Education Technology Solutions, Issue #72

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Issue 72

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002 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

CONTENTS

032 Cover Story

STEM Education – Building Skills For The Future

In this issue’s cover story, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Federal Minister for Education, looks at the importance of the role that Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) will play in Australia’s future, and explains why a failure to focus on these areas could see Australia drop out of the top 20 economies by 2050.

024 Feature

Please Turn Down The Pink Dial And Let Us Get All Kids Into Coding

Recently, there has been a shift from ‘We need to teach kids to code’ to ‘We need to get girls into coding’. The common response to this has been initiatives springing forth, ranging from pop-up events and after-school clubs to online courses saturated with pink, princesses and over the top feminine. What impact will this pink-ification layered thickly over the ‘learn to code’ movement have?

038 Feature

Space Camp – An Inspiration Incubator

What is Space Camp? And how can it profoundly change the way students think about not only Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), but life in general?

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 03

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006 Letter from the Editor

008 5 Minutes with an ICT Leader

010 Leading a Digital School

012 Cyber Chat

014 Your Say

016 Calendar of Events

080 Tech Stuff

082 Spotlight

084 Product Showcases

090 Noticeboards

050

076

020 Interactive LearningMal Lee looks at the need for schools to be able to continually meet the rising digital expectations of their current and past students and their parents.

028 Plugged InDr Jane Hunter presents a number of case studies with a view to better understanding how educators can ensure STEAM literacy amongst students.

042 Office SpaceWhat are some of the more challenging aspects of introducing STEM into the classroom? 046 Next StepDr Shelley Kinash looks at whether or not there is sufficient evidence to warrant using subject introduction videos in the classroom.

050 Let’s Talk PedagogyWhy is Australia dropping in international education rankings and how can STEM help reverse this disturbing trend?

054 Professional DevelopmentApple Distinguished Educator and multi-award winning teacher Alan Carrington explains how his invention, The Padagogy Wheel, is designed to help educators think – systematically, coherently and with a view to long-term, big-picture outcomes – about how they use mobile apps in their teaching.

058 STEM and Assessment: A Swedish PerspectiveDr Eva Hartel, a Swedish teacher with a research focus in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and a great interest in Assessment For Learning, examines the value of assessment as a powerful tool for navigating cognitive and social development. 064 Teaching ToolsRob McTaggart asks how can we get STEM education everywhere?

068 Get Connected A story of STEM by Mark Yates.

076 STEAM by Design: How Might We Use Design Thinking To Nurture Creative Confidence In A Makerspace? Zeina Chalich looks at ways to foster creativity and innovation through the use of makerspaces.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Before I begin, I would like to thank the entire team at Education Technology Solutions for providing me with the opportunity to participate in a totally new experience. I was genuinely honoured when I was asked to be the guest editor for this edition. It has been a role that I have taken very seriously and I hope that you, as readers, enjoy the curation of articles that have been put together here.

Why STEM?It did not take me long to decide upon a theme of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) for this edition of the magazine. It seems like everywhere you go at the moment, you hear the cries of, “STEM, STEM, STEM” along the corridors of all educational conferences, gatherings and debates.

We often hear talk that the workforce of the future will look very different to that of today. In fact, I was recently listening to the radio and heard a researcher discuss the fact that 60 percent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 do not exist today. That means that children entering kindergarten this year will likely be employed in an industry or specific job that does not exist right now. Coupled with that is the fact that many of the jobs which currently exist are disappearing. Jobs which are susceptible to automation will be the first to go. Drivers will be greatly impacted. We already have driverless trucks working in mines and many readers would be aware that the Google driverless car has been around for some time now. It is predicted that driverless vehicles will be commonplace within 10 years. This has great ramifications for bus and truck drivers, as well as taxi and Uber operators. These kinds of changes will even impact local councils and the police forces, simply because driverless cars will not park where they are not meant to and they are very

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EDITORIALEditor John BigelowEmail: [email protected] Editor Brett SalakasTwitter: @MRsalakasSubeditors Helen Sist, Ged McMahon

CONTRIBUTORS

Brett Salakas, Alfina Jackson, Anna Carswell, Kelly Hollis, Simon Birmingham MP, Kimberly Baars, Jackie Slaviero, Eva Hartel, Mal Lee, Michael Daily, Ken Daily, Jane Hunter Debbie Evans, Alix Spillane, Emma Bent, Amanda Courtney, Cynthia Groves, Danielle Purdy, Bernadette Bently, Shelley Kinash, Rob McTaggart, Mark Yates, Allan Carrington, Zeina Chalich

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unlikely to be speeding or breaking any traffic laws. Our world is set to change and the best security we can give our children to help ensure quality future employment is in the world of STEM.

Let Us Light A CandleDespite the fact that STEM is a term that is used so frequently, it is also a concept shrouded in darkness for many classroom teachers. The speed of the change in STEM has left many teachers wrong-footed and unsure as to how they might effectively introduce a contemporary vision of STEM into their classroom teaching practice. However, it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” That quote was my mantra during the curation of this edition. Who are the people shining a light and guiding our way in Australian education as we recalibrate our teaching practices to meet the needs of our students and prepare them for a world where tomorrow may be very different from today?

I hope as you read through this edition of the magazine and meet the educators who let their light shine brightly, you will have a clearer vision of the dawning of this new STEM era.

Brett Salakas (@MRsalakas)

Brett is an international keynote speaker, an author, the founder of #aussieED and a moderator of multiple twitter chats. He is a Primary School teacher and Google Certified Innovator who, over the past 18 years, has taught in South East Asia and Australia in both public and independent schools. He is passionately committed to turning educational theory into real classroom practice. Brett is all about CONNECTION, COLLABORATION and INSPIRATION.

EDITOR’S LETTER


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Flipped learning has transformed teaching and learning in the secondary and tertiary years. Most people start their flipped learning journey in mathematics. In K-2, a form of flipped learning, in-flipping, can help teachers build relevant scientific field knowledge as well as promote independence and higher order thinking skills in the youngest of students.

One of the hurdles of science education in the early years is the need to build students’ knowledge of topic areas so that they can confidently talk, read and write about the topic using relevant, age-specific resources. Science resources for the early years, especially for children at the beginning reading levels, are few and allocating time to specifically teach important vocabulary is often difficult in a time-poor classroom. Putting on a commercially made documentary is easy, but does it cater for an early years audience? A teacher-created flipped video targets vocabulary that is needed to complete classroom tasks.

In-flipping allows this information to be taught to students in a multi-sensory format, which also allows students to direct their own learning. When used during the literacy block, the flipped video essentially becomes another teacher in the room, teaching the students important concepts and field knowledge.

ImplementationSeveral guiding principles help foster and develop the independence required for engaging in flipped tasks:1 Use graphic organisers, such as a retrieval chart or Venn diagram, for students to show their learning. This gives the students a purpose for watching the video while at the same time putting into practice the essential skills of note taking. The information the students extract from the flipped video is used in both science lessons and explicit informative writing lessons.2 Place important words in different colours so that students can actively identify the keywords needed to complete their graphic organiser. The words can also be key scientific terms needed in science lessons.3 Encourage students to use video tools to stop, pause, rewind and replay the video. This helps promote independence, allowing the students to self-direct their own learning.4 Make videos exciting. Students always see their teacher at the front of the room. Create videos with avatars using apps such as Tellagami or BuddyPoke. Spark students’ imagination by using green screen technology to transport the class to an exotic destination. Explore animated presentation web apps such as PowToon to excite students with simple, yet effective effects.5 Create a series of videos on similar concepts. Make each video identical

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the information appearing in this section represents the opinions of the relevant writer and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions

or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

Using In-Flipping In K-2 Science Education

so that students can become familiar with the look, feel and format of flipped videos.6 Provide easy access. Embed YouTube clips in a class website or use QR codes so that students can readily access videos.7 Model good digital citizenship. Use Creative Commons images and music. Some editing apps, such as PowToon, iMovie and YouTube Editor have a fantastic library of Creative Commons images, video and music.

Teaching students how to be independent learners in an in-flipped environment builds the essential skills needed to engage in flipped learning tasks in the later years of schooling.

Alfina Jackson, Sydney Catholic Schools Twitter: @GeekyAusTeacherYouTube: www.youtube.com/AlfinaJackson

| By Alfina Jackson |

ETS

MINS WITH5

REGULAR


For EducationProfessionals

010 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONSUnless otherwise expressly stated, the information appearing in this section represents the opinions

of the relevant writer and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

Leading a Digital School

How is it that 16 years into the 21st century the implementation of 21st century learning skills into everyday pedagogical practices is still being discussed, yet there are many schools with varying degrees of digital/technological implementation?

Two years ago, the opportunity arose to lead a junior school on the south coast of New South Wales. The school, whilst having sound pedagogical practices, enthusiastic staff and willing learners, had limited exposure to technology – with the exception of a computer room that was accessed once a week per class with fluctuating connectivity. The classrooms too were extremely traditional and somewhat outdated learning spaces for the 21st century learner. It was time for change.

Entering a school as a new Head is always a daunting situation – transforming previous mindsets about learning, based on current pedagogical research, to allow for staff and student ownership of their learning. This was at the forefront of thought when challenged with bringing the school into the 21st century. Whilst the intention was not to just order a pile of devices and have them implemented in classrooms, it was to change the technological mindset that existed.

The staff were enthusiastic, yet hesitant when told that technology would be implemented in the classrooms. The technological rollout brought mobile devices, along with professional

development opportunities, particularly the use of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and visiting other schools to initiate staff technology usage. Staff were encouraged to share ideas and skills with others, thus building collegiality and best practice. They were also encouraged to network further afield, to allow for a broader Professional Learning Network (PLN) than the south coast. Whilst there was an underlying expectation for staff to utilise technology, staff were given ownership over how they implemented device usage within their lessons – the ‘pedagogy before technology’ philosophy. Seeing previously hesitant staff showing others how to utilise apps within their lessons was a sight to behold and only meant one thing – that students would benefit!

Staff sharing ideas and showcasing successful implementation within their classrooms made for a technology revolution at the school that had a flow-on effect in all aspects of student learning and staff best practice. Not only did it become a globally connected school, but the way that staff managed their classes changed too. Once fairly isolated, hidden behind closed classroom doors in traditional classroom settings, the walls suddenly came down. Students were spending more time in flexible learning spaces and having more voice on how they learnt and presented their work. What the use of

mobile devices affected was much more than connecting students and staff to the Internet; it enabled staff to refocus their own educational philosophies and adapt to meet the needs of the 21st century learner – the ultimate goal in education – and find the most effective ways to address the needs of individual learners.

The biggest lessons learnt as a leader transforming this amazing school from technology poor to a thriving, connected community were simple:1 Involve staff in the process.2 Allow for time to amend and adapt current practice and sharing of skills.3 Encourage staff to further research and up-skill.4 Make sure that the infrastructure can cope with the technology demands.5 Involve the learners – utilise their skills.6 Pedagogy first, then technology (thank you Mr Fullan).7 Enjoy the challenge and become involved with the learners, both staff and students.

Anna Carswell has been in positions of leadership for the past 12 years. She has a passion for best practice, implementing technology and innovative ways such as STEM, Project Based Learning, maker spaces and superclasses to engage and achieve excellence in both staff and students. Anna can be contacted via Twitter @dothinkeducate

ETS

| By Anna Carswell |

LEADING A DIGITAL SCHOOL>REGULAR


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Most social media sites have the legal age of use of 13. It could be debated whether that age is suitable or whether it should be lowered. Or is 13 still too young? If the age of reason is seven, why is the age for joining and participating online not seven years old? It cannot be denied that children who are under 13 and are as young as seven are engaging on social media sites. Children play video games, many of which require an account to be set up and signed in. These are the experiences that children of today are involved in and what they need is the right education and guidance on how they are perceived online.

EngineeringWhat is put online needs to be skillfully arranged. Adults need to own their behaviour and educate the younger generation to do the same. Manners are still needed, right? Manners still exist online and are appreciated when they are used, but if they are not used, how do people feel? Some people are still bothered, but unfortunately a lot do not take much notice. This can then have an impact on how users are perceived, remembered and judged.

Are these same values still as important for adults online? Is it important that children are educated about it? Of course, there are many programs and schools have participated in many programs that help students understand what having a digital profile means.

The author’s advice to anyone who has a digital footprint is that users should

ScienceThere are so many parts to digital citizenship that it does require some scientific (figuratively speaking) understanding. There tends to be a lot of trial and error – people do experiment with what and how they act online and what they share.

Digital citizenship could be broken into four parts:

TechnologyThis is the main part. Technology has allowed everyone to engage with more people, explore more information and communicate with people who they do not meet in real life. Technology devices track where people have been, where they are and allow them to share what they are doing. There are age limits, but these are not always followed.

ETS

| By Maggie Mattson |

The STEM In Digital Citizenship

Online behaviourIt is important for

children (and adults) to realise that whatever

they put online stays online and this

information could be found and used against

them at some point. Cyberbullying falls

under this.

OwnershipBeing aware that

whatever is used that is found online belongs to someone and whatever is put online needs to be

owned. Cyberbullying would also follow here.

SafetyPassword safety, social safety and being safe about the information

that is shared (for example, credit card

information).

Switch offUsers should know when to get offline

and use their hands to communicate, make

something and actually experiment.

do what they like, be themselves and do what makes them happy – but always own their behaviour and their words. The difference between accidentally insulting someone with spoken words and typing it online is that it never really goes away online – anyone can screenshot a comment or conversation and it will be around forever.

MathsIt has to add up! Passwords need to be changed regularly, location services need to be deactivated and everyone needs to be aware of perception – does what they put online add up to who they want to be known as?

Children should also be aware when referring back to following guidelines. If they can lie about their age, so can many others lie about who they are. Users always need to make sure it all ‘adds up’.

Magdalene Mattson (@madgiemgEDU)Known to many as Maggie, she is an enthusiastic Primary educator with a passion for creative arts and nurturing student creativity. She has a commitment to collaborative teaching and learning and making sure all students have a sense of achievement in her classroom. Maggie co-founded #culturebox, is a co-moderator of #aussieED and is a Google Certified Teacher. She will soon complete a Masters in Theological Studies.

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Whenever people think of pirates, they imagine crazy seafaring individuals who are out to steal whatever bounty they can find while terrorising the high seas. Up until about two years ago, I also had the same image of pirates. One of the first educational Twitter chats I stumbled across was Teach Like a Pirate or #tlap for short. As I introduced myself as a science teacher, I was pointed in the direction of the science-specific TLAP chat, #scitlap.

The whole premise behind #tlap is using a love of education to transform the educational experiences of students by creating learning experiences that help them to become more engaged and, eventually, further their knowledge of the subject area. Each letter in the word PIRATE stands for a different area of teaching that can be focused on in order to change students’ experiences.

•●Passion: whether it is content passion, professional passion or personal passion, teachers should find what they are passionate about to help pass that passion on to students.•●Immersion: how can teachers completely throw themselves into their lessons to engage students? Dive into the pool rather than sit on the edge!•●Rapport: this is one of the most important parts of the PIRATE philosophy. When teaching science, students need to be comfortable with taking risks and thinking outside the box. By building solid relationships with students early on, teachers can break down these walls and ensure that students are comfortable and willing to learn.•●Ask and analyse: teachers are encouraged to ask for feedback and

reflect on their teaching practice, which leads to the next letter. •●Transform: teachers often ask for feedback, but usually do not act on it! They need to use the feedback to change their practice to make the learning experiences they create better for students.•●Enthusiasm: none of these things can be done without having at least a small amount of enthusiasm.

Another amazing acronym that can be used to help change how students view their education is STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, is an amazing learning tool to incorporate a range of subject areas in order to allow students to explore, use problem solving and to further develop their skills in using technology.

The great thing is that STEM activities do not need to cost the earth. One of my favourite STEM activities I did with my Year 7 class last year cost me $2 per group for a Make Your Own Robot kit from KMart. The class had been learning about forces in a Science of Toys unit, so it was a nice segue into this activity. The students were divided into groups and each one given a kit with the instructions removed. They had to work together as a group to put their wind-up robot together using trial and error. Once they had created their robot, they then needed to design a fair test to work out how fast their robot went.

The students had been looking at how to design a fair test throughout the year, so it was their chance to show what they had learnt about variables as well as extending themselves by

calculating speed, which is usually a Year 10 skill. Students had to identify their independent and dependent variables as well as the variables they were going to control. They also had to ensure the reliability of their test by repeating it at least three times and calculating an average of the time it took for their robot to travel a set distance. As the students had not been taught how to calculate speed, they had to then use the Internet to find an equation that showed them what they needed to calculate it before substituting the data they gathered in their experiment.

The great thing about this activity was that it did not fit the ‘usual’ lesson experience. The students always knew that something different could occur at any moment and were always prepared to get in and explore and take risks to further their learning. Because I was using the PIRATE way of running classes, students always wanted more to push the envelope and to take their understanding of science as far as they could.

Kelly Hollis (@hobson_k)Since beginning her career, Kelly has always put her students first. Throughout her ten years of teaching, Kelly has provided many students with a wide range of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. As a high school Science teacher, Kelly strives to ensure her students are actively engaged and involved in their learning while integrating technology into the curriculum. Kelly is a co-moderator of the #aussieED Twitter chat.

ETS

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the information appearing in this section represents the opinions of the relevant writer and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions


STEM Like A Pirate

| By Kelly Hobson |

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EduTECH 201630–31 May 2016Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane

EduTECH is Australasia’s largest annual education technology conference and exhibition. In 2016, EduTECH will host eight conferences, eight masterclasses, 8,000+ attendees, an official event dinner for 800 guests, 250+ exhibitors and free seminars for exhibition visitors.

EduTECH is the only event that brings together the entire education and training sector (primary, secondary, tertiary and workplace learning) plus libraries, government, suppliers and world-renowned speakers all under one roof.

As a delegate, you can choose from one of eight conferences designed for your role, ensuring you get the most out of your professional development investment. Furthermore, EduTECH works with industry to subsidise registration costs to make the conference an affordable and accessible investment in your learning.

• Access the very best speakers from Australia and around the world.• Share ideas, successes and challenges.• Discuss, debate and take away implementable outcomes.• This is a second-to-none networking opportunity. • Tailor-make your own experience and choose from eight large congresses, with multiple streams, plus focused breakout sessions, masterclasses and interactive exhibition seminars and displays (not to mention

hours of networking functions).• See what is on offer and save time by meeting with suppliers in one place, at one time.

Visit www.edutech.net.au for more information.

Leading a Digital School Conference 201625–27 August 2016Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne

The 2016 Leading a Digital School Conference features three big days, three mega themes, tightly focused professional development for K–12 school leaders, leadership teams and teachers, and a powerful networking program. Reflect with colleagues on how digital technology can be leveraged to advance three critical issues in schooling.

This year’s themes include:Day 1: Rethinking SchoolingHow do we reinvent the traditional classroom and how do we rearrange the entire school experience? Educators have been talking about this for a long time. Digital technology is now making all of this possible. It maximises our ability to undertake innovative learning approaches, which in turn accelerate the change in schooling and enhance the quality of the change. Attend the conference if you are curious about how digital technology can help you ‘rethink your school’.

