 1990s conflicts in the Balkans. The article outlines how the Serbian media played a crucial role in shaping public perception and exacerbating ethnic tensions through the dissemination of fake news and propaganda.

Driving Question:

How can you use traditional Bosnian carpentry techniques to create innovative product designs?

Module Summary:

The “Carpentry and Innovation” module, tasked students with transforming a plank of wood into an innovative and culturally significant piece over five days. Working closely with local experts in Konjic, the students learned traditional Bosnian carving techniques. They designed and created wooden carvings and objects, using both sketches and 3D models.

Students visited the Zanat factory and a wood carving museum, where they were introduced to different types of wood, carpentry, and woodworking techniques. They also delved into the innovation aspect, learning about the difference between innovation and invention, legal and ethical considerations, and the process of idea protection through patents, trade secrets, and copyrights.

After mastering the basics, the students created their final products in two factory spaces: Elektra, where they worked on sawing, chiseling, and filing their basic shapes, and Zanat, where they refined their shapes, added intricate patterns, and completed their projects with sanding and oiling.

Niko W.’s final product is an oak wooden boat with a unique texture designed to enhance its hydrodynamic performance, akin to the dimples on a golf ball or sharkskin texture. He employed two types of chiseling techniques—flat-headed, curved, and V-shaped—to serve different purposes in crafting the boat. The rip saw, while providing a cleaner cut, required more time compared to the bow saw, which removed more material but left a rougher finish.

Initially using the rip saw for shaping, Niko later switched to the bow saw based on feedback from Alestra staff, prioritizing time efficiency over surface smoothness, as he planned to refine the boat’s sides through subsequent shaping and sanding. To achieve smoother edges and surfaces, he utilized a file initially for its material-removal capability, followed by 80-grit sandpaper to refine the texture further.

Driving Question:

In what ways can the art of storytelling be adapted to communicate across disciplines and for different purposes?

Project Summary:

Rianon T., a grade 11 student from New Zealand, embarked on a journey of storytelling and cultural immersion during her time in Botswana. Inspired by the diverse voices and experiences of the local storytellers she met—ranging from published authors to musicians and safari rangers—Rianon was tasked with creating her own story based on her encounters and observations. This experience profoundly shaped her understanding of the importance of listening to elders, the beauty of nature and wildlife, and the timeless lessons imparted through children’s stories.

The core of Rianon’s story focused on a young girl named Impo, who learns the vital lesson of listening to her elders as she navigates the Okavango Delta. Through encounters with various animals, including a hippo and a crocodile, Impo learns not only about the unique characteristics of each creature but also gains wisdom about the consequences of not heeding advice. Each encounter in her story serves as a metaphor for the deeper cultural and moral lessons imparted by the elders in Botswana.

During her presentation, Rianon shared a snippet from her story, where Impo encounters a hippo while crossing a river. This scene beautifully illustrates the importance of paying attention and listening, as Impo attempts to identify a zebra based on her limited knowledge, only to learn from the hippo that listening to one’s elders is crucial for survival and understanding. The encounter with the hippo also emphasizes the gentle and wise nature of the elder animals, who impart their wisdom to the younger generations.

Rianon’s story resonates not only with the audience but also with her own personal growth and understanding of the world around her. It showcases how stories can transcend cultural boundaries and impart timeless lessons that resonate with people of all ages. Through her storytelling, Rianon not only honors the traditions and wisdom of the people she met in Botswana but also carries forward their teachings to inspire others to listen, learn, and grow.

Driving Question: How might we use blockchain technology to create future innovative ventures?

What were your goals for this module? How did you achieve them?

At the beginning of this module, I wasn’t quite sure what blockchain was and all I wanted to do was figure it out. By the end of the module, I was able to go beyond just understanding basic blockchain I was able to merge it with something that I enjoyed in my summative product.

What new things did you learn about yourself?

I learned to embody the TGS core value of grit, as I was online because of COVID this term. It really taught me to be patient with myself and to let my curiosity fuel me and challenge me to learn something new. This term was full of a lot of personal growth and I can proudly say I’m not the same as I was in the beginning of the term.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

I think that my biggest lesson is to trust myself. At the beginning of this project, I was scared that I wouldn’t understand anything because I didn’t have a background in tech and coding. I thought I would really struggle, and before I even started the module, I was stressed about it. But I convinced myself to open my mind and be positive and to link it with something I understood.

View their project here: https://viktorial33.wixsite.com/kolmnaist/

Driving Question: How might we use blockchain technology to create future innovative ventures?

What were your goals for this module?

Helena: My biggest goal for the module was having good teamwork with my peers, learning about blockchain, and applying it to something I am really passionate about. Having an impactful final summative that showcases an issue is so important for our community, and I’m proud to see that we achieved all of them together.

Methini: For our module summative, my teammates and I designed a project called Kolmnaist, which means three women. The theme of our project was using blockchain technology to create an NFT collection that empowers women from India, Estonia, and Brazil.

My goal for this module was to understand what blockchain is and how it works because blockchain was a whole new topic for me. When we started learning about blockchain, all I could think about was its negative aspects, like affecting the environment and people. But later on, we explored how we can use blockchain for a positive impact.

Studying the fourth industrial revolution is genuinely a shock on how innovative the world is becoming.

What new things did you learn about yourselves?

Helena: I learned that I am actually very interested in exploring this technology that, at first, I didn’t think I was ever going to connect to.

Methini: I learned to develop my pitching skills and also realized that I’m not too fond of blockchain and its future roles in our day-to-day life.

What are your biggest takeaway lessons from this project?

Helena: I think I learned a lot about adversity and dealing with things going out of plan, but still being able to adapt and make the most out of it.

Methini: My biggest takeaway from this module is to be confident while pitching/presenting, have clear eye contact with the audience, and understand ways to use blockchain positively.

Driving Question: How might we use blockchain technology to create future innovative ventures?

What were your goals for this module? How did you achieve them?

My goal for this module was to develop a solid and applicable understanding of blockchain. Coming in, I knew absolutely nothing about NFTs, cryptocurrency, decentralized finance, or web 3.0. Now, I can say that I have a significant knowledge bank about these emerging technologies. I was able to apply my understanding to create a wireframe and white paper for a decentralized face-to-face loaning platform: Cash $Back.

What new things did you learn about yourself?

Through this module, I learned a lot about the feedback process. I had multiple ideas for my module summative that I was really excited about. However, when I brought them up with guest speakers and module leads, they got picked apart and heavily criticized. I realized that I didn’t know quite as much as I thought about blockchain, and as such was able to begin seeing this feedback not as something to fear, but something to learn from. By the end of the module, I hoped for critical feedback on my work, as I knew that that is what would help me the most.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

From this module, I took away a really good understanding of a technology that could be very relevant to all of us in the future. I found a passion for design – spending hours on end choosing color palettes, font combinations and arranging features for my wireframe. I came to new realizations about how educational access and wealth inequality can hinder or aid the adoption of new technologies – an insight into the privilege I have to do so. Finally, I came up with an idea that, if developed properly, could lead me to a path of dApp development and entrepreneurship. Blockchain is now a huge passion of mine.

Driving Question: How might we use blockchain technology to create future innovative ventures?

What were your goals for this module?

My goal for this module was to design a decentralized app, token/coin, or NFT collection based on a concrete understanding of what blockchain is. I achieved my goals by being particularly attentive with our guest speakers and asking many questions to understand what blockchain is.

What new things did you learn about yourself?

I learned how interested I am for the potential impact of Web 3.0 on our world.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

Blockchain is the future.