Community & Business
9 June, 2025
Vale View takes part in robotics workshop
On Friday, 30 May, students from Vale View State School participated in an innovative Darling Downs robotics workshop hosted by Biddeston State School.
Jay Wright, technology teacher at Vale View State School and treasurer of RoboCup Junior Queensland said the workshop was a chance for students to fine tune their skills, troubleshoot problems and learn from their peers, in preparation for the RoboCup Junior Darling Downs Regional Competition on 26th July at Concordia Lutheran College.
“In a school environment, it’s really hard to find enough time to dedicate to these things, so this gives them a whole day where they can work on their projects in a decent amount of time to make some progress.”
Mr Wright said robotic competitions are extremely diverse with something for everyone – creative dancing robots, line rescue robots, maze rescue robots, and even a sumo division.
“Robotics is challenging for kids (competitively) in Grade 3 all the way up to the highest level of students in Grade 12, where we have a soccer league which have robots that play soccer and use computer vision and AI.
“If anyone is keeping up with what’s happening in the world it’s AI and robotics.
“We need to start including that as a priority in the education system.”
Digital technologies is already part of the school curriculum but Mr Wright said participating in competitions could be encouraged more by schools.
“The competition side of it pushes excellence.
“We don’t just need average abilities, we need to push talent, so we can stay competitive with the world, and our kids will not just survive but thrive in this field.”
Lilly from Biddeston State School said a highlight for her was experiencing the day with her friends and creating new memories.
There was also representation from Toowoomba East State School and Fairholme.
The RoboCup Junior State Championships will be held on August 16 in Brisbane.