Day 2: Shift To Deeper LearningDigital technology can take students deep into their learning. It can deliver rich core content in innovative ways that allow students to learn and then apply what they learn. It creates opportunities for authentic, active learning experiences, connecting the curriculum with real-life experiences. Good teachers have always encouraged their students to learn this way, but the right digital technology assists them to do it better. Attend the conference to see compelling evidence of how digital technology can take your students’ learning deeper.

Day 3: Develop Students Who CreateSchools are facing a powerful trend to encourage students to be creators – and not so much – consumers. The Maker movement is inspiring educators to encourage creativity, learning by making and creating, innovation, and even ‘tinkering’ in students. Makerspaces abound! Digital technology has borne digital fabrication, gamification, 3D printing, robotics, coding and programming – all of which assist students to acquire skills that are immediately applicable in the real world. Attend the conference to reflect on the importance of creativity in learning and to focus on students as creators, not consumers.

For each mega theme, explore major considerations for successful implementation as you engage with expert keynote speakers, school case

EVENTS CALENDAR

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studies, workshops, cutting-edge technology and powerful networking.

Get excited and be inspired as you explore how digital technology provides us with a golden opportunity to rethink schooling; shift to deeper learning, and develop students who create!

Visit www.iwb.net.au for more information.Email: [email protected]: 1800 760 108

K-12 Digital Classroom Practice Conference 2-3 September 2016Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

A conference exploring best digital practice to achieve superior teaching and learning outcomes in the digital classroom

The K-12 Digital Classroom Practice Conference explores best digital classroom practice to achieve superior teaching and learning outcomes. This exciting new event is part of the new National Education Summit.

Attend the conference to see the amazing ways digital technology can be used in your classroom to support your pedagogy, deliver the curriculum to your students and to unlock their learning potential.

Whilst at the conference take the opportunity to kill two birds with the one stone. Make some time to visit The Education Show 2016 a well-known and well respected free trade exhibition in a new venue (2 – 4 September 2016, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre). The Education Show is also a part of the National Education Summit.

The keynote speakers at the K-12 Digital Classroom Practice Conference, Zeina Chalich and Paul Hamilton, have been chosen for their reputations as best practice classroom teachers, their understanding of the place of digital technology in education and their ability to motivate and inspire.• Zeina Chalich will present in her keynote Retinkering Learning through a Makerspace. Zeina will also run two workshops; Coding in the Curriculum and Making to Learn.• Paul Hamilton will present in his keynote Classroom Stories: Creative tools and effective pedagogies for the student-centred, 21st century classroom. Paul will also run two workshops; Storytelling with iPads in the Primary School and Coding with iPads in the Primary School

Early Bird rates are now available. You can register for two days @ $525.00 per person (Group 2+ $495.00 per person), one day @ $295.00 per person or attend a Single Session at just $45.00.

Take a look at the comprehensive program, download the brochure and find further information at www.iwb.net.au/classroompractice

FlipCon Australia 2016 with Jon Bergmann

FlipCon Gold Coast – 13, 14 and 15 October 2016 @ Saint Stephen’s College, Upper Coomera (Second keynote: Aaron Sams)

FlipCon Adelaide – 17, 18 and 19 November 2016 @ Brighton Secondary School, Adelaide (Second keynote Professor Ken Bauer)

FlipCon is a national conference embracing Flipped Learning. Emerging and established flipped educators will want to attend this concentrated high touch, hands-on conference. No prior experience in flipping a class or school is needed. When delegates return to their school after attending, they will have the skills, knowledge and passion to start or continue to cultivate a learner centred classroom and get to know their students better.

You will have the choice of attending:

• Boot Camp with the keynote speakers (Thursday)• Conference with Boot Camp, secondary and primary panels, discussions and hands-on workshops (Thursday and Friday)• Conference with school visits, concurrent sessions, secondary and primary panels, discussions and hands-on workshops (Thursday and Friday)• Masterclass (Saturday) spending a full day with the keynotes and other expert flipped educators• Conference and Masterclass (Thursday, Friday and Saturday).

Sessions will focus on:• The flipped classroom• The flipped school• The flip outside class time• Technology and how to tips• Going beyond to deeper learning.

Take a look at the comprehensive program, download the brochure, check out the costs and find further information at www.iwb.net.au/flipcon

EVENTS CALENDAR

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tightly focussed PD for K-12

school leaders and leadership

teams

powerful networking

3 big days

3 mega themes

Karen BonannoAdrian CammJill MargerisonSteve FrancisTed McCain Derek Wenmoth

What to do nowRegister online at: www.iwb.net.au/digital OR email [email protected]: +612 4647 0783 | Fax: +612 8456 5707

Costs

Melbourne in A

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Thursday 25, Friday 26 and Saturday 27 August 2016 | Crown Conference Centre | Melbourne

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> rethink schooling (day 1 theme)

> shift to deeper learning (day 2 theme)

> develop students who create (day 3 theme)

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The Rising Digital Expectations of Clients

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 021 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 021

| By Mal Lee |

Business digital transformation research underscores the critical importance of organisations continually meeting and astutely building upon their clients’ digital expectations. The customer experience is at the heart of digital transformation (Forrester, 2015). The same imperative will increasingly hold with a school, and the school’s capability to continually meet and accommodate its current and prospective clients’ (present and future students and parents) rapidly evolving digital expectations.

In a digital and networked society where the young and their parents have normalised the use of digital technology to the extent that it has become virtually invisible, the expectation is that they will naturally use their current technology in every facet of their lives and work. Indeed, people are shocked when they cannot and are scornful of those enterprises that do not provide fast, ready and sophisticated online access. The increasingly sophisticated use of digital technology has become the norm and no longer differentiates between face-to-face and online experiences (Westerman et al, 2014).

The early adopter, pathfinder schools globally have long recognised this reality, have normalised the use of digital technology in every facet of their teaching and administration, are providing an integrated digital client experience and, vitally, have positioned their schools to evolve at a pace where they can continually accommodate their clients’ rising digital expectations.

Schools cannot hope to meet, let alone build upon, their clients’ rapidly evolving digital expectations (both known and unanticipated) unless they have normalised the use of digital technology, are invisibly using that technology in every teaching situation, have it underpinning every school operation and are working with a digital and socially networked mindset.

The strong indications are that, in 2016, most Australian schools are not yet in that position; they are not able to

meet the current let alone rising digital expectations. In mid-2015, the author assisted with a survey of 35 state primary and high schools. Results revealed that only around 30 percent believed they had all teachers using digital technology naturally in their everyday teaching.

As stressed in previous articles, getting 100 percent of teachers to naturally use the technology – to move the school to a digital operational base – is but a step on the path readying the school for bring your own technology (BYOT) and achieving digital normalisation, the creation of a mature school ecosystem and placing the school’s use of digital technology on par with that of their clients. Indeed, the digital transformation research by the likes of Westerman et al (2014) and Solis (2015) highlights how sophisticated the digital masters are becoming in accommodating their clients’ digital expectations.

It is appreciated that a number of schools are still firmly of the view that only professional educators and government know what is best educationally and, as such, it is essential that students and parents follow the school’s and government’s dictates. These schools see no merit in addressing their clients’ needs or expectations, educational or digital. Their view is similar to that taken by a cross section of industries that have all but disappeared.

Schools and their communities can take that view, but the strong signs are that the gap between their clients’ expectations, educational and digital, and those schools will grow, with clients increasingly taking their custom to those schools that they perceive meet their rising expectations.

Clients’ ExpectationsWith digital normalisation, the clients in general terms, naturally and largely unwittingly, expect the school to mirror the evolving digital practices of society. There is the expectation, particularly among students and younger parents, that:

• children will use the current digital technologies they already use 24/7/365• internet access and bandwidth in the school will be on par with that in the home• digital technology will be used naturally in all teaching and learning, from kindergarten upwards• students and parents can email their teachers• students can use their smartphone to photo board notes• the school website will provide all the latest information• the school will have an effective integrated digital communications suite, like all other organisations• the school’s use of digital technology will evolve, becoming increasingly sophisticated, while always readying the young to use it astutely.

There is also the expectation that the school’s teaching will build upon the young’s normalised 24/7/365 use of digital technology, recognising the nature of learning and teaching they do outside of the school walls and that teachers will adjust and individualise their teaching accordingly.

Possibly largely unwittingly, they also expect the curriculum to employ and enhance current, but also rapidly

Schools cannot hope to meet, let alone build upon, their

clients’ rapidly evolving digital expectations

(both known and unanticipated) unless they have normalised

the use of digital technology.


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those provided or planned, understanding in any school population that the digital expectations of their clients will be spread.• undertake that mapping through a digital and networked mindset (Bhaduri and Fischer, 2015) and most assuredly not an analogue.• identify the moments that will matter and resonate with current and potential clients. It is more than creating the moments of truth, even amazing moments of truth that markedly exceed

the clients’ expectation, but rather having an ecosystem that continually provides clients with memorable experiences. It is more than the first encounter with the school; it is providing both the children and parents many years of magic moments. It is those moments, those happenings, that prompt the parent to share the experience on Facebook.• identify the current and potential out-of-touch points and practices employed by the school that might jar with clients’ digital expectations. For example, does the school still insist on using only paper communication; does it have a dated, bland or painfully slow school website, limited bandwidth, unreliable low-end computers, poor Wi-Fi coverage or a front office that does not answer the phone? Some of these things could be outside the school’s control, but all can be off-putting.

ETS

• have an effective and efficient integrated whole-of-school digital client experience that seamlessly integrates the school’s marketing and accountability into the school’s everyday teaching and operations.

It will be the lack of school leadership, not funding, the school’s situation or the technology that prevents a school from meeting its clients’ digital expectations.

ConclusionIf a school is to remain viable in a digital and networked world and hopes to ‘compete’ with the digital masters, first and foremost it must normalise the whole school community use of digital technology. But equally – and for many this could be a first – the school needs to get serious about addressing the clients’ expectations and, in particular, their rising digital expectations.

Schooling globally is transitioning from its traditional paper-based mode to a digital form, catering in the process for a parent clientele that has only known the traditional school, which understands the young should be schooled for a digital world and who, like their children, will need to be ‘educated’ in the workings of a digital school.

It requires astute school leadership to provide that ‘education’, a willingness to seriously address their needs and digital expectations, and to genuinely collaborate with them in growing their understanding of 24/7/365 schooling, in teaching their children in a digital and networked world and growing ‘their’ digital school.

Mal Lee is a former director of schools, secondary college principal, technology company director, and now, author and educational consultant. He has written extensively on the impact of technology and the evolution of schooling.

For a full list of the bibliography contact:[email protected]

evolving, technological practices and not be constrained by a dated, formal digital technology curriculum that teaches digitally aware clients the ways of the past.

There is likely to be the expectation that digital technology will be used naturally and astutely to enhance teaching of the many interpersonal, intrapersonal and cognitive skills essential to an apt holistic education.

In saying ‘possibly’ and ‘unwittingly’, the reality is that the clients’ digital expectations will continually grow and change, and will be impacted by their local school setting. Four years ago, apps were largely unheard of; today, they are an integral part of modern society. Schools that have normalised the use of digital and are striving to meet their clients’ digital needs will engender in the school itself, and likely ‘competing’ local schools, appreciably higher digital expectations than those found in a traditional paper-based school.

Building upon Clients’ ExpectationsOne of the new arts to be conquered by leaders of digital schools is the reading and continual building upon of their clients’ digital expectations. The continued viability of a school will increasingly be tied to its capability to meet its clients’ expectations (Lee, 2015).

That challenge is made more difficult by the pace and uncertain nature of the digital revolution and the school’s requirement to identify and address the current digital expectations, those of the near future and, critically, those as yet unidentified.

In identifying the attributes required by students in a digital and networked world, while schools cannot foretell the future digital tools that will be used, they can and should have an ecosystem agile enough to readily accommodate the emerging technology and changing practices.

In shaping that ecosystem, business management research, for example that by Solis (2015), points to the need for schools to:• view the road ahead through their clients’ (students and parents) eyes, comparing their digital expectations with

In identifying the attributes required by students in a digital

and networked world, while schools cannot

foretell the future digital tools that will be used, they can and should have an ecosystem

agile enough to readily accommodate the

emerging technology and changing practices.


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Please Turn Down The Pink Dial And Let Us

Get All Kids Into Coding


| By Kimberly Baars |

Recently, there has been a shift from ‘We need to teach kids to code’ to ‘We need to get girls into coding’. The common response to this has been initiatives springing forth, ranging from pop-up events and after-school clubs to online courses saturated with pink, princesses and over the top feminine. What impact will this ‘pinkification’ layered thickly over the ‘learn to code’ movement have?

The fact that women are underrepresented in digital technology fields is well documented, blogged about and discussed. Recently, technology giants such as Google and Facebook have shared their employee ratios and pay scales, which has further driven discussion around the diversity gap. This transparency has done little to begin to address the deeper issues that have compounded to create the gender equality gap and instead they have been used as a launch pad to discuss how to get more kids into coding to fulfil industry needs. The result has been a plethora of initiatives backed by the technology sector that suggests the quickest way to address the gender gap is to channel more girls into the pipeline, rather than fix the leaks that are occurring along the way.

In the annual Australian Graduate Survey 2014, the gender difference in the bachelor graduates for computer science across Australian universities is clearly visible, with only 15.8 percent female. This low ratio is mimicked around the globe, resulting in discourse rerouting from ‘Kids need to learn to code’ to ‘We must get girls into coding’.

Teaching more girls to code is perceived as the silver bullet; the perfect way to get more girls interested in computer science, which will in turn create a programming savvy workforce ready to tackle gender equality in the workplace purely through strength of numbers. As with all other silver bullets, it creates a student-as-product response and makes one wonder – is coding and learning to code the 21st century equivalent of learning to type?

The problem is not getting girls interested in coding and programming – it is keeping them interested. And it is not just girls; it is all learners. A concern with the current push to get all girls into coding is it might actually be doing more harm than good if it is not done in a way that gives equitable exposure to all, and in a way that keeps them interested to take things further.

These initiatives are in the spotlight, and media often highlights the strong tagline of giving access to all, but giving access to education is more complicated than just opening doors. It comes from a place of wanting to do the ‘best by the kids’ and there is value in creating emotive events that capture kids’ interest, whether in a traditional classroom, online or an event. However, please stop underestimating the role of teaching amidst the pink sparkle and robotic spectacle.

PinkificationIt seems like each week there is another initiative launched to get girls into coding. Click on the website or look at the pictures and be prepared for the pinkification factor or, as Elizabeth Losh, a digital culture scholar at University of California in San Diego, calls it “ridiculous, pink, sparkly techno-princess land”.

The use of pink logos and overt girl-power type language, coupled with hyper-feminine projects, buys into the concept that girls are not interested in coding or understanding how technology functions. By applying this methodology, initiatives are blindly adopting a ‘meet them where they are’ mentality by using one stereotype in an attempt to combat another. A played out girl-power image that, as Kate Dupere of Mashable put it, creates the label ‘You are a girl who codes’ rather than ‘You are a coder’. Techno-princess land creates an alternate reality for girls to learn to code, further instilling the idea that technology fields are not for them and if they do want to play they need to put on their ‘tech diva’ crown and play in a different space.

Turning up the pink dial might interest a certain percentage of the population, but this type of strategy is short sighted, as setting the dial to magenta can alienate some girls to take part or lose them along the sparkly path. It is not about teaching girls a certain way; instead, it is about teachers being responsive to all learners’ needs and ensuring they are keeping their own biases in check.

Educators have a responsibility to all students in the classroom, in spite of gender, to create these types of opportunities for exploration. But they need to be aware that merely gaining access will not support the type of fundamental change required. Access to coding does not make coding easier in the same way that watching TV does not help a person’s movie producing or acting skills – it takes time and practice.

So, if not pink and if not spectacle, then what?

Quit the Kitset and Create Personally Meaningful ProductsKids have a natural curiosity and a tendency towards learning by doing, but sometimes with step-by-step structures teachers remove the possibility for learners to make their own meaning. Giving meaning to something helps to take abstract ideas and turn them into something concrete, and to do that learners need to take part in the process rather than just focus on the outcome required. Yes, students could go to code.org and participate in Hour of Code where they will step through predefined hoops and even get a certificate at the end, but they were not part of the process – their only choice is whether they do the Frozen theme or Angry Birds.

The same goes for one-off initiatives, no matter how thickly painted the pink gloss is. If learners are not thinking and


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grappling with their own ideas and being given the chance to iterate, refine, edit and modify their creation, then how deeply are they engaged in their own learning? So they may be ‘doing’ the thing, coding something, but they are not part of the creation; they are only changing variables in someone else’s idea, essentially reducing the value of the learners in the room. There is space for quick challenges and pop-up activities; but if that is all that is used, what happens when they go home? Can they apply what they have been so excited about learning that morning to continue exploring?

Teachers need to be aware of these plug’n’play initiatives and give learners the opportunity to create with technology in a personally meaningful way.

Focus on Process – Iteration over PerfectionJoin-the-dots type exercises create a linear learning path and the idea that there is only one way. An online prompt might hint at what to fix and then the learner is back on track. However, these hyper-scaffolded activities do little to support a learner’s capacity to use failure as a point of iteration and problem

solving. If learners have not encountered this type of unknown space before then it is an absolute shock and inhibitor when it does finally occur.

By creating learning experiences that focus on the process of creating with technology rather than solely the output or coding part, teachers can begin to shift the experience from a teacher-led action into an iterative process driven by the learner that can continue long after the bell or event is over. This focus on iteration helps to humanise the process of failure and break down the need to be perfect, learning that failing is just failing and not quitting.

Knowing the LearnerEach participant in these initiatives is different, and creating equity starts with knowing them as learners and then using that knowledge to know when to push or pull back during a learning experience – all of which goes a long way to supporting the creation of a safe-to-fail space. This builds a positive learning culture which, according to any classroom teacher, is key and this all takes time. Teachers need to think about these things when they become excited about the maze all the kids will program their robots to run, or when creating an online simulation where

a certain level of reading comprehension is required and take time to think just as hard (if not harder) about how they will craft an inclusive equitable environment to go with it.

To get more girls interested in coding, the pink dial needs to be turned down. It is not about teaching girls differently or applying a coat of pink gloss to existing programs, but instead ensuring that teachers keep their gender biases in check when developing and implementing learning experiences. Gimmicky pinkification will never compare to a personally engaging learning experience where learners are safe to tinker, play and fail, and given the time and support to do so.

Kimberly Baars is a Design Technology & Robotics educator. Her innovative teaching methodologies have been shared in forums such as Ulearn, Nethui and KiwiFoo in NZ, and is an active social media provocateur. She writes and advocates for a constructionist maker approach of learning-by-doing, encouraging creative curiosity in learners and gender equity in the Technology classroom.

http://www.aptech.com.au


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All STEAMed Up

| By Jane Hunter |

A report released on Thursday 31st March cited that five years ago there were 2.3 million people in Australia (that is 10 percent of the population) with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) qualifications. According to Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, the report Australia’s STEM Workforce shows that studying STEM opens up countless job opportunities. He said, “The most striking finding in my mind is the range of occupations that people with STEM qualifications have pursued” (Barbashow, ZDNet, 2016).

