Karratha classrooms buzz with coding, games and STEM skills

Karratha primary school students are taking big steps into the world of digital technologies, learning to code, build, and innovate through Scitech’s Integrated Digital Technologies program.

With the support of Woodside Energy, the Integrated Digital Technologies program empowers primary school teachers in Karratha to embed digital technologies learning across the curriculum, through teaching resources and ongoing coaching.

The three-year program (2025-2028) is offered at no cost to select Karratha schools, making high-impact digital technologies learning accessible to regional communities.

Year 3 and 4 students at Millars Well Primary School have been using pocket-sized computers called micro:bits to code and play interactive games of rock, paper, scissors.

Scitech Professional Learning Consultant Emily Grainger said the activity introduced students to coding concepts in a fun and engaging way.

“Students more readily grasp and apply unfamiliar coding concepts when they can apply them in a familiar context such as a game of rock, paper, scissors,” Ms Grainger said.

At Pegs Creek Primary School, Year 3 and 4 students have been exploring digital technology through the remarkable communication skills of bees.

Students used micro:bits to replicate a bee ‘waggle dance’ – coding digital signals to communicate the direction, distance and quantity of nectar.

Tambrey Primary School students have been building on their digital technology skills after taking part in Scitech’s Integrated Digital Technology program in 2024 and travelled to Perth to present their work at the Resources Technology Showcase in August.

Year 5 students Estella O’Reilly and Faruk Abdulrazak showcased their Mars rover prototypes, which they had designed for mining and surveillance on the red planet.

Estella said she ran into some design challenges during the making of the rover but was able to use her problem-solving and engineering skills to find a solution.

“At the start, when I made the robot, we had a completely different base and it wouldn’t move properly, so I had to program the right thing and make a new base,” Estella said.

“It was a bit challenging, but we got it in the end, and it was really fun.”

Tambrey Primary School Digital Technology teacher Emilie Cowell said students gained skills in problem solving through designing for real-world problems.

“We give them an issue that they have to investigate, research and then design some kind of solution and make a prototype for it,” Ms Cowell said.

“As they’re building and learning code, they’re constantly evaluating whether it’s actually suiting the brief – whether it’s working, whether they need to adjust their code and their build – and evaluate their own workmanship.”

Tambrey Primary School Extension teacher Ngaire Satre said the Resources Technology Showcase was a unique opportunity for students.

“It’s an opportunity for them to see digital technologies in the real world from an industry perspective, and for them to interact with other like-minded students and the public,” Ms Satre said.

“Students learnt how to use micro:bits through the Integrated Digital Technologies program last year, so we’ve used that foundation to build further coding skills with more advanced robots.”