Students take a step back in time with iPad technology

Through the camera lens, Blackfriars students are exploring time, place and identity.

The Year 3 students have taken a creative and immersive dive into Blackfriars’ built history – not through textbooks, but through the lens of the past itself.

With a collection of archived black-and-white photographs, some dating as far back as 1908, students set out on a mission to connect with the history of the school in a meaningful and visual way.

The project, “Changes Over Time”, gave students the opportunity to explore how the Blackfriars grounds had evolved. Each photo told a story, from early buildings and grounds a century ago, to familiar locations that now looked dramatically different.

With these images in hand, the boys attempted to stand in the exact same locations and re-create each photo with their iPad, bringing the past and present together in a powerful visual comparison.

Under the guidance of Matt Richards – or “Apple Matt” as he is known in the Primary School – the boys were then tasked using a variety of iPad tools to create sequenced presentations highlighting the contrast between then and now.

“This project spans multiple learning areas – history, literacy, media and digital literacy,” said Mr Richards, from Matt Richards Creative Digital Learning.

“They are captioning their work, writing reflections and even recording voiceovers that explain what has changed – and what has remained the same.

“The result is more than a photo project; it’s a student-led exploration of time, place and identity.

“By walking in the footsteps of those who came before them, quite literally, the Year 3s are developing a deeper appreciation for the school’s heritage, while also building the digital storytelling skills that will serve them well into the future.”

Year 3 students with pictures of St Catherine’s – now and in the early 1900s.

Blackfriars was blessed and officially opened by Archbishop Matthew Beovich on 25 January. On Tuesday 10 February 1953, the first 45 students – in five classes from Grade 4 to “First Year” – begin their Blackfriars journeys.

The school’s stately main building was originally built for James Angas Johnson and was named for his wife, Catharine.

In 1911, the substantial St Catharine’s property was purchased for £4000 by the Lewis family, who renamed it Comonella, after one of the family’s many pastoral holdings.

In 2022, the building was rededicated as St Catherine’s, in honour of St Catherine of Siena, an Italian mystic, activist and author, declared a doctor of the church in 1970.

Students dive into iPad digital storytelling project

Making waves in the world of science and storytelling, Primary students are co-authoring a digital book exploring the many stages of the water cycle.

Mr Richards has been regularly working with Blackfriars since the introduction of one-to-one iPads for all students from Reception to Year 6 at the start of the 2023 school year.

Since then, among other skills, the boys have learnt how to program and fly drones through code, the secrets of digital photography and editing and how to create podcasts and develop functional code-based apps.