There is no doubt that STEM is a hot-ticket education item across the globe right now, as countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia galvanise technology industries, scientists, universities, high-profile experts, political parties, schools and the wider community to take a more proactive interest in all matters science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

STEAM is ImportantWhat is now noticeable is how the arts and humanities subjects in schools are jostling for their important role in ensuring young people are STEM literate. There is no denying that in conversations about STEM there is recognition that these subjects too are essential in the STEM equation.

Fareed Zakira (2016), a weekly columnist with The Washington Post and blogger with 642K followers, said, “A broad general education helps foster critical thinking and creativity. Exposure to a variety of fields produces synergy and cross-fertilisation. Yes, science and technology are crucial components of this education, but so are English and philosophy.”

Echoing that idea is the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, who noted in a talkback show in early March, “No matter how strong your math and science skills are, you still need to know how to learn, think and even… write” (Medium blog post, 2016).


Case StudyIn Australia, the STEM effort in many primary schools includes humanities and the arts and, therefore, education leaders refer to a STEAM focus (with A for the Arts), which sits alongside STEM with subjects like history, geography and English – these all have parity of time in an open STEAM timetable, where large chunks of learning time for a couple of hours of STEAM Time each day are critical.

This is the approach of deputy principal Debbie Evans and her STEAM Team at Wahroonga Public School (WPS) in Sydney. “In Stage 1 this term we are combining science and history in a unit titled A Toy Story and, in Stage 2, All Fired Up is all about science targeting the topics of heat and sustainability,” she explained. The classes use carefully selected resources from a curated wiki that has been planned with the syllabus outcomes using backward mapping and STEAM assessment rubrics. Debbie added, “Teachers must really know what science is. It is not about the facts – teachers need to guide students to ask good questions and they themselves must understand the inquiry method for science.” One key observation made during some time spent at WPS was the relentless questioning carried out by teachers of students while they conducted their STEAM work, and the way students reciprocated and modelled this in the enormous number of questions they asked each other. What a shift! (The full interview with Debbie Evans is available on the Education Technology Solutions [ETS] website.)

In a quick whirl through the STEAM classrooms in April, there was palpable excitement and risk taking in learning from often, very young children. Some students dressed in lab coats in STEAM Time (rewards for previous successful hypothesising and experimentation apparently) and there was a group of parents in Emma Bent’s Stage 1 classroom who were getting in on the STEAM action in preparation for the culminating activity in the Great Bush School Sailing Toy Challenge in the last week of term.

Many hands on deck make for easier STEAM work in classrooms – it is demanding, active teaching.

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In Amanda Courtney’s Stage 1 classroom, every child had a role to play in time trials for the concluding challenge and Alex, the Sailing Toy race organiser, took control of proceedings with his hooter while other students recorded time-trial speeds on spreadsheets. Cynthia Groves, the third Stage 1 teacher involved in the unit, was keen to explain, “For each of the sailing toys students created there were constraints, and they have tested and re-tested prototypes... it has been about developing practical scientific knowledge – they have had to work co-operatively in small groups and really follow instructions to make their sailing boats move.”

In the Stage 2 All Fired Up classroom there were students handling infrared thermometers with the ease and efficiency of any adult. Others were recording data in spreadsheets on laptops, or making predictions on whiteboard surfaces on classroom walls, while most worked patiently and diligently in enthusiastic ‘heat lab’ teams.

One pair of students shared their science problem in the milk bottle heat simulation, “We have learned the difference between temperature and heat… the rate of ice melting inside the plastic bottle is dependent on the temperature inside our classroom… it is hotter, so it melts faster.”

Listen to what the students also said about being a ‘cooking scientist’ in the rest of the interview on the ETS website.

Stage 2 teacher Alix Spillane gave this insight on the STEAM activity, “The improved use of scientific language is one thing I have detected. Students know how to conduct a fair test, they know what it is, they know what variables are, hypothesis… a controlled experiment – they use the correct terms in verbal and written explanations.”

STEAM Teaching is Great TeachingIn essence, STEAM teaching is quality teaching and learning where students are in the task and where they engage in significant real-world problem solving and problem finding that involves relentless questioning. In STEAM classrooms, students work collaboratively to find answers to their scientific investigations.

There is no doubt that when WPS students leave their primary school classrooms all STEAMed up, they will be ready for high school teachers to continue their piqued interest and love of STEM subjects. The Chief Scientist would approve.

STEAMpunks 2016 ConferenceIn early June, Debbie Evans has organised the STEAMpunks 2016 Conference to consolidate the school’s STEAM learning focus – not only among students, but also for ongoing teacher professional development in her school and with local primary schools. Amanda Fox, a film and broadcasting instructor and former social sciences teacher at the STEM academy in Savannah, US, will conduct a workshop at the conference. Amanda will speak first in Australia in a keynote address in Brisbane at EduTECH. Details for the STEAMpunks 2016 Conference at Wahroonga Public School can be found at https://steampunks2016.wordpress.com/

For a full list of references, email:[email protected]

Jane Hunter is conducting postdoctoral research in STEM in primary schools. She works in the School of Education at the University of Technology Sydney. Debbie Evans has taught in NSW schools for more than 25 years and still maintains her zest for teaching by having a clear focus on planning and quality teacher professional learning in combination with her love of technology and what it inspires in learning for young people. The teachers, Alix, Emma, Amanda and Cynthia are enthusiastic about the opportunities that teaching brings at this time in education history in primary schools.

ETS

What is now noticeable is

how the arts and humanities

subjects in schools are jostling

for their important role in

ensuring young people are

STEM literate.


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children to only be active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – they also need to be learning how to use computers in a practical sense.

In today’s digital age, children must not only be able to access new technologies, but take full advantage of the vast array of information and opportunities that new technologies make available. That is why the Turnbull Government is investing $112.2 million through the National Innovation and Science Agenda to inspire all Australians’ interests in digital literacy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

With 75 percent of the fastest growing industries requiring STEM skills, it is imperative that we enable Australian students to embrace the digital and STEM age. We know that this needs to start from the earliest age. We have initiatives to promote positive science and maths experiences for children aged three to five, including developing an online resource for teachers, parents and students, and apps to engage curiosity.

For school students, and the teachers that do such important work to support them, we are offering plenty of support such as cutting-edge professional development for those teaching digital technologies. That is as well as investments in a number of prizes and competitions, and establishing summer schools so that underrepresented groups, particularly girls, discover the potential of STEM.

These new initiatives all add to work that we started in 2014 to restore the focus on STEM in primary and secondary schools, when we earmarked $12 million to highlight the importance of STEM subjects in schools across the country and through updates to the curriculum. This added to the $5 million allocated in the 2014–15 budget for the Primary Connections and Science by Doing programs. The Turnbull Government has also thrown its support behind Code

| By Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham |

As Minister for Education and Training I see first-hand the transformative power of education and how it gives individuals more choice and more opportunity to pursue their interests, their dreams and to secure a rewarding job. However, the path towards this future is not always apparent to young people. Modelling shows how young people cannot always discern obvious pathways to take them from study to employment. They are dealing with constantly evolving technology that is changing work patterns and the economic climate.

This challenge is not unique to Australia – the impact of digital disruption is being felt across the world – but the challenge can be met head-on if Australia’s education system, from the earliest years through to further education, embraces an innovation mindset. Innovation is the best way to keep pace with change.

Price-Waterhouse Coopers warns that without a culture of innovation, underpinned by investment in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, Australia could drop out of the top 20 economies by 2050.

My role, and that of my state and territory colleagues, is to ensure that Australia’s education system keeps up with changing technology so students are prepared to be innovative, flexible and confident in the skills they need to thrive in the future. Building STEM literacy in students today is fundamental to achieving this. Adults are frequently impressed by the way young people intuitively pick up technology. There are plenty of stories about a toddler who is more proficient in using an iPad than their parents.

However, recent Information and Communications Technology Literacy testing through the National Assessment Program shows that around half of students in Years 6 and 10 did not meet the proficient standard of their practical understanding of digital technology. What this shows is that it is not enough for

In a rapidly changing world of technology, a sound education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM – will set up Australians and the economy for success.


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We also want to ensure there are sharper incentives for research funding. We are putting in place new funding arrangements for universities that better balance the incentives for research excellence and partnership with the business community. We have committed an additional $127 million to university research block grants over the forward estimates to encourage university researchers to work with industry and other end-users to produce outcomes with commercial and community benefit. Commercialising research will ensure that publicly funded research addresses Australia’s immediate and future economic, social and environmental challenges.

Through innovation and investment in research and education, we will better prepare future generations of Australians for all of the challenges and opportunities that lie before us. We must inspire children from the earliest years to embrace the all-important STEM subjects and support them to continue this study through school and into further education. It is the only way to create the next generation of researchers, innovators and digitally literate citizens prepared for the jobs of the future.

Simon Birmingham is the Federal Minister for Education and Training and Senator for South Australia.

Simon can be contacted at [email protected]

We need to get Australia’s brightest minds into the areas of research that will help solve the challenges of the future. That is why we have planned an ongoing commitment to national research infrastructure so we can take our world-class research from the lab to everyday life. High quality research drives innovation that saves lives, answers social and environmental imperatives, improves economic productivity and growth, and creates

the jobs of the future.Through the National Science and

Innovation Agenda we have invested $2.3 billion in new, sustainable funding over 10 years for national-scale research infrastructure, including $150 million of indexed per annum funding for the ongoing operations of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. That ongoing funding from 2017–18 will drive collaboration between 35,000 world-class researchers, government and industry, and support research in areas like food production, health and sustainable cities.

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Club Australia through a $500,000 grant to expand its teaching of important computer skills to school children.

Underpinning the Government’s STEM education spend is a National STEM Education Strategy. It was endorsed by all education ministers in December last year and it sets clear goals, with five areas for action to improve STEM education in Australia.

Sparking a real interest or passion for the STEM subjects is just as important as simply teaching students these skills. We need to make the study of these subjects really come alive and show children how far they can go in life with proficiency in these skills. We know that starts when they are young. Drawing on the success of the Early Learning Languages Australia trial, we are developing a suite of play-based apps for tablet devices through Early Learning STEM Australia to get pre-schoolers engaged and curious to learn about STEM.

Our Little Scientists and Let’s Count training programs, which could well inspire Australia’s next Howard Florey or Elizabeth Blackburn, are also giving children a new way to engage with STEM subjects. These programs will reach 350,000 children across Australia. From learning how to purify water, exploring science to talking about numbers, these initiatives offer children fun and engaging ways to learn the basics at a very young age.

Helping students move confidently from school to further study and work is vitally important and the Coalition is not just focused on the early years and schooling; we are looking much further ahead. We need to ensure that the entire education system equips graduates with the skills they need to enter the world of work.

The workplaces and the world of the future will need people not just comfortable with STEM skills, but excelling in them.

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Space Camp – An Inspiration Incubator

solve and create in an inspirational and innovative space. It has specialised simulators and resources that are unique to Space Camp. With partnerships with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Smithsonian, the site has exhibits like no other, as well as travelling exhibits.

In an age where virtual education is becoming a reality – virtual excursions, virtual worlds, virtual visitors, virtual reality, virtually anything – it is often forgotten that some of the best learning experiences students ever had were ones where they got messy, broke things or outcomes did not turn out the way they expected. This is what happens at Space Camp! Expect the unexpected. Take on new ideas.

When registering for this amazing experience, there are options:

Space CampThe Space Camp programs allows students to work together as a team in one of the world’s largest spacecraft collections. All participants experience the astronaut simulators such as the 1/6th gravity chair, the Manned Manoeuvring Unit and the Multi Axis Trainer. The six-day curriculum incorporates real-world applications of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education. Trainees prepare to become the new generation of Lunar and Martian explorers by actively participating in hands-on activities that place them in the role of spacecraft designers, mission controllers and astronauts. Eligible participants aged 15 years and over are offered the opportunity to complete a challenging space-life experience with SCUBA-based microgravity orientation activities.

Aviation ChallengeThis program is geared toward fighter pilot training with intense survival skills and flight simulations. Students are challenged in the fields of aerodynamics, aeronautics and jet propulsion using simulators and the latest techniques in survival tactics and rescue missions. Teamwork, leadership and decision-making skills are the focus.

| By Jackie Slaviero |

“I am an astronaut!” It was inspirational to watch a 62-year-old primary teacher come bouncing out of a simulator, arms stretched out like she was going to do star jumps. It was just as inspiring to see a highly experienced school principal screaming as she jumped off a platform into thin air on a zipline clutching onto her bright pink ‘Space Princess’ cap. I remember grinning and thinking to myself, “I am sure she said her expertise was in drama and English and knew nothing about science…”

Such is another day in Space Camp. This year is trip number 10 for me. I have been taking groups there since 2008 and have assisted and inspired others to take their students and colleagues; volunteering my time and expertise to enrich the opportunities Australian students have in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. In the past few years, I have been linking industry and education through connecting and collaborating around the Space Camp experience.

What is Space Camp? The answer is not simple. It could be said that it is a unique environment suited to launch life-changing learning, an inspiration incubator or a multi-day residential camp where participants’ senses are bombarded with all things aerodynamic, aeronautic and robotic. To truly experience Space Camp, participants have to live IN it. Be immersed. Be active. Be brave.

Space Camp was founded by Ed Buckbee in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1982. It creates and delivers cutting-edge educational programs that have seen more than 650,000 students graduate, and has delivered on its goals of promoting science, mathematics and technology education. Integrated curriculum is central to the Space Camp philosophy. By delivering a diverse range of courses, Space Camp fires the imaginations of all attendees. Apart from the knowledge around space science, participants discover potential that traverses from ‘What if?’ to ‘CAN DO!’.

Space Camp creates the perfect risk-taking environment that enables participants to develop the skills required to problem


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Robotics CampRobotics Camp participants work together in a simulated business environment where winning proposal teams design and build robots. Unmanned vehicles, drones and remote control design and operation are some of the activities offered. Trainees learn engineering and design of robotics on land, in the air and in underwater environments.

A Space Camp bus is used to transport participants to the various activities on site. An IMAX theatre and amusement park are located within the camp facilities. There is a digital theatre in the multi-million dollar museum that houses one of the three remaining Saturn V rockets in the world. Oh, and the Apollo 16 capsule and the NASA Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) are in the same room!

Each program is tailor-made to suit the needs of the participants. This means that students registered for Space Camp will still experience some of the Aviation Challenge activities and complete part of the Robotics Camp program as well. All curriculum programs are interwoven and ensure a focus on real-world scenarios with decision-making, skill development and leadership capabilities as the key. Highly experienced crew trainers deliver a flexible, differentiated learning program to allow a focus on individual needs.

Upon arrival at Huntsville International Airport, the crew trainers take over. They are passionate about STEM education, highly skilled and love what they do. “We truly believe Space Camp changes lives by giving our trainees a vision for their future and the confidence to achieve whatever it is they want to pursue. We call it ‘cracking their cosmic egg’.” One Space Camp graduate won a NASA contest to have a tool he designed 3D printed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Here is a link to a story about him: www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/03/5_questions_with_the_alabama_t.html

Returning from Space Camp is difficult. Deorbit can be hard if students are unprepared. There has to be a

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debriefing as well as plans on how to maintain interest that has been created. Repeated and growing STEM experiences will ensure that momentum is maintained.

People often ask me, “Why do you keep going back? Why do you spend your time doing this?” They obviously need to come along and find out! In 2015, more than 600 Australian students and their teachers attended Space Camp USA and the numbers are growing annually. In the PwC report, Making STEM a Primary Priority (2016), it seems that my philosophy from 2007 is being reinforced by others. “We can choose to do more of the same and slip even further behind, or we can make major differences in how we teach science and maths.” Providing the opportunity for all Australians aged 10 and over to come to Space Camp USA awakens the adventurers and takes them on a learning journey of discovery.

Why did I become a teacher? To make a difference. To inspire the next generation to be the best they can be. To create passionate learners who are confident in building their identity. Over the years, more than 250 students, parents and teachers have come on the Space Camp trip. When asking for feedback about their experiences, this is what some students reported:• “I felt good because I did my best for the first time.”• “The thing that I gained was my confidence. When I was in Space Camp I did things that I would never had even dreamt of in my life. It was like it was a whole new me.”• “I could write a novel about the different ways of how Space Camp has changed my life and made me believe that anything is possible (however cheesy that may sound). That as long as I believe it possible, it is 100 percent achievable. I would never trade my Space Camp experience for anything. I look upon that part of my life as a turning point and although I said it did not shape my career path, it built up my confidence to believe in myself and determination to achieve my dreams.”

Space Camp Hall of Fame members,

who are all graduates of Space Camp, work tirelessly with students and alumni to support graduates of the programs to achieve their dreams. Their careers are varied and link back to their Space Camp experiences:• Lt. Col. William Burke Hare III, U.S. Air Force, Ret. – GPS and satellite• Ed Van Cise, NASA ISS flight director• Dr ‘Kate’ Rubins, astronaut due to fly to ISS in May 2016• Penny Pettigrew, Payloads Communication Manager• Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, astronaut• Samantha Christoforetti, astronaut• Bobak Ferdowsi, flight director of the Mars Curiosity team.

Other Space Camp alumni include:• George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic• Lori Garver, former NASA deputy administrator• Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX• Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google• Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman of eBay.

For more information, visit https://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = u q -QAMZaXfM

Australia’s future capacity for innovation is directly linked with the knowledge, skills and attitudes of its young people. It is up to educators to provide as many opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom, for their students to reach their full potential.

Jackie Slaviero is the founder of One Giant Leap Australia and an angel investor. She is the international ambassador for the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program, the Space Camp USA ambassador, the Australian representative for Global Friendship Through Space Education program (Space Camp Turkey) and a National STEM consultant. She is on the advisory boards of Quberider, ELLA App, Pallas Advanced Learning Systems and Launchbox. Jackie can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter @JackieSlav


http://www.scopeiteducation.com.au


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STEM:Do Not LetThe What OverpowerThe Wow


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provide guidance in doing so:• on design thinking

o Change by Design by Tim Browno The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littmano Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley

• on innovating, learning and technology in education

o Stratosphere. Integrating Technology, Pedagogy and Change Knowledge by Michael Fullano The Innovator’s Mindset. Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity by George Couros.

Get StartedIt may be suitable to consider an invitational Professional Learning Community (PLC) model with action research frameworks and/or design thinking as two possible guiding processes. Starting with a PLC model has a higher potential for engaging staff for greater sharing, collaboration, communication and may provide empowering opportunities for leadership and self-directed professional learning. These are widely available, easily understood and successful processes. It may be reasonable to introduce the guiding processes to staff as a way of then inviting applications from all staff to join the PLC–STEM Learning Project. The 2010 STEM Teachers in Professional Learning Communities: A Knowledge Synthesis provides recent research findings into the successes of STEM PLCs, examines the benefits and implications, and provides guidance from experts.

Empathy firstThe first stage of design thinking is empathy, which according to Crowley and Saide (2016) is a “complex concept and a difficult skill”. An important step for the group at this stage is to identify all the stakeholders who stand to gain from the work of the PLC. Is it just students? What will be the benefits of participation for teachers, parents, school

disciplinary, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and digital technologies, which are essential in all 21st century occupations.” The report goes on to identify observations about Australian student performance from the Chief Scientist as “stalled or declined” and that trends in STEM performance require community efforts to reverse. The strategy also features a separate section citing employment-related statistics from 2015 demographic projections as evidence for a critical national focus due to the “overall trend away from higher level STEM subject choices and the failure to keep pace with the highest performing countries.”

