Year 7 students design app showcasing college’s history and culture

GIRLS master art of app design at Genazzano.

Digital design: Genazzano Year 7 students design an app in religious studies classes.

GENAZZANO FCJ College Year 7 students are creating a real buzz in religious education classes by designing an app that showcases the college’s history and culture.

The unit “Belonging to Genazzano” has been taught in Year 7 religious studies for many years.

However, with the advent of digital technology, the students’ final project piece is quite different to past years. It requires them to spend weeks gathering information then build an app prototype.

Students interview members of the community, take photos of the grounds and research the history of the school’s “houses”. Then they collaborate to create a working app that delivers all the information interactively.

Curriculum leader of technologies Sarah Gale says the project is a great opportunity to support staff and students through a hands-on approach.

“I now have students running up to me in the corridors to show me what they had added to their app, and proving that all of their links worked like a real app,” Sarah says. “I couldn’t have anticipated the excitement and quality of work that was produced as a result of the project. The prototypes were outstanding.”

Sarah also leads the co-curricular GenTech program, which gives students a chance to combine creativity with technology. Using IOS software, students program a robot using coding, then use wireless technology to transmit commands. The GenTech Program develops creative, analytical and problem-solving skills, which transfer to academic, social and career applications.