Learn to Speak Robot
The Learn to Speak Robot Challenge is a computational thinking challenge for children and young people.
Most of the Challenge Activities are suited to students from middle primary to early secondary but students across all year levels are welcome to take part.
Complete any four of the free computational thinking (including coding) Challenge Activities before 24 September 2021 to complete the Challenge.
Schools and homeschool groups are asked to register.
All schools and homeschool groups taking part will receive the Certificate of Achievement from the Commissioner template for their students. Only schools and homeschool groups in South Australia are eligible to win the other digital rewards on offer – see full terms and conditions for details.
Registration
Check if your school is registered here.
If not, register your school now – it’s free and takes under a minute!
Schools have until 24 September 2021 to complete the challenge.
DIGITAL THINKING
FOR CHILDREN
REGISTER NOW!
STEPS FOR SCHOOLS
Step 1
Find out if your school is already registered here.
Step 2
If your school is not yet registered, register your school.
Registration is free and takes less than a minute.
Step 3
Every school that has registered will nominate a Challenge Coordinator who will print or share the Coding Record with all students taking part.
Challenge Coordinators are able to run the Challenge however they like. They may be a teacher wishing to run the Challenge with their own class or they may run the Challenge via any number of other teachers at the school.
The Challenge is open to all year levels.
There’s no minimum or maximum number of students required for a school to register and take part.
Step 4
Coordinators or teachers can choose any four Challenge Activities to work through together or students can choose their own.
Run the activities however suits your school.
Step 5
Look at the Beginner’s Guide if you aren’t sure what activities to choose.
Step 6
Take a note of the key dates to make sure you complete the Challenge in time.
Step 7
Challenge Coordinators are asked to collect all students’ Coding Records and retain them for 6 months.
Step 8
Challenge Coordinators will use the forms to complete and submit the Challenge Completion Form before the deadline of 24 September 2021.
The Challenge Completion Form invites each school to provide a student testimonial on taking part in the Challenge. Entries from South Australia judged as most creative and insightful win cool digital rewards.
The Challenge Activities
Not sure what Challenge Activities to select for your students?
Check out the recommended activities in our Beginner’s Guide.
Or explore the full range of free step-by-step activities here:
Access DT Hub™
Activities
Access Hour of Code™ Activities
Access Grok Learning™ Activities
Access CS Unplugged™ Activities
Access MakeCode™ Activities
Access Code Club™ Activities
Rewards for Schools
When schools in South Australia submit their School’s Challenge Completion form for the Zoom Out and Learn to Speak Robot Challenges in 2021 they are invited to include the testimonial of a student who completed the Challenge. Schools in South Australia submitting a testimonial are eligible to win digital rewards for the benefit of all students:
1st place:
One school will win Coding in Minecraft for their entire school donated by award-winning global EdTech provider, Prodigy Learning. Coding in Minecraft is a computer science credential program with supporting curriculum, delivered through Minecraft: Education Edition (NB* this reward requires an existing Minecraft Education license). The program engages young and diverse learners through game-based learning in an immersive computer science and coding curriculum and rewards their learning with credentials.
One school will win a brand new school website donated and developed by local education website developers, EWS Education Web Solutions.
2nd place:
Two schools will win robotics kits donated by VEX Robotics:
– A double-pack of VEX IQ Super Kits (Grades 5-9) or
– Small Classroom Set of VEX GO with 5 Robots (Grades 3-5) or
– Small Classroom Set of VEX 123 with 6 Robots (Grades K-2) or
– One VEX V5 Classroom Super Kit (Grades 9-12)
The VEX IQ Super Kits will include an onsite robotics training incursion donated by, and facilitated by, Building Bots.
3rd place:
Six schools will win a class pack of annual GROK Academy subscriptions donated by GROK Academy.
4th place:
Four schools will win a data pack from Advanced Technology Project.
PLUS
- High achiever schools are awarded the Commissioner’s Certificate of Recognition in Digital Skills for 2021 with holographic seal
AND
- Every student completing the Challenge earns the Learn to Speak Robot Certificate of Achievement from the Commissioner for Children and Young People for 2021.
*All registered schools receive the Certificate template (including interstate and overseas schools). However, only schools in South Australia are eligible to win the digital rewards. Please refer to the full Terms and Conditions for more information.
Key Dates
SCHOOL REGISTRATION CLOSES
2 July 2021 (Last day Term 2)
STUDENTS RETURN FORMS
10 Sept 2021 (recommendation only)
Schools are advised to ask students to return their completed coding records to their Challenge Coordinator well in advance of the Challenge closing date so your Challenge Coordinator has plenty of time to submit your school’s Challenge Completion Form.
CHALLENGE CLOSES
24 Sept 2021 (Last day Term 3)
REWARDS DISTRIBUTED
Term 4 2021
Forms
Coding Record
Print or share with every student taking part – to be completed by each student and retained by their school Challenge Coordinator
(PDF, 71KB)
Challenge Completion Form
Completed online once per school
(Link to online form)
EXTEND THEIR DIGITAL LEARNING POWERS
Promotional Materials
A4 Poster for schools
(502KB, PDF)
A3 Poster for schools
(738KB, PDF)
Commissioner's Message
Despite the considerable disruption we all faced in 2020, an estimated 20,000 children and young people across South Australia still completed my annual design thinking (Space to Dream) and digital thinking (Learn to Speak Robot) challenge.
This year I’ve introduced a third Challenge that sits alongside Space to Dream and Learn to Speak Robot, completing the suite.
Zoom Out is my new systems thinking challenge, because 21st Century Citizens need to be able to approach problems with a big picture mindset. Empowered with this knowledge, the next generation will see that problems present opportunities for better and brighter ways of doing things.
Our future requires bold thinkers who know how to create intelligent and out-of-the-box solutions.
If you’re a young person, take the Challenge today! If you’re an educator, register now to get the Challenge happening at your school. If you’re a community group leader, run the Challenge in your unit. If you’re a librarian, register your library and promote the Challenge using the free posters and graphic assets.
Let’s work together to encourage as many children and young people in South Australia as possible to take a journey towards digital empowerment in 2021!
Helen Connolly
Commissioner for Children and Young People, South Australia
Benefits
Ally Watson
CEO & Co-Founder at Code Like A Girl
Paul Clapton-Caputo
(Former) Leader at Learning Technologies, Leadership Development, Department for Education ǀ Director at Educators SA ǀ Principal Consultant at EdTechSA
Professor Katrina Falkner
Lead at Computer Science Education Research (CSER) Group | Lead at Centre for Distributed and Intelligent Technologies - Modelling and Analysis
Dr Rebecca Vivian
Research Fellow at Computer Science Education Research (CSER) Group
Professor James Curran
Academic Director at Australian Computing Academy | Director at National Computer Science School | CEO at Grok Academy
The Commissioner's Digital Challenge is
proudly supported by
Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge and celebrate the Traditional Owners of the lands throughout South Australia and we pay our respects to their Elders – and to past, present and future generations of their children and young people.