Much has already been said and agreed on by credible educators, researchers, school leaders and consultants about the nature of this testing, the apparent global rankings (only 78 countries participate) and the impact such testing data has on policy and the actual work of teachers in schools. Whilst it is certainly important to keep an eye on trend data like the NMC Horizon Report and analyst reports on future education and employment, the value of knowing, developing and connecting students’ and teachers’ capabilities and wellbeing within a school’s specific context far outweigh dramatic, unsustainable changes. That said, technology cannot be ignored any more than it can be banned.

The above challenges of STEM are not to be underestimated, and have the potential to stall innovation and starve a school of any action at all. Schools are complex and extremely sensitive environments that must be responsive, flexible, resourceful, intellectually rigorous and caring on a 24/7 basis. There is a growing body of evidence for the rewards of introducing STEM thinking, projects and programs for all stakeholders. Focus on the how of welcoming STEM into a school, rather than the how hard.

Get Inspired, Get ReadingThe following are some resources that may help inspire schools to introduce STEM and

| By Danielle Purdy |

This week, the motives for the recent ban on technology in a highly regarded Sydney school were a hot topic with my colleagues, as well as the opinions of their critics. Our thoughts went to the intrinsic business of our classroom relationships, the ‘anytime, anyplace’ communication between learners and teachers – our new normal. What would such a move mean for our students, our learning? What would be useful advice for schools, teachers and middle leaders looking to develop sustainable, inspirational and exciting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs?

STEM Challenge 1: Definition and applicationTrying to define STEM for teachers is akin to going for a quick stroll in the mangroves. A useful place to start for now is with federal and state education policy. Consider the National STEM School Education Strategy 2016–2026, which defines STEM education as a collective term having two meanings:• science, technology, engineering and mathematics• a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching that increases student interest in STEM-related fields and improves students’ problem-solving and critical-analysis skills.

The first definition is clear-cut. The second introduces a cross-disciplinary approach, one which can be fraught with difficulty, even for the most talented timetablers. Vagaries that appear obvious to statisticians and policy makers can be unsuitable, unworkable and unsustainable in practice at school alongside competing systems curricula and priorities.

STEM Challenge 2: Correlations between testing data, student choices and projected employmentThe National STEM School Education Strategy 2016–2026 identifies STEM as having similar objectives to that of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) in that “schooling should support the development of skills in cross-


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leaders, the wider community or the online community? What are their concerns about STEM? What and how do stakeholders feel about the chief scientist’s concerns about the performance of Australian students or the future of employment or the impact of technology on lifelong learning?

At this stage, the group is seeking to learn and understand the needs, to know why and what will motivate. Useful data collection tools for the group may be Google Forms or many of the other types of interactive tools that teachers use for formative assessment in classrooms.

Time to defineThis important step is essential to gaining a group outlook on:• the issue (STEM and what it will mean for the lifespan of the project in that school)• the users (students, teachers, parents, leaders, local and online communities)• the importance of the issue to the users (why the PLC is working on STEM for this school).

It may be useful to present findings for further feedback to user groups, providing even more definition.

Ideation – what just might work?Begin with no-limits thinking – no solution is too wacky, too out-there or knocked out. Generate as many potential solutions as possible and use feedback to refine and improve the ideas. Seek continuing feedback from users to advise why an idea is not quite right or will not quite work to regenerate and improve it. Use the limitations to make as many innovative and contextualised solutions as possible for users. This is exhausting, but also tremendous, enjoyable and highly professional learning.

Prototype – ta dah?This is a proposal for the first action of the STEM PLC for consideration. For example, if students had indicated they would be interested in multi-age, hands-on cross-

disciplinary enrichment work, it may be a draft plan for a full-school design thinking theme day. Another could be STEM fairs, Minecraft Mondays for Mums, or it may even be to run whole-staff professional learning in delivering design thinking that enhances the pedagogical repertoire for teachers and enriches learning for students. It all depends on the previous three steps – empathise, define, ideate.

(re)Testing – the real thingSometimes the simplest and most effective solutions are not the most obvious or the first ones tried. Continual feedback and design thinking processes will help keep the STEM PLC in touch with users and aligned with the school’s mission statements, strategic plans and the PLC’s purpose.

An extra step... document the process and share the storyBlogging or providing visibility to the action of the PLC will entice the less sure, more hesitant future participants or even encourage others to create PLCs for other areas; it need not end with STEM. Create a Twitter account for the PLC, add a hashtag and start following the powerful global Professional Learning Networks like #aussieED, #satchat, #STEMed and #DTK-12.

It is not without a measure of relevance that 2016 sees the 300th anniversary of the Luddite revolts in Loughborough and the destruction of lacemaking equipment in Heathcote and Boden’s mill. There is an obvious temptation here to create a correlation with the ban on devices as a negative and neo-luddite.

However, this reduction is as poor as the logic found in linking low subject enrolments to potential unemployment. The Luddites had their reasons for breaking the machinery – they were skilled craftsmen proudly rejecting the cheap, inferior machine-made lace. Three hundred years on, change is seen as essential and coexisting; transitions do not mean traditions cannot continue. Lacemaking, lacemaking machines, pencils, pens, mobile devices – each require different knowledge, skills, critical choices and strategies for use. Yoda may have said, “You must unlearn what you have learned” to a young Luke Skywalker; however, a classroom of 30 tech-savvy 15-year-olds is certainly going to have a slightly less reverential response to a teacher outlawing devices than “Yes, master”. It is not a question of if, but when technology will return to those student device-free classrooms in Sydney. And it will be with consent or without. Either way, it will be the people, the ideas and a knowledge of technology-powered creativity that drives their return back to the future. Would it not be better if their solution was a community powered one?

Danielle Purdy is the Senior Education Officer for Secondary Curriculum in the Cairns Diocese. An experienced secondary educator across both local and international contexts, Danielle heads a team of education officers dedicated to providing curriculum, pedagogy and technology information and support. Danielle is one of four Prezi Educators in Australia and tweets @daniellepurdy3.

The challenges of STEM are not to be

underestimated and have the potential

to stall innovation and starve a school

of any action at all.


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Is There Evidence To Warrant Using Subject

Introduction Videos?

Most schools and universities now have online counterparts to face-to-face units/subjects through Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Blackboard or Moodle. These sites usually provide information about the unit and its assessment, serve as a gateway to content and interaction tools, and are a portal to submit assessment and receive educator feedback and grades. As the sites become increasingly complex and multi-layered, an emerging practice is to provide a brief (for example, less than five minutes) video, often created by the educator. Some of the functions of the subject introduction video are to: self-introduce and create a teaching presence for the educator (particularly if made available prior to the first day of class); orient the student to the structure of the LMS and navigation to the overall unit; explain how the unit fits with other units and in the overall program; introduce the context, including how this unit contributes to skill development and graduate employability; and (perhaps most significant to learners) create transparency about how the student will be assessed and graded, how to access learning resources and when and where to submit assessment. The creation and inclusion of subject introduction videos is an emerging educational approach and the impact is, therefore, largely unknown. Students appear to like them. Recently, when these videos were discussed at a faculty-based Learning and Teaching Committee meeting, the student representatives were asked if they had any questions or comments. One student responded, “Can you please hurry and make them available for every unit?!” This paper describes and briefly reviews research that investigated the use of videos in universities.

| By Shelley Kinash |

University (Australia) used a variety of methods such as formative assessment, interactive resources and what they called ‘lecturer video selfies’ in an attempt to further engage social work students (Goldingay & Land, 2014). The selfies addressed unit content, administration and encouragement for students. In this study, new videos were uploaded online weekly and the student cohorts were approximately split between online and blended delivery modes. LMS data was analysed, in addition to six student interviews, and survey administration to 52 students in the 2012 cohort (when these new methods were not used) and to 56 students in 2013 (using the new methods). The authors interpreted the results as indicating that the use of video selfies increased the educators’ “tangible social presence”. Furthermore, students’ comments indicated a feeling that “the lecturer was talking directly to them, and felt that they were not on their own”. Students appeared to particularly like the videos when the educators were friendly and smiling.

Using published reports from students and educators and his own experience as a teacher and a student, a researcher extrapolated the lessons that can be learned from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and applied to other types of learning modes such as blended learning (Johnston, 2005). He identified

two pedagogical approaches that appear to enhance learning: a) peer assessment and b) video lectures to deliver content. MOOC lecture videos are defined as “featuring a video recording of the professor (a ‘talking head’), interspersed or overlaid (such

as picture-in-picture) with presentation slide graphics and text”. The author reflected that the prevalent use of video lectures in MOOCs has raised the expectation for video in other types of units. “It stands to reason that students who experience MOOC-benchmark-quality video for free would expect no less from paid online instruction from a university. MOOC video lecture quality may set student expectations for an acceptable or benchmark quality of video lecture quality in paid online university courses. More fundamentally, the MOOC reliance on video lectures may set expectations that paid online courses also rely on or at least include video lectures, and not rely on a student reading a textbook to deliver content”. Notably, this exploration of the use of video in MOOCs considered only content videos and not those of an introductory or orienting nature.

A team of teaching scholars from a university in Germany compared three different approaches to teaching 53 education students (Stürmer, Könings & Seidel, 2013). Pre- and post-tests indicated that students who had been taught through a video-based unit showed the largest gains in student learning (declarative knowledge and knowledge transfer). The video-based unit showed multiple “videotaped excerpts of classroom instruction and answer[ed] questions”. The other two

approaches were primarily a) reflective and b) problem-based. The researchers concluded, “The video-based approach seems to bring students closer to classroom practice.” Critically, when divided between three research groups, the sample size was small and


A team of educators, instructional designers and an academic program coordinator worked together at an American university to produce a series of skill-based orientation videos in an attempt to engage and support first-year students (Taylor, Dunn & Winn, 2015). Each video was a maximum of four minutes long. For ease of navigation, interactive menus were provided. Videos addressed the following topics – how to get started in the course; module navigation; posting to discussions; submitting assignments; and locating grades, instructor feedback and grading rubrics. Three criteria were used to determine priority for development of orientation videos – high enrolment, often one of the first courses taken by new students, and higher than average withdrawals. Orientation videos were added to five units. The researchers administered a short survey to students (n=810 responses) who had completed a unit with an orientation video and compared the withdrawal rates and grade distributions one year before and after the video orientation was added. Across Likert scale survey response items, students responded affirmatively to the inclusion of the videos (average score of 88/100 in response to items such as ‘Yes, the videos were informative’). On average, the withdrawal rate went down by 4.2 percent across the five units from the previous year. Across the five units, 6.1 percent more students were awarded a passing grade (A-C) as compared to the previous year when the videos were not used. The authors acknowledged that the research was limited by the small number of units and the non-random selection of these units (at a single university). Furthermore, the orientation video is not an isolated variable and it, therefore, cannot be established that the video was the factor explaining improvements in student success. Nevertheless, this research seems to indicate that orientation videos may have a positive impact on student retention, grades and satisfaction.

Teaching scholars at Deakin

The creation and inclusion of subject introduction videos is an emerging educational approach and the impact is, therefore, largely unknown.

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both the unit content and approach varied (resulting in minimal research controls). In regard to the application of subject introduction videos, while this research provides some evidence of the efficacy of using videos as pedagogy, these videos were content-based rather than of an introductory or orienting nature.

Similarly, researchers at another university in Sri Lanka used content video presentation with first-year medical students (Kommalage & Senadheera, 2012). The videos were used to present patients’ and their relatives’ descriptions of symptoms and were followed by lecture and discussion. Survey (n=165) and focus group (n=36) analysis revealed that students “appreciated the video[s], had ‘better’ knowledge acquisition and a ‘better’ understanding of problems encountered by patients”. In addition, students said that they had “increased interest, enhanced understanding, [saw the] relevance of basic knowledge to clinical practice, [felt] orient[ed] to [the] profession, and [were able to] personal[ise] theories”. Critically, there was no control group (students who did not watch the videos) and comparative words such as ‘better’ indicate students’ perceptions in relation to their other learning experiences. In regard to subject introduction videos, these videos were content based.

In an attempt to engage a cohort of first-year students in Honours Education, a team of educators at The University


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of Wales worked collaboratively with their internal Institute of Digital Learning to support 44 students to create non-assessed video guides (Williams, 2011). After the students watched one another’s videos, they completed questionnaires.

This research seems to indicate that orientation videos may have a positive impact on student retention, grades and satisfaction.

The published literature provides some emerging evidence, particularly from the perspective of students, that providing subject introduction videos are an ef f icacious pedagogical approach. The primary benef its appear to be feelings of increased engagement and connection between students, educators and units, as well as increased ability to navigate learning.

Analysis of the questionnaires revealed that the activity “develops reciprocity and co-operation between students, encourages active learning, gives prompt feedback, emphasizes time on task, communicates high expectations, and respects diverse talents and ways of learning”. While the researchers did not formally compare this cohort group with other years (as experimental control groups), their informal assessment was that the pedagogical approach had a positive impact on grades and study optimism. Notably, this research addressed the students (rather than the educators) as authors of the videos.

In conclusion, the published literature provides some emerging evidence, particularly from the perspective of students, that providing subject introduction videos is an efficacious pedagogical approach. The primary benefits appear to be feelings of increased engagement and connection between students, educators and units, as well as increased ability to navigate learning. Notably, throughout the published studies, educator-produced videos were used in combination with other pedagogies for a combined positive effect on learning and engagement. While this combination of factors means that it is not clearly established that it is the videos that are responsible for (causal factors of) educational gains, the salient design-based approach of improving multiple pedagogies is in itself a notable research finding. None of the reviewed studies bounded their research specifically to initial subject introduction videos (as described in the introduction), thus limiting the application of the research findings to this specific context and suggesting that investigation of this particular approach and its outcomes/impact might be a worthwhile subject for further research.

Dr Shelley Kinash is the Director of Learning and Teaching at Bond University. She can be contacted via email at [email protected]


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The Impact Of ‘A’ In STEAM – Averting A

National Crisis


National Crisis


National Crisis


National Crisis

Australia’s education is not progressing well internationally, with “Australia singled out for its declining performance on the world stage” (Sydney Morning Herald, 25 March 2016). A 10-year low, Australia is now ranked 19th in the world education rankings published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Should politicians and administrators be reflecting on the movement in the US with the inclusion of the arts being integral to the development of skills required in the 21st century and beyond?

A landmark decision to include music and the arts as core subjects in the Every Student Succeeds Act (US Congress, 2016) in the US is a vital step forward for the holistic education of children. The act also mandates that funds be utilised to promote a well-rounded education through “programs and activities that use music and the arts as tools to support student success through the promotion of constructive student engagement, problem solving and conflict resolution”. Yes, music and the arts are included in NSW syllabi K–12. However, it is a travesty that pre-service teachers have little training in the arts, resulting in many classes not singing, dancing, making, playing and performing, thus not integrating the arts into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

In music and the arts, students learn an abundance of skills that transfer to other areas. The research investigating the affect of music on cognitive ability and executive functioning is substantial (a limited representation being: Shafer, 2016; Miednlarzewska & Trost, 2014; Wiebke, 2014; Schellenberg, 2005). Students who participate in music groups, be it singing or playing an instrument, develop explicit skills in effective communication, teamwork and collaboration. They develop higher order thinking skills through self-reflection and evaluation of practice and performance, develop information fluency and refine problem-solving skills all within a context that

| By Bernadette Bentley |

is relevant to their world. A poll conducted in the US resulted in 66 percent of participants believing their music education equipped them for creative problem solving, 66 percent task management, 66 percent flexibility in work situations and 71 percent indicated that music education prepared them for working productively in teams (Nielsen Interactive – The Harris Poll, 2014).

Critical and creative-thinking skills are pertinent and may contribute to the skills now being advertised by the Australian Government (2016) in the promotional video “We’re building skills today for jobs tomorrow”. Welcome to the Ideas Boom. Be a part of it! In this short marketing clip, children indicate their preferred career, some of which are “a fashion technologist, a virtual reality tour company, a holographic animator and a 3D printing architect”. The voice-over mentions that these most exciting jobs will require science, technology and maths, with no mention of the arts. The arts are fundamental in contributing to the development of skills for jobs presently existing and non-existent.

Creativity is the essence of the jobs the government is espousing. Due to this, there is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM + the Arts) education as a means to enhance the creativity of STEM students and broaden interest in STEM fields. Many art educators, however, “object to the instrumental justification for study in the arts as a way to improve student performance in other areas” (Sochacka, Guyotte & Walther, 2016), with the argument of the arts for the sake of the arts. However, providing creative activities in science, technology and maths may trigger the desire in a student to pursue a topic further and may also develop imagination, inventiveness, ingenuity and originality. “If you are doing something that does not resonate with your spirit, five minutes feels like an hour. And the reason so many people are opting out of education is

“Whenever we want to improve something, we add music to it. A movie, we add music. A dining experience, we add music. A sporting event, music. Political gathering, music. But when it comes to our educational system, we take music away to improve it? Yeah, that makes sense.”

(the 13th Chair, 2012)

It is evident that the research highlights that STEAM is an ideal methodology for all parts of the educational puzzle to concatenate‎ perfectly. Not all letters need to be represented all of the time; however, all students learn differently, and have different passions and preferred learning styles. Whilst the arts will always stand alone as a subject to be taught to develop creativity, inspire the imagination and develop originality of thought. Integrating these skills into STEM will further promote innovative thinkers who will be more adept to contributing to the economy, developing innovative commercial, trade and industry concepts and contribute to the fiscal wealth and intellectual growth of this nation.

“The point is, art never stopped a war and never got anybody a job. That was never its function. Art cannot change events. But it can change people. It can affect people so that they are changed… because people are changed by art – enriched, ennobled, encouraged – they then act in a way that may affect the course of events… by the way they vote, they behave, the way they think.” (L. Bernstein)

Bernadette is a passionate music educator who thrives on learning throughout her career. She has had immense experience in the performing arts including music, drama, dance, music theatre and entertainment. Bernadette believes the purpose of education is to encourage a love of learning that will continue throughout life.

Fundamental to Bernadette’s philosophy of education is creative teaching in the context of the student’s world, in a challenging and nurturing environment, which encompasses 21st century skills. Her teaching and learning embeds technology, independent learning with the use of project based learning, online learning and games, which develop critical and creative thinking.

Bernadette has completed an B.Mus.Ed, M.Ed.Admin and is currently studying Gifted Education.

because it does not feed their spirit, it does not feed their energy or their passion” (Robinson, 2010). Students need to be engaged in their learning. Incorporating the arts in STEM may fulfil this need for students, igniting the passion and energy in them to further investigate areas in STEM through artistic and innovative strategies. As Ken Robinson states, teachers do not want to educate creativity out of students. Teachers need to ignite, nurture, encourage and cherish the creativity of each student. This is why STEAM not STEM is vital to the development of ingenuity and inventiveness in students. The A in STEAM supports and endorses creativity; promoting and cultivating innovative thought and design processes. “Creativity now is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status” (Robinson, 2006).

Mengli Song conducted research into STEAM through integrating teaching drama and dance whilst teaching math. Comparing its effectiveness with other early childhood interventions, he concluded that students in the STEAM “program did not necessarily learn additional math content but they did demonstrate a better grasp of the material” (Balingit, 2016). The most significant impact that the research has had is the professional development teachers have gained in the embedding of the arts with math. The method applied, Wolf Trap, provides support for early childhood teachers with strategies for employing the arts in math learning activities. Next in the research is incorporating the arts into science, which may provide “some teachers a head start toward ensuring students will engage in and enjoy science early on” (Ludwig, Marklein & Song, 2016).

Children learn, and concepts are reinforced, through singing, playing and moving. This research is also supported by Leah Shafer (2016) who suggests, “If educators want to develop critical, creative thinkers who can set and accomplish their own goals – and who can use those skills to strengthen their

math and reading skills – they may want to take another look inside the music room.” The juxtaposition of the arts with STEM is a fundamental requirement for the holistic development of the student and an increase in cognitive ability resulting ultimately in innovation and economic success of the nation.

Impresarios who employ/ed a creative resourcefulness include Richard Branson (Virgin), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Chad Hurley (YouTube), Elon Musk (SpaceX and PayPal), Steve Jobs (Apple, Pixar and Next), Mariss Mayer (Yahoo!), Albert Einstein (theoretical physicist), Dong-Hoon Chang (Samsung) and John Meada. Meada discusses how art, technology and design inform creative leaders who are needed to lead throughout the 21st century. He proposes the necessity of emotional intelligence, which is developed through the arts.

“The arts bring a humanistic creativity that makes science and technology better. You need to counterbalance STEM with art” (Meada, 2016).

An integrated curriculum approach is required for students to attain their potential and be prepared for lifelong learning and multiple career paths after formal education. “Schools cannot continue to only teach isolated disciplines based on simple reductionism. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) should also be integrated together with the Arts (STEAM) to promote creativity together with rationalization” (Boys, 2013). The assimilation of a cross-curricular paradigm may benefit “longer term socio-technical futures instead of short-term financial predictions that currently lead to uncontrolled economies” (Boys, 2013). STEAM, through this integrated approach, may improve Australia’s international ranking in literacy, numeracy and computer skills and provide the long-term goal of Australians leading in corporate, industry and trade through creative and innovative acumen.

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Remembering: Apps that fit into the "remembering" stage improve the user's ability to define terms, identify facts, and recall and locate information. Many educational apps fall into the "remembering" phase of learning. They ask users to select an answer out of a line-up, find matches, and sequence content or input answers

Applying: Apps that fit into the applying stage provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their ability to implement learned procedures and methods. They also highlight the ability to apply concepts in unfamiliar circumstances.

Analysing: Apps that fit into the "analysing" stage improve the user's ability to differentiate between the relevant and irrelevant, determine relationships, and recognise the organisation of content..

Evaluating: Apps that fit into the "evaluating" stage improve the user's ability to judge material or methods based on criteria set by themselves or external sources. They help students judge content reliability, accuracy, quality, effectiveness, and reach informed decisions.

Creating: Apps that fit into the "creating" stage provide opportunities for students generate ideas, design plans, and produce products.

Developed by Allan Carrington Designing Outcomes Adelaide South Australia Email: [email protected]

The Padagogy Wheel V4.0 Published 010315

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Remembering Criteria

Applying Criteria

Understanding Criteria

Evaluating Criteria

Creating Criteria

This Taxonomy wheel, without the apps, was first discovered on the website of Paul Hopkin’s educational consultancy website

mmiweb.org.uk That wheel was produced by Sharon Artley and was an adaption of Kathwohl and Anderson’s (2001) adaption of

Bloom (1956). The idea to further adapt it for the pedagogy possibilities with mobile devices, in particular the iPad, For V2.0

and V3.0 I have to acknowledge the creative work of Kathy Schrock on her website Bloomin’ Apps For the major revision that is V4.0 I have to thank the team of ADEs who created APPitic the

App Lists for Education Project which has now closed

Analyzing Criteria

http://tinyurl.com/posterV4

http://tinyurl.com/ILMSimulations

Understanding: Apps that fit into this "understanding" stage provide opportunities for students to explain ideas or concepts. Understanding apps step away from the selection of a "right" answer and introduce a more open-ended format for students to summarise content and translate meaning.

App Selection Criteria The Padagogy Wheel V4.1

The Padagogy Wheel by Allan Carrington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-nonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

License. Based on a work at http://tinyurl.com/bloomsblog.

The Padagogy Wheel First Language Project: 21 languages

are planned for 2016. For the latest languages see bit.ly/languageproject

Immersive Learning at the core of the wheel is the New Instructional Design

Keynote

Mental Note

Notepad+

BlogpressiAnnotate

iBooksSonic Pics

Show Me

Voice Thread

Evernote

Notability

EducreationsiTunesU

Kodable

Prezi neu+Notes

Twitter

Polaris Office

Smart Office 2

PowerPoint

Google

Google Docs

Wikipanion

Puffin Browser

Exel

Word

Quick Sketch

Flashcard Machine

Flashcards Deluxe

Quiz Your Lizard

Awesome Note

I Wish

FlipBoard

WolframAlpha

Maptini

Inspiration Maps

Pages

Multi Quiz

WunderListStumble

Upon

Kidspiration

Ann’s Flashcards

iThoughtsHD

Popplet

Snap the Notion

Bitsboard Pro

Assignments

Corkulous

Course Notes

Data Analysis

Easy Chart

Ideament

iStudiez PromyHomework

Notes PlusOutliner

Penultimate

Polldaddy

Priority Matrix

Quick Graph

Simple Note

Use Your Handwriting Big World

Dropbox

Numbers

Pearltrees

Simpleminds+

Blackboard

Clear Sea

Moodle Mobile

Skype

Edmodo

Fring

WhatsApp

Facebook

FB Messenger

Google+

iTunes UTouch

YouTube

Strip Designer

Filemaker Go 14

GroupBoard

iBrainstorm

Roambi Analytics

TED

Opera Mini

Jot

AudioBoom

Toontastic Flipbook

Do Ink

iMovieExplain Everything

Garageband

Creative Book

Showbie

Halftone 2

ChatterPix PhotogeneWriter’s Studio

Pictello

Recordium Pro

Photo Reminders

Story Creator

Pic Collage

PixelmatorPuppetPals 2

Doodlecast Pro

EasyStudioBookCreator

WebAlbums

VideoShop

ShadowPuppet

iStopMotion

Conference Pad

Wordpress

Microsoft OneNote

iDesign

PaperHelper

2Screens

Presentation Timer

Screen Chomp

Twitterrific

DrawingPad

Feeddler

Simulations are the most effective pedagogy to develop graduate attributes and capabilities in learners, as well as address motivation. Please visit these Immersive Learning Resources which will help you design and build engaging experienced-based immersive scenarios.

Getting the best use out of the Padagogy Wheel Use it as a series of prompts or interconnected gears to check your teaching from planning to implementation The Attributes Gear: This is the core of learning design. You must constantly revisit things like ethics, responsibility and citizenship. Ask yourself the question what will a graduate from this learning experience ‘look like’ i.e. what is it that makes others see them as successful? Ask ‘how does everything I do support these attributes and capabilities?’ The Motivation Gear: Ask yourself ‘How does everything I build and teach give the learner autonomy, mastery and purpose?’ The Blooms Gear: Helps you design learning objectives that achieve higher order thinking. Try to get at least one learning objective from each category. Only after this are you ready for technology enhancement. The Technology Gear: Ask ‘How can this serve your pedagogy’? Apps are only suggestions, look for better ones & combine more that one in a learning sequence. The SAMR Model Gear: This is “How are you going to use the technologies you have chosen”? I would like to thank Tobias Rodemerk for the idea of the gears. Tobias is a teacher & works for the State Institute for School Development Baden-Württemberg (LS), Germany

Allan Carrington

Attributes

BloomsSAMR

MotivationEdtech


profession

alde

velopm

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Applying Criteria


Evaluating Criteria

Creating Criteria






Analyzing Criteria










Keynote

Mental Note

Notepad+

BlogpressiAnnotate

iBooksSonic Pics

Show Me

Voice Thread

Evernote

Notability

EducreationsiTunesU

Kodable

Prezi neu+Notes

Twitter

Polaris Office

Smart Office 2

PowerPoint

Google

Google Docs

Wikipanion

Puffin Browser

Exel

Word

Quick Sketch

Flashcard Machine

Flashcards Deluxe

Quiz Your Lizard

Awesome Note

I Wish

FlipBoard

WolframAlpha

Maptini

Inspiration Maps

Pages

Multi Quiz

WunderListStumble

Upon

Kidspiration

Ann’s Flashcards

iThoughtsHD

Popplet

Snap the Notion

Bitsboard Pro

Assignments

Corkulous

Course Notes

Data Analysis

Easy Chart

Ideament


Notes PlusOutliner

Penultimate

Polldaddy

Priority Matrix

Quick Graph

Simple Note


Dropbox

Numbers

Pearltrees

Simpleminds+

Blackboard

Clear Sea

Moodle Mobile

Skype

Edmodo

Fring

WhatsApp

Facebook

FB Messenger

Google+

iTunes UTouch

YouTube

Strip Designer

Filemaker Go 14

GroupBoard

iBrainstorm

Roambi Analytics

TED

Opera Mini

Jot

AudioBoom

Toontastic Flipbook

Do Ink


Garageband

Creative Book

Showbie

Halftone 2


Pictello

Recordium Pro

Photo Reminders

Story Creator

Pic Collage


Doodlecast Pro


WebAlbums

VideoShop

ShadowPuppet

iStopMotion

Conference Pad

Wordpress

Microsoft OneNote

iDesign

PaperHelper

2Screens

Presentation Timer

Screen Chomp

Twitterrific

DrawingPad

Feeddler



Allan Carrington

Attributes

BloomsSAMR

MotivationEdtech


The Padagogy Wheel

It Is Not About The Apps, It Is About The Pedagogy


graduate of their program, then how can teachers help students strive for excellence and to be leaders in their worlds?

Every teacher needs to look at their courses and pedagogy and ask, “How does everything I do support these attributes? Is there any way I can build content and activities that help students become excellent?”

2. MotivationMotivation is vital to achieving the most effective learning outcomes. It is valuable for teachers to regularly ask themselves, “Why am I doing this again?” That is not a joke. It refers to the choices of learning outcomes, development of activities and design of content, for example, writing text and even making videos. The wheel introduces a 21st century model of motivation that science has developed. Dan Pink presents this well in the TEDtalk The Puzzle of Motivation (www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rrkrvAUbU9Y). If teachers think through the grid of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose (AMP) and filter everything they do, from idea-creation to assessment, it will significantly help their teaching be transformational. Barbi Honeycutt on her FlipIt Blog (www.flipitconsulting.com/2015/11/17/3-strategies-to-encourage-students-to-complete-the-pre-class-work-in-the-flipped-classroom/) has some good ideas on how to implement Dan Pink’s AMP principles in the flipped classroom model.

3. Bloom’s taxonomyBloom’s taxonomy (edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom’s+Digital+Taxonomy) is really a way of helping teachers design learning objectives that require higher order thinking. Start with remembering and understanding, which is the easiest category to serve with objectives, but produces the least effective outcomes in achieving transformation. When supporting teachers, try to get at least one learning objective from each category and always push towards the

profession

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| By Allan Carrington |

The Padagogy Wheel is designed to help educators think – systematically, coherently and with a view to long-term, big-picture outcomes – about how they use mobile apps in their teaching. The Padagogy Wheel is all about mindsets; it is a way of thinking about digital-age education that meshes together concerns about mobile app features, learning transformation, motivation, cognitive development and long-term learning objectives.

The Padagogy Wheel is not rocket science. It is an everyday device that can be readily used by everyday teachers; it can be applied to everything from curriculum planning and development, to writing learning objectives and designing student-centred activities. The idea is for the users to respond to the challenges that the wheel presents for their teaching practices, and to ask themselves the tough questions about their choices and methods.

The underlying principle of the Padagogy Wheel is that it is the pedagogy that should determine the educational use of apps. It is all very well to come across an exciting new app and to think, “That is really cool, now how can I use it in the classroom?” What teachers need to do at the same time is to think about how that app might contribute to their set of educational aims for the program they are teaching. It was, in fact, this very concern, how to make the pedagogy drive the technology and not the other way around, that led to the birth of the Padagogy Wheel.

How Does it Work?The Padagogy Wheel brings together in the one chart several different domains of pedagogical thinking. It situates mobile apps within this integrated framework, associating them with the educational purpose they are most likely to serve. It then enables teachers to identify the pedagogical place and purpose of their various app-based learning and teaching activities in the context of their overall objectives for the course and with reference

to the wider developmental needs of their students.

It is useful to see the wheel as providing a series of challenges and questions, a structured set of prompts asking teachers to reflect on their teaching, from planning to implementation. These prompts are interconnected like mechanical gears, where a decision in one area often affects decisions in other areas. Teachers should consider each area as a grid through which they filter what they are doing. There are five of these grids, as detailed below.

The Five Grids1. Graduate attributes and capabilitiesGraduate attributes are at the core of learning design. Graduate attributes address the long-term, enduring aims of the educational activity. They involve thinking about the type of people that emerge from educational programs – their ethics, responsibility and citizenship, for example – and their employability in the current and future society. Teachers must constantly revisit the way in which their programs are contributing to the development of these attributes. They need to do the hard yards of articulating what they expect a graduate of a program to ‘look like’; that is, what is it that a graduate is and does that is regarded as successful and meets the expectations of his community as a change agent and leader. How else can teachers help students know what transformation looks like?

Many universities around the world are constantly working on their graduate attributes and mapping their programs to them. The blog post If you exercise these capabilities. You will be employed! (www.unity.net.au/al lansport fo l io/edublog/?p=619) is really eye-opening for college educators. These are the attributes and capabilities that CEOs in the marketplace want in graduates, the things they look for when hiring. If educational leaders do not have a clear picture of the qualities and capabilities of an excellent


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domain category of creating, where higher order thinking takes place. This is the ‘By the time you finish this workshop/seminar/lesson you should be able to...’ type of thinking. Only after teachers have developed their learning outcomes are they ready for technology enhancement.

4. Technology enhancementTechnology enhancement serves pedagogy. When teachers choose any app or technology they must remember to apply the app selection criteria. The model only suggests apps that can support the learning objectives and activities at the time of publishing. The Padagogy Wheel constantly needs updating with apps as they are released. Teachers also should think customisation all the time – is there a better app or tool for the job of enhancing their defined pedagogy?

5. The SAMR modelDeveloped by Ruben Puentedura, the SAMR model – standing for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/) – is a framework that assists teachers to assess the degree to which digitally empowered learning and teaching is (or is not) moving beyond what can be taught using analogue technologies. The SAMR model is extremely useful when teachers are considering how they are going to use the technologies they have chosen.

SAMR is a widely used model with a wealth of resources online, like Kathy Schrock’s excellent SAMR resources page (www.schrockguide.net/samr.html). A very useful perspective on SAMR is through the eyes of the students, as explained in a short YouTube video (https://youtu.be/HJw2_eb-fIg).

Teachers should take each of their activities and think through how they will use the technology for each task. Ask “Does this activity just substitute (that is, students could easily achieve the tasks without this chosen technology) or can the tasks be augmented or modified to improve the activity and increase engagement?” Finally sieve the curriculum building activities and teaching practice through the SAMR grid of Redefinition. Is there any task that can be built into the activity that without the technology would not be possible?

A ChallengeTeachers should spend time thinking through how they can apply all five of the grids to their curriculum design, lesson plans and teaching practice. They should learn more about each grid, take the Padagogy Wheel out for a spin and share their best practice examples.

This year, an objective is to build an online resource of how teachers have used the model, showcasing best practice and including research projects. China has over 14.5 million teachers (yes, just teachers!) and they are all extremely committed to change, hungry for professional development and collaboration. Work on the Padagogy Wheel by Australian teachers could help many thousands of educators in China, as well as others around the world. This will help students become excellent practitioners and graduates, leading their communities into transformational change and could make the world a better place. After all, that is why you became a teacher, is it not?

Allan was a Learning Designer at the University of Adelaide for 10 years and has a background in print production, publishing and marketing. He is an Apple Distinguished Educator and has won two major teaching awards including a National OLT citation. He has two masters’ degrees in Education and Interactive Multimedia. He now runs Designing Outcomes helping educational initiatives around the world.










Applying Criteria


Evaluating Criteria

Creating Criteria






Analyzing Criteria










Keynote

Mental Note

Notepad+

BlogpressiAnnotate

iBooksSonic Pics

Show Me

Voice Thread

Evernote

Notability

EducreationsiTunesU

Kodable

Prezi neu+Notes

Twitter

Polaris Office

Smart Office 2

PowerPoint

Google

Google Docs

Wikipanion

Puffin Browser

Exel

Word

Quick Sketch

Flashcard Machine

Flashcards Deluxe

Quiz Your Lizard

Awesome Note

I Wish

FlipBoard

WolframAlpha

Maptini

Inspiration Maps

Pages

Multi Quiz

WunderListStumble

Upon

Kidspiration

Ann’s Flashcards

iThoughtsHD

Popplet

Snap the Notion

Bitsboard Pro

Assignments

Corkulous

Course Notes

Data Analysis

Easy Chart

Ideament


Notes PlusOutliner

Penultimate

Polldaddy

Priority Matrix

Quick Graph

Simple Note


Dropbox

Numbers

Pearltrees

Simpleminds+

Blackboard

Clear Sea

Moodle Mobile

Skype

Edmodo

Fring

WhatsApp

Facebook

FB Messenger

Google+

iTunes UTouch

YouTube

Strip Designer

Filemaker Go 14

GroupBoard

iBrainstorm

Roambi Analytics

TED

Opera Mini

Jot

AudioBoom

Toontastic Flipbook

Do Ink


Garageband

Creative Book

Showbie

Halftone 2


Pictello

Recordium Pro

Photo Reminders

Story Creator

Pic Collage


Doodlecast Pro


WebAlbums

VideoShop

ShadowPuppet

iStopMotion

Conference Pad

Wordpress

Microsoft OneNote

iDesign

PaperHelper

2Screens

Presentation Timer

Screen Chomp

Twitterrific

DrawingPad

Feeddler



Allan Carrington

Attributes

BloomsSAMR

MotivationEdtech


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STEM and Assesment: A Swedish Perspective

Every child knows many things. When a child knows something, she has learned it somewhere, in school or elsewhere. However, when the child does not know, she has not learned it in school either.

– Unknown


Mathematics and science are also fairly the same subjects all over the world, whereas the international understanding and interpretation/comprehensions of technology and engineering are not as unanimous. The Swedish technology/engineering subject (teknik) is a broad cross-curricular subject, which is mandatory for all Swedish students in comprehensive school Year 1–9 (7–16-year-olds). The overarching aim for the Swedish technology subject is “Teaching in technology should aim at helping the pupils to develop their technological expertise and technical awareness so that they can orient themselves and act in a technologically intensive world” (Skolverket, 2011). The Swedish curriculum is open for interpretation, even though it provides three strands of core content – Technological solutions; Working methods for developing technological solutions; and Technology, man, society and the environment. Within these strands, many different contents are described, including design process, history of technology, sustainability, technological systems, soldering, automatic control, materials, electronics and, most likely very soon, also programming.

In order to release the power of formative assessment, teachers need to be assessment literate. So, how can strong subject-specific assessment literacy among teachers in all four STEM subjects be developed?

In technology education, this is not evident and at the same time it is known that sharing learning intentions and success criteria is beneficial for learning. Therefore, the author and his colleague, professor Inga-Britt Skogh, set up an investigation on what teachers emphasise as success criteria in a design task for primary technology education. The research was undertaken during the assessment of multimodal student portfolios, examining five teachers’ decision-making during the assessment of 21 authentic multimodal portfolios collected from Year 5 classes. They undertook what is called Adaptive Comparative Judgements (ACJs), where the judgers are presented with two portfolios and are to select one on the basis of best (Pollitt, 2011 and 2012).

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This article begins with a quote that highlights the importance of recognising that all children know many things, are able to do many things and are competent in different areas. The quote also puts forward that society is responsible for giving children opportunities for further development regardless of their starting point/background. Compulsory schooling and teachers are important here. When orchestrating learning opportunities, teachers must begin instruction from where students are, and proceed by inviting students to participate as active, engaged and entangled agents. Therefore, some sort of follow-up and assurance is necessary. This process of follow-up is referred to as assessment.

Assessment is a necessity in the endeavour of bridging teaching and learning, thus affordance for teachers’ assessment practices must be provided in order to release the power of assessment. Within the educational context, assessments have, still have and most likely will continue to have many different meanings, aims and purposes. However, the aims and purposes of assessment may differ. If the purpose of the assessment does not include the pupil’s future progress, its usefulness must be questioned. Sometimes assessment is regarded as something only connected with grading and marking, but it is bigger than that. It is a fact that not all teachers award grades, but all teachers work with assessment in one way or another, consciously or not. A teacher who fails to assess what the students do cannot conclude if he is contributing to or impeding their process. Swedish professor Lars Lindström (2006) even argues that refusing to assess is a concession to those who argue that no learning takes place.

Even though there are many general aspects of assessment, there are even more context-dependent aspects than general and these are often forgotten: the context in which the learner is situated and the context of the particular school subjects. When it comes to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, the context of the subject involves different

meanings in different parts of the world, especially the T and the E. It is particularly interesting to investigate assessment in different contexts and with different purposes in Sweden and other countries. Technology is often combined with science, engineering and mathematics in the growing STEM movement. What is subject-specific and what is general within the realm of STEM? What is specific and what can be synergetic to increase students’ capabilities and interest within these areas? And last but not least, how can subject-specific assessment literacy be built? This is an international need and therefore international collaboration is necessary.

On a general basis, Wiliam and Leahy (2015) provide excellent suggestions on how to embed formative assessment in practice through five key strategies:

1 Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and success criteria.

2 Engineering effective discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of

learning.

3 Providing feedback that moves learning forward.

4 Activating students as learning resources for one another.

5 Activating students as owners of their own learning.

In STEM, science and mathematics tend to overtake the discussion. There is a huge pile of books, research and experience to dig from on common misconceptions and even ready-made hinge point questions (Google them – there are many!). In contrast, knowledge about student common misconceptions in technology and engineering is close to nothing.

| By Eva Hartel |


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not all is useful, therefore scripted portfolios can be preferred. Those who are interested can learn more about this from the work of Richard Kimble and Kay Stables.

As an international team, this can be elaborated. Why not investigate designing open-ended and cross-curricular tasks, where each student makes one portfolio which is assessed from perspectives of different subjects? This would save time both for students and for teachers, and possibly help students go further. Teachers of different subjects can then unite and use ACJ and train their assessment skills on a multitude of student work, including work of other than their own students, building their repertoire on what constitutes criteria for success in order to share this with their students.

The title of the author’s doctoral thesis, ASSIDERE NECESSE EST, plays on his interpretation of the classic saying among sailors, navigare necesse est, which emphasises the quality of life that sailing provides. It is crucial that change starts from the current position and the navigator uses different sources to make inferences to actively navigate, make better founded decisions about the next step to avoid dangers, and arrive safely at these goals. Even more so, this expression emphasises the challenge, joy and excitement of shared adventures. The same is needed to embed assessment into everyday practices. Within the educational context, assessment can

Using digital portfolios eliciting evidence of learning that students themselves document in different ways cannot only ease teachers’ administrative burden (which seems to be a common discussion around the world), but also provides more valid evidence of learning. Open-ended tasks as well as closed subject content knowledge can be scripted using digital portfolios where students collect evidence of learning themselves. Portfolios have a tendency to get flooded with evidence of learning and

be a powerful tool for navigating cognitive and social development. However, like any other navigational tool, assessment needs to be handled carefully to be useful in an educational environment as the crucial tool to bridge the gap between teaching and learning. So, teachers unite and help each other as pirates of education to make every child prosper in all four STEM subjects.

For a full list of references, email:[email protected]

Dr. Eva Hartel, PhD.Swedish teacher with a research focus in technology/engineering/math & science (STEM) and a great interest in Assessment For Learning.

If the purpose of the

assessment does not

include the pupil’s

future progress, its

usefulness must be

questioned.

In order to

release the power

of formative

assessment,

teachers need to be

assessment literate.


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Visit worldstem.co for more information or follow them on Twitter @WorldSTEMedu

Rob McTaggart (@robmctaggart) Rob teaches digital technologies from K-6. He is a Google Certified Teacher who loves using technology to help students engage with the world around them. Rob is a co-moderator for #aussieED and manages a global community of EdChat moderators. He runs a Code Club and encourages his students to turn their ideas into reality. Rob loves the way technology can help teachers to connect and collaborate to effect positive change in education. He gets to teach 580 amazing kids every week which makes him the luckiest teacher in the world.

steep learning curve, no real change can occur.

What if there was a solution? What if somebody modified STEM tasks and challenges so that they directly related to core curriculum outcomes? What if someone packaged simple, teacher-friendly STEM kits at a fraction of the commercial price? A new Australian startup is doing just that!

WorldSTEM realises that there are a number of obstacles to educators teaching STEM. The aim is to make student-friendly resources that support teachers in overcoming these challenges. WorldSTEM is an Australian-based initiative with a worldwide ambition. Created by real teachers who have faced the same problems as other educators when implementing STEM, Rob McTaggart and Brett Salakas have found and are developing workable solutions for students and educators at all levels.

WorldSTEM is currently developing a series of activities that are STEM-related and link directly to different curriculums around the world. They will launch their concept with a global STEM challenge where teachers can select from a range of provocations or projects, and classes can demonstrate their outcomes with short videos online. The aim is to celebrate STEM learning and break down barriers so that students everywhere can benefit from the many opportunities of a STEM education.

WorldSTEM is well aware of the high cost that is associated with many STEM products, but it does not have to be that way. With the right know-how, teachers can create simple STEM kits that can do the same things that high-end expensive kits do. STEM should be about the learning and the possibilities, not about the cost. WorldSTEM is just some proudly ‘geeky’ teachers getting together to make really affordable resources for students and teachers everywhere, so that STEM learning can truly be for all!

| By Rob McTaggart |

I think. I question. I design. I create. I struggle. I collaborate. I try. I solve. I invent. I reflect. I LEARN! (author unknown)

The students in today’s classrooms are tomorrow’s leaders. Occupations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related careers are some of the fastest growing and best paid and they have the greatest potential for job growth in the 21st century. The foundation for a strong and innovative society at local, national and global levels is in education. Teachers strive to help their students grow to be the best they can be and it is becoming increasingly apparent that students with a strong foundation in STEM learning will be tomorrow’s changemakers. However, education is facing obstacles in implementing STEM equitably due to a lack of affordability, accessibility and actionability.

“The walls of the educational system must come down. Education should not be a privilege, so the children of those who have money can study.” (Ernesto Guevara)

Some common STEM areas include aerospace engineering, astrophysics, astronomy, biochemistry, biomechanics, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, mathematical biology, nanotechnology, neurobiology, nuclear physics, physics and robotics, among many, many others. It is clear that STEM fields affect virtually every component of people’s modern lives.

The full scope of the conversation around STEM education is hard to take in all at once for teachers, particularly when they are held accountable to their subjects and their syllabus-based outcomes. Couple this with the fact that many STEM initiatives are very expensive and suddenly the current situation is the result; one where teachers agree that STEM is of high importance, but because of challenges integrating with the curriculum, a shortage of money and a


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so while it worked to a degree, it was nothing like the accuracy that is achieved today. When the students tried to put it together, their immediate reaction was that their work was not good enough. These students had a belief in the technology and were suddenly reflecting on their work in a different way; they had grown a resilience to reflect and improve their work. It was as if they believed that if the machine did not work there was a human reason for it not working. The connection between drawing, 3D creation and coding had been made and I was not even aware of what coding was at this point. Suddenly, a linear design reflectivity came about everything they did; the net increase in their ability to problem solve not only their own work, but any situation I gave to them, was massively increased.

they knew and designing them in detail so that they looked real; this was the beginning of a journey of understanding for both me and the students. Upon reading a blog on Autodesk’s educational website, I came across a new technology of 3D printing and a company called Makerbot that was creating a machine that printed what students were drawing. By this stage, the students had moved into making opposing parts that needed to work together, like a screw-topped bottle and the lid of the bottle. They were creating with such accuracy that the drawings did actually look real. When I told them that 3D printing technology existed, they wanted to try it. I headed to a company on the Gold Coast (QUT) to print some of my students’ work. It was early days in the technology,

| By Mark Yates |

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the learning environment. My story begins 15 years ago in Logan, a low socio-economic suburb in Brisbane where I was teaching in a small Catholic school which struggled for funding and, at the time, struggled for student achievement in these areas.

What I found was a profound lack of understanding of the concept of space; the idea that if the students were challenged to find a point that was anywhere other than on an object they knew, they could not solve the riddle of how to get to that point. It was simply too hard to construct a set of rules that would allow them to make that journey in their heads, or on the drawing screens they were now using in the graphics environment.

So they started with drawing objects


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In the last 24 months on Twitter discussions like #aussieEd, listening to teachers explain coding to me, it has become apparent that some of these coding skills create the ability to make what I now call ‘Plane Based Binary Models’ in their heads. With this in mind, I set about to proving this theory in my classrooms.

Evidence was immediately obvious in the more academic students; however, what I found was surprising. Even in the less academic students, their abilities to problem solve in this way was seriously increased by playing with the understanding of what a 3D printer does. They looked at it from a ‘stacking viewpoint’ – as one of my students said, “It is like what my dad does in the factory with a forklift. He starts at the bottom and stacks up the deliveries.” This was a lightbulb moment for me and I remember thinking that

here lies the future; no longer done by a man in a forklift but done by a man remotely driving a forklift. The clarity of this for me is now so simple.

When running the first Queensland EdCamp last year, some wonderful primary teachers turned up with these things called Beebots. They presented what they did and again I found myself in a position of enlightenment when I realised this was the 2D equivalent of the linear coding thought process. But more on this in the next issue of Education Technology Solutions.

Mark Yates is a Secondary Educator on the Sunshine Coast in Qld. He has been teaching Technologies of all types to students aged 11 on for 25 years. He struggles to stay on the cutting edge of technology and enjoys sharing this struggle with students and others in the education social media circles.

“It is like what my dad

does in the factory

with a forklift. He

starts at the bottom

and stacks up the

deliveries.”


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Dustless Chalk To 3D Printing:

eLearning In The Classroom – One

PerspectivePart Two

KHAN academy to reinforce learning. Almost all devices (laptop, tablet or phone), have the capability to create high-quality video. Students engage well with this, but it does need to be scaffolded to improve learning outcomes. For students who are highly visual and collaborative, video for learning and assessment makes a lot of sense. It is also an inexpensive entry point for schools, as the technology is usually already at hand. However, teachers should be trained to help students to storyboard and to be able to accurately assess video as learning.

Bring Your Own DeviceThis as an area that requires a radical rethinking of culture…. on the part of students. How do schools get students to change gear from their means of communication and entertainment at home to a thoughtful and consistent use as a means of learning at school?

Many schools are well along the path of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Most schools create some parameters to work within, which stops the digital divide of one student having a top-of-the-range laptop while another has a parent’s discarded phone. BYOD programs should be carefully planned so that devices run required programs and to minimise security issues.

There are several advantages to BYOD. It frees up dollar resources for other eLearning purchases, students may be more careful with a BYOD device than a school supplied one, and leasing can alleviate some of the financial strain for parents and helps if there are breakages or warranty issues. Most schools are used to having devices available to students in class time. With BYOD, this can now be extended for home use.

Will BYOD improve learning outcomes? Having technology constantly on hand does not make a better student; it is how the technology is used that matters


the wood or metal work departments. However, they may be an interesting tool for the classroom. Imagine a maths class working on geometry and being able to actually 3D print a solution to test its viability, or being able to print a fossil when discussing natural history. 3D printers are still relatively slow and expensive but, like all technology, this will change.

Interactive Whiteboard to Interactive Flat Screen PanelsAlmost all schools have gone down the path of interactive whiteboards (IWBs), but with mixed results. Many schools made significant expenditures on this type of technology without questioning if it would improve learning outcomes. For many, it was simply a case of ‘the school down the road has them so we should too’. The most common problem was committing the total budget to the hardware, without also training teachers and revisiting curriculum and pedagogy.

Many schools are now at a stage where the boards are ageing and projectors are failing and need replacing. Interactive flat screen panels are a better solution than an IWB; they are very easy to use (think large iPad), work well in bright rooms and have a much better lifespan than an IWB. Because of their intuitive nature, it is more likely students will be encouraged to use them as well as the teacher; this was a rarity with IWBs.

Video as Learning and AssessmentVideos will increasingly be submitted to show understanding and depth of knowledge on topics. Teachers may need to rethink their approach to assessment when presented with a collaborative video rather than an essay or project.

Many schools are already experimenting with flipped classroom models and using video sites like the

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Part one of this two-part article in the previous issue of Education Technology Solutions discussed the difficulties that schools face in ‘future proofing’ their eLearning budgets, before presenting some software trends that are likely to impact on eLearning in Australian schools. Part two concludes the discussion by considering hardware trends that may also impact eLearning.

Hardware TrendsWearable TechnologyIncreasingly, consumer technology is becoming wearable. Common technologies include Fitbit, GoPro cameras, virtual reality viewers like Oculus Rift, Google Glass and smartwatches. These technologies are becoming cheaper and more sophisticated, but is there a role for them in the classroom? Possibly yes.

Think about students who play Minecraft or Call Of Duty having a totally immersive digital experience using virtual reality rather than seeing a picture in a textbook. This type of technology is still a few years out, but the gaming market is already experimenting with it.

What are the other opportunities? There are some obvious uses for subjects like physical education or the sciences in terms of capturing data during a practical class or an experiment. There may also be ways of schools connecting student-owned smartphones to smartwatches as a means of communicating assignments to students or checking attendance wirelessly.

Wearable technology is a trend that will be more important over the coming half decade. The entry point for schools and/or families can be relatively inexpensive.

3D PrintingThere are already many schools that have 3D printers, but they tend to be in

| By Michael Daly and Kevin Daly |

aspect that most closely matches the reality of the world and the workforce that students are about to enter. Think of it as ‘diffuse schooling’, less attached to individual school identities, buildings and timetables. However, there is less control at the school end and schools need to be more aware of hacking and viruses, as well as cyberbullying, as possible negatives.

Robotics and DronesUntil recently, drones and robots were the realm of science fiction, but they are now very much in the consumer space, whether that be a programmable robotic vacuum cleaner or a parrot drone at the local technology store. Is there a place for them in the classroom? Again, this technology will get cheaper and more sophisticated, so it could be a good entry point for schools. Schools need to be mindful that it does not merely become novelty or technology for technology’s sake.

There are already drones that wirelessly tether themselves to a person and follow them at a set height. Imagine a class set of these being used on a school camp, excursion or at the athletics day; they would certainly have a place within the physical education department. Robotics is already used for problem solving and programming in many schools. Industry itself is becoming increasingly alert to the possibilities that drones offer in terms of service delivery in a wide variety of fields – surveying, infrastructure inspection, crowd and traffic management, inter-campus deliverables.

ConclusionSoftware and hardware are in a continual cycle of change and improvement, much of it being driven by the gaming market and innovation in military and medicine. eLearning by its very nature will always be in a state


and this should definitely be teacher facilitated, otherwise students end up in the land of Facebook and games rather than research and creativity.

Cloud-based software and StorageGoogle Ed and Office 365 have become increasingly established in individual schools and school systems. For both students and teachers, there are significant advantages. Work is continually backed up, content can be easily distributed and worked on collaboratively, and is also accessible anywhere 24/7. Often, there is free email and storage, as well as the fact that all work from year to year for all subjects can be stored and reviewed. The role of the technician and dependency on school infrastructure is not as necessary and going cloud-based should save significant dollars if managed well.

So what are the disadvantages? Firstly, the school’s wireless infrastructure needs to be high capacity and bulletproof, otherwise there can be significant down time. The other significant issues are around cybersafety; knowing where data is being stored and if it is being mined or if it will be in the future.

Will going to the cloud improve learning outcomes? The collaboration aspects, if used well, should help. Another significant positive is that data cannot be lost and can be worked on from anywhere. Assignments can be completed and stored in the cloud – an

ETS

of flux, and schools will probably always be grasping for the next best thing to help their students. In education, it is not uncommon for an individual teacher to purchase something as a consumer and then realise its potential for the classroom. This is a rather haphazard approach, which is too often the default in many schools.

Schools should dedicate some leadership meetings and curriculum days to questions like:• How does eLearning enhance learning outcomes?• What are the needs of students when entering the workforce in five years’ time?• In terms of eLearning, what could the school have done better if it had its time again?

There is very little reality to actually ‘future proofing’ schools, but through professional learning and discussion, teaching staff can be future proofed. The key to balancing the eLearning budget and linking it to improved learning outcomes is realising that a good teacher will always be a good teacher, but can a teacher be a better one with technology?

Michael Daly and Kevin Daly are brothers who have spent most of their careers in schools both as teachers and school leaders.

Michael is a Director at Clarendon Consultancies. He looks critically at technology and what impact it can have on learning outcomes and has interests in neuroscience and education, diffuse schooling, establishing classroom presence for early career teachers and innovative pedagogy. Michael can be contacted via email:[email protected]

Kevin runs his own eLearning consultancy and is currently working for SMART technologies across Australia and New Zealand. He can be contacted via email [email protected]

Having technology constantly on hand does not make a better student; it is how the technology is used that matters.


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STEAM By Design:How Might We Use Design Thinking To Nurture Creative

Confidence In A Makerspace?

to construct ideas that are emotionally meaningful as well as functional. This methodology is used in the d.school Stanford where 700 students attend courses each year to develop confidence in their creative abilities. Project-based classes are team taught with the help of industry practitioners in flexible learning spaces and students learn by solving real-world challenges, usually in multidisciplinary teams.

Drawing from their experiences at IDEO and the d.school, the Kelley brothers in their new book Creative Confidence share ways they innovate routinely with design thinking in order to unleash creative confidence. According to the Kelley brothers, creative confidence is a way of experiencing the world that generates new approaches and solutions. They claim people who possess creative confidence have a greater impact on the world around them because they make a choice to be creative and practise creativity often. Psychologist Robert Sternberg, who researches creativity and leadership, confirms that creative people do this by redefining problems in new ways to seek out solutions, taking sensible risks and accepting failure as part of the learning process, confronting obstacles when challenging the status quo, tolerating ambiguity when they are unsure and continuing to seek new ways of knowing. A prerequisite for a person achieving creative confidence is the belief that his innovation skills and capabilities are not set in stone. In essence, people with creative confidence possess what Carol Dweck calls ‘a growth mindset’.

Design thinking in the Australian Curriculum: Technologies involves the use of strategies for understanding design needs and opportunities, visualising and generating creative and innovative ideas, planning, and analysing and evaluating those ideas that best meet the criteria for success. Design processes require students to identify and investigate a need or opportunity; generate, plan and realise


a range of key learning areas are interwoven and multi-layered in a way to reflect the nature of real-world, interdisciplinary problems. It is through a new discipline like STEAM that students are able to develop the capacity to think creatively, innovate, solve problems and acquire entrepreneurial skills that are immediately applicable in the real world. Industry experts driving the National Innovation Agenda believe this new way of teaching and learning will also help Australia stay competitive by cultivating creativity and experimentation among future Australian entrepreneurs whose innovative products will give the country an edge in the global economy.

In his book The Global Achievement Gap, Dr Tony Wagner identified seven essential skills required by students for careers, continuous learning and citizenship in the global economy. These included critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks, initiative and entrepreneurship, agility and adaptability, effective communication skills, the ability to access and analyse information and, more importantly, curiosity and imagination. He stated that curiosity and imagination are undoubtedly wellsprings of innovation and without these innovation is limited, if not impossible. During his time researching what is required to be an innovator for his latest book, Creating Innovators, Wagner further identified essential qualities of innovators such as perseverance, a willingness to experiment, take calculated risks, tolerate failure and the capacity for ‘design thinking’, in addition to critical thinking.

Tom and David Kelley (The Kelley brothers) from IDEO and the d.school Stanford describe design thinking as a way of finding human needs and creating new solutions using the tools and mindsets of designers. According to IDEO, design thinking relies on the natural and coachable human ability to be intuitive, to recognise patterns, and

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“Creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” (Sir Ken Robinson)

As the maker movement continues to gain momentum, there has been an increase in the development of maker communities both online and in the physical world. Community-orientated Maker Hubs, TechShops, Fab Labs and Maker Faires have popped up in cities and suburbs all over Australia to provide technology enthusiasts, tinkerers and urban creatives innovative places to connect with like-minded people, to share and explore mechanical tools, electronic hardware and programming techniques. It is in these places that makers are developing innovative, creative and entrepreneurial skills that will serve them well in the workforce and beyond, such as developing start-up accelerators and technology incubators.

Motivated by the potential of the maker movement to develop creativity and innovation, schools have embraced the best learning principles of the maker culture to design collaborative learning spaces called makerspaces. A makerspace is a virtual and physical space that serves as a community hub for the maker movement in education. It is a flexible learning environment where learners can connect, create, collaborate, communicate and potentially explore the elements of a newly integrated discipline, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) through experiential play. A unique feature of a makerspace is the potential for accessibility to tools and technology such as 3D printing, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computing, programming languages and networks of experts that may otherwise be unavailable in a traditional classroom.

A significant point to consider here is that STEAM is not a mandated key learning area or a program, but rather a new discipline where content knowledge, skills and values from

| By Zeina Chalich |

material, conducting interviews, surveys, observational videos, sketching and sharing of these experiences. Giving students time to reflect on their learning here is key. Questions to consider may include: What surprised you and what was unexpected? What or who inspired you? Did you see any interesting patterns? Have students write down or sketchnote takeaways and themes from what they saw in the world.

Ideation is about generating ideas and making them tangible. I have learnt something. How do I interpret it and express my ideas? This is the next phase of design thinking, when students use brainstorming to generate a lot of new ideas in order to create a design solution. Brainstorming rules are important because they allow everyone in the group to have creative freedom. Effective brainstorm rules include: defer judgement of good/bad ideas, encourage wild ideas, build on the ideas of others, stay focused on the topic, hold one conversation at a time, be visual by sketching ideas on Post-it notes, and aim for quantity. The best way to find one good idea is to come up with lots of ideas. Have students come up with 50 ideas in 10 minutes. Once students select their favourite idea, they can bring this idea to life by building a prototype. The purpose of a prototype is to get an idea out of their heads and into the world, so that other students and collaborators can react to it and start a learning conversation. Ways of prototyping may include building a model using a range of everyday art and craft materials found in the makerspace; designing a digital mock up; role play or a change in the physical environment.

Iteration is about continual experimentation based on user feedback. I have a prototype. How do I test it with users to refine it? The third phase of the design thinking process is for students to present their prototype to the intended user and their peers


designed solutions; and evaluate products and processes.

As a response to the call for creativity and innovation in education, schools are tinkering with makerspaces to facilitate non-traditional interdisciplinary learning experiences that inspire creative confidence in their students. In a time of high accountability, new curriculum and sophisticated learning expectations for students, there is a need to deepen learning in a makerspace to ensure the rigour and authenticity of the academic process.

There are a number of ways teachers can use the design thinking method to structure meaningful STEAM learning experiences in their makerspace projects. A simple method developed by IDEO for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is called Design Thinking for a Day, which was developed primarily for libraries as a mindset and method to innovate their learning spaces and experiences. This design thinking model has three sequential phases: inspiration, ideation and iteration; it is a simple way to spark creative confidence as a beginning design thinker.

Inspiration is about framing a design challenge and discovering new perspectives on the opportunity through listening, observing and being open to the unexpected. I have a challenge. How do I approach it? As the first phase of design thinking, it is important to frame design challenges as questions. Phrasing projects in ‘How might we…’ questions puts students in the mindset of arriving at impactful solutions; it also helps them generate as many ideas as possible along the way. Be mindful of not asking questions that are too broad or too narrow. It is during this time that students will define the challenge, identify a user group and a problem that needs to be solved. If teachers want students to create new and innovative solutions, they need to find new ways to inspire them. Some activities which may evoke interest and empathy include immersion in different environments or content

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for constructive feedback. Some questions students may ask include:

What excites you about this idea and why? If you could change one thing what would you change and why? What would you like to improve about this idea? What do you not like about this idea? With these responses in mind, students are given opportunities to continue prototyping different iterations of their idea or product. This cycle of feedback/feedforward can be repeated several times until the student is satisfied with the final idea.

Maker educators are often seeking ways to nurture learning that is fuelled by intellectual and imaginative curiosity, deep optimism, resilience to accept repeated failure and a mindset that encourages not just ideas but action in order to construct modern knowledge. Effective learning in a makerspace must be characterised by thinking that is purposeful and productive, sparked by experiential play and passion. By using design thinking in a makerspace environment, students have the potential to become more confident and autonomous problem solvers and creative thinkers.

Zeina Chalich is a dynamic educator and international presenter with teaching experience in primary schools and university. In her role as Leader of Learning & Innovation, Zeina leads ‘disruptive’ change in digital pedagogy and personalised learning. In 2015, Zeina was awarded the CEC Br John Taylor Fellowship research prize for her research exploring design thinking in a makerspace through a STEAM curriculum. She also won a New Voice in Leadership Scholarship from ACEL for leading change in digital pedagogy and mentoring. Zeina is a founding member of #aussieED and the founder of #makerEDau twitter chat. She was recently announced the winner of the 2015 Edublogs Awards for the Best Individual Tweeter Category. Connect with her @ZeinaChalich and @makerEDau


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Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication. 082 EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

reliability, David boasts that choosing

Parallels provided his district with two specific

advantages when compared to the Citrix

product he had originally considered: simplicity

and scalability.

SimplicityAlthough he admits that other solutions also

provided a broad array of features, David

claims that a defining advantage of his

Parallels solution is the “simple, straightforward

way it performs the functions it’s designed

to perform”. Speaking to IT professionals in

other districts, David became aware of the

lengthy process required to complete Citrix

installations, noting that to install their solution

properly, Telfair County Schools would “need

a lot more hardware, and the solution would

take far more upkeep to maintain.” He notes

that though it’s a feature-rich solution, if he

had continued with his original Citrix choice, he

“didn’t know that it would’ve done everything

we were expecting,” claiming that the

simplicity of Parallels solutions “ultimately makes

them the better product.” Having only needed

to call support staff twice in three years, with no

system failures, Parallels straightforward design

leaves David “only needing to touch the server

to install applications, since once it’s running,

it just runs,” giving him little day-to-day stress in

meeting the needs of Telfair’s students.

ScalabilityBased on the success of his Parallels experience

so far, he explained that this year, he would like

to “make applications available to students

at home, allowing them to continue to have

solution. He states that while he “was impressed

with the Citrix features list, Parallels has a great

product as well, and was able to meet every

requirement we were looking for, at a much

lower cost.” As a result, rather than paying

additional hardware and licensing costs, he

is now saving “well over 50% from our original

costs,” significantly more than what was

possible using a Citrix solution. By effectively

halving his solution costs, David claims that his

Parallels solution has increased his flexibility in

choosing future solution options, with his core

application delivery needs being met with a

far lighter financial burden than he originally

expected.

In deploying his Parallels solution, David

purchased Parallels Remote Application

Server, to provide effective remote application

access while converting his existing desktops

to function as thin clients. He chose to install

the remote application server on 12 Windows

Server. While initially choosing the Virtual Iron

virtualization platform, he explained that he

was in the process of switching to a VMware

platform, specifically considering VSphere 4.

Despite changes in virtualization platforms and

the number of users serviced, David notes that

Parallels virtualization platform-independent

design ensures that he can service as many

users as possible from his Parallels server with

no virtualization platform integration problems.

This flexibility has created a “powerful, yet

simple solution” that he can “trust completely.”

Simplicity and ScalabilityApart from providing significant cost savings

and improving remote application publishing

Telfair County Schools: “I like the simple,

straightforward way Parallels performs the

functions it’s designed to perform.” David

Walker, Director of Technology, Telfair

The ChallengeAs a rural Georgia school district, Telfair County

Schools was faced with the challenge of

affording its students the same educational

opportunities as other, wealthier school

districts, which routinely provide their students

with advanced technology offerings. To

match the capabilities of peer districts, Telfair

wished to guarantee reliable remote access

to its schools’ computer labs and FTP system.

This would allow students the use of quality

published applications in school computer

labs, while providing teachers access to critical

files and applications outside the classroom.

David Walker is Telfair County Schools’

Director of Technology, who monitors the

technology requirements of the district’s

elementary, middle, and high schools. Due to

the district’s small size, David ran his department

single-handedly, making the search for a

straightforward, easy-to-manage connection

broker solution a critical pursuit.

Telfair County Schools – The SolutionDavid first considered using a Citrix solution,

claiming that the product was “feature rich,

but came with a cost that far outweighed

any potential benefit we would receive from

the solution.” Wanting to maximize benefits

for the district’s students on a fixed IT budget,

David began investigating more cost-effective

options, eventually settling on a Parallels

spotlig

ht

Telfair County Schools Trusts Parallels for Educational Excellence


a caring environment with meaningful

experiences and high expectations for all. For

more information, visit www.telfair.k12.ga.us.

About ParallelsParallels®, a global leader in cross-platform

solutions, makes it simple for customers to use

and access the applications and files they

need on any device or operating system.

We help both businesses and individuals take

access to teaching materials after the end of

the school day.” He explains that as long as his

server can handle additional users, his solution

can bear the heavier load with ease, making

hardware capabilities the only limit to network

expansion.

About Telfair County SchoolsTelfair County Schools prepare students to be

productive members of society by fostering

advantage of the best technology out there,

whether it’s Mac®, Windows®, iOS, AndroidTM,

or the cloud.

To find out more about Parallels Business

Solutions for any of your education needs or to

try our products, please contact Kevin Greely

at [email protected]

www.parallels.com

showcases


9.7-inch iPad Pro

Meet the all-new 9.7-inch iPad Pro. At less than 500 grams, it is

packed with features and includes support for the breakthrough

Apple Pencil and a new Smart Keyboard cover.

Pro displayThe 9.7-inch iPad Pro features advanced display

technologies, including a True Tone display, which

uses new four-channel sensors to dynamically adjust

the white balance of the display to match the light

around you for a more natural and accurate, paper-

white viewing experience. The advanced Retina

display is 25 percent brighter and 40 percent less

reflective than iPad Air 2, making content even easier

to see indoors and out. It uses the same wider colour

gamut as the iMac with Retina 5K display, delivering

25 percent greater colour saturation for more vivid

colours. A custom timing controller, photo alignment

and oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) deliver incredible

colour, contrast and clarity. Night Shift in iOS 9.3 uses

iPad Pro’s clock and geolocation to automatically

adjust the colours in the display to the warmer end of the spectrum

after dark, and may even help you get a better night’s sleep.

Pro performanceThe new iPad Pro is 6.1mm thin and weighs less than 500 grams, yet

delivers groundbreaking performance, connectivity and versatility

so you can tackle the most demanding tasks wherever you go.

The powerful A9X chip with third-generation 64-bit architecture

provides performance that rivals many laptops and console-class

graphics, while also delivering all-day battery life. Ultrafast wireless

connectivity keeps you connected wherever you go with 802.11ac

Wi-Fi with multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) technology,

support for even faster 4G LTE Advanced with up to 50 percent

faster cellular connectivity and the most LTE bands supported by

any tablet. Now with Apple SIM embedded directly in the new

iPad Pro, it is even easier to connect to wireless data plans right

from your device when travelling in more than 100 countries and

territories.

iPad Pro has an advanced 12-megapixel iSight camera sensor

featuring Focus Pixels for fast focusing, an Apple-designed image

signal processor, advanced noise reduction, third-generation local

tone mapping and better face detection, all resulting in sharp,

detailed images, 63-megapixel panoramas and Live Photos. A

True Tone flash improves low light shots and document scanning.

The new iSight camera shoots 4K video, making the new iPad Pro

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the review of the product or products appearing in this section represent the opinions of the Editor or relevant editorial staff member assigned to this publication and do not represent the

views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the advertisers or other contributors to this publication.

the perfect device to shoot, edit and share pro-quality video.

The improved 5-megapixel, front-facing FaceTime high-definition

camera makes the new iPad Pro perfect for videoconferencing or

connecting with loved ones.

Pro audioThe four-speaker audio system provides powerful, clear and rich

stereo sound for more than twice the audio output. Built-in sensors

automatically adjust and optimise the audio no matter which

way you are using it. iOS 9.3 also adds support for playing video

encoded with Dolby Digital Plus audio streams with support for

multichannel output using the Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter.

Visit www.apple.com/au for more information.


Wacom Bamboo Spark

While most students have a smartphone, few would even

want to try and write notes on one; even the fastest typist

would eventually end up with carpal tunnel syndrome if they

attempted to capture all their class notes on a smartphone

keyboard.

While many students also use a tablet computer of some

kind, there are some applications for which neither a smartphone

nor a tablet computer will suffice; for example, drawing quick

diagrams, jotting quick notes, sketching out ideas and so on.

The new Bamboo Spark is designed to provide students with all

the flexibility of pen and paper while also giving them the ability

to electronically capture, transmit, share and store that data the

same way they would on a smartphone or tablet.

Bamboo Spark is a pen and paper notebook that saves all

of students’ notes and equations digitally as they write them.

After they have taken their notes or worked through their maths

equations, they are available on their smartphone. From there,

they can add them to their OneNote Class Notebook or Google

Classroom, or for written notes, sign up for a Wacom Cloud

account where they can turn them into plain text and add them to

a Word document.

Visit http://bamboo.wacom.com for more information.

MultiDock 3-Unit Mobility Kit

The MultiDock Stack is the easiest, most convenient and space-

efficient solution for maintaining a whole fleet of tablets or

smartphones. It comes pre-assembled and ready to go to work,

providing charging, syncing and secure storage for 30 iPads,

smartphones or tablets.

The Stack is three MultiDock units (also available separately),

each providing secure storage and charging for up to 10 devices,

plus secure storage for a host computer to keep all the stored

devices up-to-date and in sync. The Stack includes its own quiet-

rolling casters, handle and built-in power cord management, and

stands 1.2 metres tall.

MultiDock uses Griffin’s exclusive ChargeSensor technology

to optimise charging. ChargeSensor automatically detects the

charging characteristics of each connected device and supplies

the charging rate that each device needs for the fastest, most

complete charging, with up to 10 watts (5 volts at 2.1 amps) of

charging power per bay.

Connecting an iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 5 or other device that

uses Apple’s Lightning charge/sync connector automatically

activates MultiDock’s Quick Charge Mode. MultiDock charges

these newer devices at the fastest possible rate, even while

syncing, thus ensuring that your devices will be fully charged and

ready when you need them.

MultiDock is designed for easy management of a fleet of

devices. Tri-colour LEDs at each storage bay tell charging status

at a glance, so you will always know which devices are ready to

work. You will not even have to remove your tablets from their

cases; each MultiDock charging bay accommodates even bulky

protective cases. At just over 3cm wide, MultiDock’s charging slots

are the widest available in any such charger.

Call 1800 665 774 or visit www.scholastic.com.au/technology for

more information.

showcases


Swivl C Series Robot

The new C Series Robot from Swivl incorporates years of customer

feedback from tens of thousands of educators. It is their most

powerful, easy-to-use and fastest solution yet. When used with the

free Practice app, it is one of the best video coaching tools on the

planet. With the soon-to-be-released Present app, it is the ultimate

blended learning tool.

The new C Series Robot includes a completely redesigned audio

technology utilising Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications

(DECT) to deliver a higher quality, more robust connection

between the marker (housing the microphone) and the robot. It

also enables users to connect up to four markers simultaneously, so

that users can capture audio from all corners of a classroom and

switch who Swivl ‘follows’.

A new 3.5mm audio-in socket on the marker also enables users

to plug in a lavalier microphone or headphones to get even better

audio while using the marker as a presentation clicker. In addition,

the updated marker also features improved control through the

inclusion of a new directional pad (D-pad) interface similar to

gaming joysticks.

The inclusion of an updated lightening iOS interface not only

eliminates the challenges of using Bluetooth, it also provides higher

Targus Contego 3.0

The people at Targus are not afraid of tough treatment. Their

experience in the open market means that they understand

what their users expect from their protective cases. This unique

understanding of customer requirements has resulted in a range of

laptop cases that provides maximum protection to devices such

as laptops, Ultrabooks, tablets, iPads, Chromebooks, or whatever it

may be.

Contego, which means ‘to protect’ in Latin, is built to offer

protection to a student’s device without adding weight. This

slipcase comes with carry handles and is the perfect portrait

design for school backpacks.

The Contego 3.0 features fully reinforced front and back panels

to offer maximum protection to student devices, as well as a soft

interior lining to protect devices from scratches. The case also

features a Digi-pass or USB stick pocket and a large ID window,

ideal for student personalisation or displaying class timetables.

Furthermore, because the Contego 3.0 can fit perfectly into most

backpacks, parents and teachers need not worry about the rough

treatment most student bags endure throughout the course of the

day. A dropped school bag no longer has to equate to a broken

screen and expensive repairs and lost productivity.



quality audio, while an upgraded battery means users can now

enjoy up to six hours of use under normal conditions.

The new C Series Robot also comes with an improved protective

carrying case and a one-year subscription to the Swivl Pro Cloud.

With a host of other features based on educator feedback, this

latest robot from Swivl is set to become an indispensable tool in

every classroom.

Visit www.aptech.com.au or call 02 9452 6001 for more information.

FUYL Tower

PERFECT FOR SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES WHERE STAFF AND STUDENTS BRING THEIR OWN DEVICES.

ENJOY THE EDUCATION-FOCUSED DESIGNS OF WHAT PC LOCS IS KNOWN FOR AT A MORE ENTRY LEVEL PRICE.

This intelligent charging station features 15 individually lockable compartments. Within the FUYL Tower is a management console that allows administrators to actively monitor locker usage at anytime, anywhere. Administrators can remotely open any door at the touch of a button, receive alerts of any abnormal usage or technical fault and download a full audit log.

The Joey 10 Charging Station is a multi device charging station that is compatible with almost any tablet device. It is a smart choice for ensuring the devices you have today and the devices you have in the future will be charged and secure.

Joey 10 Charging Station

@WIN

www.pclocs.com.auSpecifications and images are for illustration purposes only. Final product may differ. May not fit all devices and cases.Please check the dimensions of the device and the product. Visit www.pclocs.com.au for warranty details.

WIN

Phone: 1300 725 627|

Visit http://targus.com/au for more information.


FUYL Tower

PERFECT FOR SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES WHERE STAFF AND STUDENTS BRING THEIR OWN DEVICES.

ENJOY THE EDUCATION-FOCUSED DESIGNS OF WHAT PC LOCS IS KNOWN FOR AT A MORE ENTRY LEVEL PRICE.

This intelligent charging station features 15 individually lockable compartments. Within the FUYL Tower is a management console that allows administrators to actively monitor locker usage at anytime, anywhere. Administrators can remotely open any door at the touch of a button, receive alerts of any abnormal usage or technical fault and download a full audit log.

The Joey 10 Charging Station is a multi device charging station that is compatible with almost any tablet device. It is a smart choice for ensuring the devices you have today and the devices you have in the future will be charged and secure.

Joey 10 Charging Station

@WIN

www.pclocs.com.auSpecifications and images are for illustration purposes only. Final product may differ. May not fit all devices and cases.Please check the dimensions of the device and the product. Visit www.pclocs.com.au for warranty details.

WIN

Phone: 1300 725 627|

http://bit.ly/1T6nnmK

showcases


Garmin fenix 3

If you are looking for the ultimate training device for your

high-end student athletes, look no further than the fenix 3 from

Garmin. This rugged, capable and smart multisport training GPS

watch not only sports a variety of feature sets for fitness training

and outdoor navigation, it also functions as a smart watch,

giving you access to handy features like incoming caller ID,

calendar alerts, music player controls, text messages, emails

and so on. Furthermore, with Garmin’s proprietary Connect IQ

platform, users can customise all manner of features, such as

watch faces, data fields, widgets and activities.

fenix 3 is available in three bold models: gray with high-

strength, scratch-resistant crystal and black band; silver with red

band; and the premium sapphire model with a stainless steel

band and sapphire lens. Each watch features a protective

stainless steel bezel and buttons and reinforced housing for

extra durability. A sunlight-visible high-resolution colour Chroma

display with LED backlight lets you access your data in any light.

fenix 3 is water-rated to 100 metres and has a battery life of up

to 50 hours in UltraTrac mode, 16 hours in GPS mode and up to

three months in watch mode (all depending on settings).

Advanced fitness metricsfenix 3 is packed with training features to tell you about your

form and fitness. The first is the VO2 max estimator. When used

with a heart rate monitor, fēnix 3 crunches data, including your

running speed, beats per minute and heart rate variability to

estimate the maximum volume of oxygen you can consume

per minute. Track changes to your VO2 max to see your fitness

gains and to compare with your peers. Other fitness metrics

include recovery advisor, with a recovery timer and recovery



check, plus a race predictor, which estimates your ideal finish

time based on your current VO2 max number.

Running dynamics featuresfenix 3 incorporates sophisticated Garmin running watch

feedback on your running form by reporting multiple metrics.

When used with the HRM-Run monitor, fenix 3 reports your

cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time. These

metrics are called running dynamics and they affect your

running economy.

However, fenix 3 is not just for running; special feature sets help

swim training, rowing, stand-up paddle boarding and skiing too.

fenix 3 is also equipped with ABC sensors to provide relevant

real-time information. The built-in altimeter (A) provides elevation

data to accurately monitor ascent and descent, while the

barometer (B) can be used to predict weather changes by

showing short-term trends in air pressure. The 3-axis electronic

compass (C) keeps your bearing whether you are moving or not.

Visit www.highlytunedathletes.com.au for more information.

Targus USB 3.0 Smart Dock

Targus USB 3.0 Smart Dock is the perfect mobile accessory for your tech.

Whether you are travelling between classes, between school and home,

or heading off to present at a workshop or conference, throw away all

the cables and adapters you carry to connect your laptop, tablet or

smartphone to projectors, screens and desk accessories, and replace

them with the Travel Dock. Plug in the USB 3.0 cable to your device

and instantly extend your device ports to include HDMI, VGA, Gigabit

Ethernet and additional USB 3.0 and micro USB ports. Create content

more comfortably and connect your device to up to two screens using

HDMI and VGA connections or plug in your tablet to a TV and enjoy 2k

high-definition resolution over HDMI. The Travel Dock is USB powered so

requires no external power source – the perfect travel accessory.

Visit http://targus.com/au for more information.

ˉ


Sound Devices MP-1

The MP-1 portable, battery-powered microphone preamplifier with

phantom power from Sound Devices is an ideal tool for any school

shooting video footage using DSLR cameras with an outboard recording

device such as an Atomos Ninja.

While DLSR cameras can capture amazing video, they often lack a

proper microphone-out jack, instead providing a headphone-out jack

only. However, there is a significant difference between the line level

(strength) of the signal output from a headphone jack as opposed to a

dedicated microphone-out jack. More often than not, what happens

when some attempts to capture the audio signal from a headphone

jack is that they record a much softer, weaker signal, which can present

significant issues in post-production and editing.

Designed for high-definition field production environments, the

studio-quality MP-1 is an ideal line-driver for critical radio, television and

film applications. It is extremely durable and easy to use. With rugged

mechanical and electrical construction and high-quality components,

it will provide years of superb audio performance under the most

punishing field conditions. The MP-1 can boost the signal from the

headphone jack on your DSLR camera, ensuring that you get a strong,

clean audio signal to your outboard recording device, be it a field

recorder, Ninja or any other such device.

The MP-1 features up to 66dB of gain, in 11 discrete steps,

as well as providing transformer-balanced input and output,

phantom power in either 48 volt or 12 volt, a high pass filter at

80Hz or 160Hz and 6dB/octave, while an on-board limiter makes

the unit virtually ‘unclippable’.

Powered by two AA batteries, and boasting excellent

immunity to radio frequency interference, this highly durable unit

will provide years of quality service.

Visit johnbarry.com.au or call 1800 717 710 for more

information.

MixPre-D Compact Field Mixer

The MixPre-D from Sound Devices sets a new standard for compact,

high-performance portable audio mixers ideal for any production

application where capturing great sound is important, but size and

weight are a concern, which makes it ideal for use in school and

university productions.

At the heart of the MixPre-D are two studio-grade microphone/line

inputs with limiters, high-pass filters and available phantom power. To

accommodate the increasing variety of cameras and devices used in

production, the MixPre-D has incredible output flexibility. Outputs include

balanced microphone/line XLR, dedicated consumer microphone-level

on a locking TA3 connector (designed specifically for DSLR-type inputs)

and an auxiliary-level output on a 3.5mm connection.

The ‘D’ in MixPre-D indicates the infusion of extensive digital

technology for even more output flexibility. Digital outputs include

balanced AES3 on XLR. Additionally, USB audio connectivity is provided

for Mac OS, Windows or Linux computers. The MixPre-D is a flexible class-

compliant USB audio interface.

A wide range of additional features in the MixPre-D make it a perfect

complement to larger mixers, such as Sound Devices’ 302 Compact

Production Field Mixer and 552 Portable Production Mixer. These features

include: mid-side (MS) stereo matrix, tone oscillator, internal slate

microphone, return monitoring of both analogue and USB audio,

high-gain headphone output and two AA battery or external

10–17 volts DC powering.

The MixPre-D continues the heritage of Sound Devices’s

original MixPre, which has been the go-to mixer for audio

professionals that need the lightest, simplest and highest

performance mixer available.

Visit johnbarry.com.au or call 1800 717 710 for more

information.

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of the relevant advertiser and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

A Brighter Image Pty Ltd (ABI) are about to release the latest AstralVision AVSC series touchscreens which is an update from the current AVSN series. With operational functions and features remaining unchanged, the AVSC series introduces a new slimmer, lightweight chassis design. The design has dramatically reduced the weight of the 55 and 65 inch sizes by 40% and the 70 inch size by 34%.

This now makes it easier for handling during installation and means the need for reinforcing some less substantial room walls is much less likely. The reduced weight also partners well with ABI’s mobile touchscreen stands, both manual and electric, making it easier to move the units around the classroom or from room to room.

ABI’s mobile electric tilt touchscreen stands are designed to get the most out of touchscreen functionality. At the touch of a button they move up or down for optimising the viewing for different height students. They can tilt from normal perpendicular upright viewing right through to flat table mode or any angle in between. Flat table mode makes full use of 10 points of touch where many students can gather round the screen to join in on a collaborative lesson using appropriate touchscreen software like Snowflake MultiTeach.

Contact ABI on 02 9938 6866 for details or go to:www.abimage.com.au/astralvision.html

A Brighter Image Release New AstralVision AVSC Series Touchscreens

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Homework within any learning model is a contentious issue. There is strong support for both the pro-homework and anti-homework positions.

Some believe a learning model that assigns homework is a broken system and are therefore critical of flipped learning, because they understand that homework must be assigned in the flipped learning model.

Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams often say that flipped learning does not rely on homework, in fact they believe that flipped learning can actually solve the age-old homework question.

They cite a few cases of teachers who use the flipped method but do

not assign homework, but believe that these teachers are the exception and not the rule.

So what is the flipped learning pioneer’s (Bergmann’s) position on homework? He believes in it to a point, but does acknowledge that there is a dark side to it. Homework can:• Be meaningless• Lack any educational benefit• Be busy work only• Stifle learning• Smother passion.

However Bergmann is quick to point out that because some teachers abuse homework, we shouldn’t think all homework is bad.

He is also realistic. He doesn’t see the “culture” of homework going away anytime soon in education. Many school communities expect their students to be set homework.

Bergmann thinks flipped learning can maximise the homework time and make it much more efficient and meaningful. When Jon started to flip his class, students began to do less homework, learn more, and report decreased anxiety about school. He claims this is one of the best kept secrets to flipped learning.

When asked about whether educators who don’t assign homework can and should flip their classroom he answers – of course!

He points to many teachers who are creating instructional videos (or using other videos) and having students watch them during class time.

Instead of the whole class watching the videos together, students are watching them when they need the content. The great benefit here is that the videos multiply the teacher in that she can be in many places at the same time. This frees her up to move around and help individual students in areas of need.

In summary, Jon Bergmann believes flipped learning is homework agnostic. Flipped learning doesn’t take a position on whether or not homework is good or bad. So if an educator believes there is value in assigning homework, then they can used flipped learning. Conversely, if they believe that homework should never be assigned to students, they can use flipped learning as well.

If you wish to learn more about flipped homework and flipped learning in general, why not meet Jon in person at:

• FlipCon Gold Coast 2016 @ Saint Stephen’s College on 13, 14 and 15 October 2016 or• FlipCon Adelaide 2016 @ Brighton Secondary School on 17, 18 and 19 November 2016.

For further information about these two FlipCon conferences go to: http://FlipConAUS.com

What is the verdict on Flipped Homework?

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of the relevant advertiser and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions or the other advertisers or contributors to this publication.

Two keynote speakers at the Leading a Digital School Conference 2016 will address the issue of what it takes to leverage the promise of technology to shift to deeper learning and to move away from the dazzling, superficial applications that can very easily trap us.

In his keynote address Derek Wenmoth, Director of eLearning, Core Education, New Zealand, argues that despite the fact that education systems have been heavily investing in technology since the early 1980s, international evidence suggests that the reality in our schools lags considerably behind the promise of technology, and that we’ve not yet entirely understood what the implications of technology are for education.

Derek believes that to address this issue we need to more clearly understand that technology today is both an amplifier of effects, both positive and negative, and so its integration into the teaching and learning in schools cannot be left to chance. In his address, Derek will explore what teachers, educational leaders and school systems need to do to find more effective ways to integrate technology into teaching and learning, and provide learning environments that support 21st century pedagogies and provide children with the 21st century skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s world.

Derek will provide school leaders and teachers with insights into the drivers of change and the responses they may make in order to address these.

In her keynote address Jill Margerison, Associate Dean of E-Learning, The Southport School, QLD, asks the question: Are you on a quest for “deeper learning” in your school?

Jill argues that as educators, we all want our students to thrive and develop essential skills that will stand them in good stead for their chosen pathways. Moreover, in today’s digital world, we recognise that invariably their future is one in which an innovative mindset, as well as a flexible and creative approach is critical. But often suggesting a change in pedagogy, equates with uncertainty and risk. Thus, three overarching questions need to be addressed.

Firstly, how do we as teachers drive our pedagogy and use our classroom resources to accommodate a ‘deeper learning’ outcome?

Secondly, with the pressures of high-stakes testing how do teachers best support and implement innovative practice?

Finally, how can the physical learning space be re-imagined and the power of digital platforms be leveraged to empower, engage and excite the modern learner?

Jill’s keynote address explores the notion of what constitutes a shift to ‘deeper learning’ in our educational practice. It draws on case studies of teachers that are currently trialling different ways of equipping students with key problem-solving skills and facilitating greater collaborative awareness with the intention of encouraging intrinsic drive. Jill says: “this is significant because if we can empower students to inquire and be curious about their learning, then we are producing self-directed or ‘life-long’ learners. And this is what education is really about, isn’t it? To quote philosopher and futurist Alvin Toffler, the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

Deeper Learning is not Deep Learning

“Deeper learning” is not to be confused with “deep learning” a class of machine learning algorithms.

“Deeper learning” can best be described as a set of student educational outcomes including acquisition of robust core academic content, higher-order thinking skills, and learning dispositions. It places special emphasis on the ability to apply knowledge to real-world circumstances and to solve novel problems. Specifically “deeper learning” consists of six interrelated core competencies:• Mastery of rigorous academic content• Development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills• The ability to work collaboratively• Effective oral and written communication• Learning how to learn• Developing and maintaining an academic mindset.

Good teachers have always encouraged students to learn in this way, however the right technology assists them to do it better.

If you wish to learn more about how to leverage technology to shift to deeper learning and hear compelling evidence of how digital technology can take your students’ learning deeper, why not attend the 2016 Leading a Digital School Conference to be held at the Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne on 25, 26 and 27 August 2016? Keynote speakers Derek Wenmoth and Jill Margerison tackle this critical issue on Day 2 of the conference. For more information and to register go to:www.iwb.net.au/digital

Leverage the Promise of Technology and Shift to Deeper Learning

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In a move that now makes it easier than ever for educators to obtain the world’s leading collaborative learning software along with market leading collaborative displays Epson, the number-one projector manufacturer in the world1, and SMART Technologies Inc., a leading global provider of collaboration solutions, have announced that SMART Notebook® collaborative learning software will now automatically be bundled with Epson’s award-winning interactive projectors in Australia and New Zealand as standard.

General Manager, Business Division, Epson Australia Craig Heckenberg said, “The addition of SMART Notebook software to Epson interactive projectors provides an excellent combination for collaborative learning as SMART Notebook allows educators to easily create engaging, interactive learning in a way that’s natural to both teachers and students. This in turn helps teachers drive better, more effective learning outcomes and now they can do so on any Epson Education Interactive Projector.”

The models that now come with the

SMART Notebook software include the EB-575Wi, EB-575Wie, EB-585Wi, EB-595Wi and EB-595Wie models with both Windows (Windows XP SP3, Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8) and OS X (OS X, OS X 10.7 and OS X 10.8) compatible with SMART Notebook. Windows Vista and OS X 10.6 and earlier are not supported.

Building upon the already established software relationship between the two companies that has enabled Epson to sell SMART Notebook software along with its interactive projectors in Australia and New Zealand since May 2015, the new agreement allows Epson to bundle SMART Notebook software, including a SMART Notebook Advantage subscription during the first year, with Epson interactive projectors as a standard offering on a worldwide basis. The SMART Notebook Advantage subscription lets customers upgrade to new versions of Notebook software in that first year, as well as access technical support and unlock premium features within Notebook.

This combination allows educators around the world to use the number-

one selling interactive projector1 with collaborative learning software to create visually compelling, engaging and interactive learning experiences. Epson’s complete interactive projector line is tested and fully authorised by SMART for use with SMART Notebook software, and SMART Notebook fully supports Epson interactive features such as dual pen and finger-touch. Both Epson and SMART will provide customer support and training for their respective products, giving educators full confidence as they bring more collaboration into classrooms and other learning spaces.

AvailabilityEpson’s Education Interactive projectors with SMART Notebook software entitlements will begin shipping in Australia and New Zealand from April 2016.

For more information, visit www.epson.com.au/products/interactive/

Award-winning Epson Interactive Projectors now with SMART Notebook in Australia and New Zealand

EB-575Wi, EB-575Wie, EB-585Wi, EB-595Wi and EB-595Wie models

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the information appearing in this section represents the opinions of the relevant advertiser and does not represent the views or opinions of Interactive Media Solutions


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S30 Notebook Trolley

VIC P (03) 9801 1044 F (03) 9801 1176 E [email protected] P (02) 9749 1922 F (02) 9749 1987 E [email protected]

ergonomicallydesigned available in

5 colours

designed to accommodateand charge 16 devices

large shelves to suiteven the largest laptops large 360 locking castors

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secured with multipointlocking doors

Ben Darling Appointment Boosts Konica Minolta Australia’s 3D Printing Expansion

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia has appointed 3D printing expert Ben Darling to the role of 3D Printing and Wide Format Sales Specialist for Australia’s southern region. His appointment will help drive the expansion of its rapidly-growing 3D printing business in the local market.

With a background in 3D printing that spans half a decade, Ben brings a wealth of knowledge to Konica Minolta’s 3D printing business. In his new role, he will help meet the needs of Konica Minolta’s 3D printing customers in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

Ben Darling explained, “As the Additive Manufacturing industry

continues to use 3D printing for production of end use parts, especially in the areas of medical and low volume high value manufacturing, 3D printers are increasingly becoming a mission critical part of organisations that have invested in the technology. This means that service response times have never been more important to the success of our customers. With a national footprint of service technicians Konica Minolta is able to maintain a minimum response to have a technician onsite. There is currently not another 3D Printer supplier in Australia that can match Konica Minolta service.”

“The second reason I have joined Konica Minolta was due to the partnership with 3D Systems – a world leader in 3D Printing technology. Because Konica Minolta has six major technologies we are able to better fit our customers with the best solution for their 3D printing needs. We can provide the best fit for individual customer needs, not just another product off the shelf.”

Ben’s appointment comes as Konica Minolta builds out its 3D printing footprint in Australia, with the company adding more staff and resources to meet growing demand in the local market.

www.mfb.com.au

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