Educational Innovation Opportunities

Sharing a message from Lyrian McGregor

Office Manager I Macquarie ICT Innovations Centre

 Macquarie ICT Innovations Centre  also have new Master Classes in Robotics and Game Design, developed with experts for those students who already have some experience and want to take their knowledge to the next level. If you could please pass this email on to anyone you think may be interested in our Centre it would be greatly appreciated. Find out more on our blog:http://bit.ly/dVkfs7

We have two very exciting special events coming us at MacICT! One of which is in the first week back next term. We’ve managed to secure two world leaders in Technology and Education – Dr Alec Couros and Barbara Bratzel. If you haven’t already enrolled for these fantastic Professional Learning opportunities then now’s the time as spots are closing fast…

19th July – Dr Alec Couros http://www.scoop.it/t/alec-couros

 Dr. Alec Couros is an Associate Professor of educational technology and media at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina. He has given hundreds of workshops and presentations, nationally and internationally, on topics such as openness in education, networked learning, social media in education, digital citizenship, and critical media literacy. His graduate and undergraduate courses help current and future educators understand how to use and take advantage of the educational potential offered by the tools of connectivity. His keynote is entitled “Disrupting Schools: Learning in the 21^st Century”, and he will also be running 3 sessions throughout the day on “Becoming a Networked Learner”, “Understanding Digital Citizenship and Identity” and an “Introduction to Digital Story Telling”.  Enrol via MyPL Course Code DV01799 / Click here for the flyer

15th August – Barbara Bratzel http://bit.ly/LRVf2q

Barbara Bratzel literally wrote the book on the LEGO NXT with “Physics by Design with NXT Mindstorms” now in its 3rd edition, based on the classes she ran as a science teacher for over a decade at Shady Hill School (a preK-8 independent school in Cambridge, Massachusetts). In addition she has also been a consulting teacher at the Center for Engineering Educational Outreach at Tufts University. Barbara explains in the forward of her book: “engineering is a powerful tool in K-12 education, one that teaches critical thinking and a deeper understanding of mathematics and science concepts. More importantly, engineering gets kids excited—about science, about math, and about engineering itself. The first students who took Physics by Design are now in college and beyond. It gives me special pleasure that a number of them have gone on to pursue engineering–and have told me that their LEGO physics class started them down that path.” Enrol via MyPL Course Code DV01799 / Click here for the flyer

To keep up to date with the events and activities at MacICT please follow us on Twitter @macict. Click here to visit our Blog to find out more about what we offer here at MacICT, or visit our YouTube channel here to see some of our work in action. Our email address is macictsupport@det.nsw.edu.au. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions and we hope to see you at the Centre soon!

More support withdrawn by Government!

Government abolishes drug and alcohol education support for schools (video link) 18 June 2012

By Sally Edsall

As part of its latest round of cost-cutting, the DEC has abolished its Drug and Alcohol Education Unit.

Channel 10 News reported on this on Friday 15 June.

Do you give a Gonski?

I give a Gonski!  

Help us convince the politicians to commit the extra funding and make Gonski law in 2012.

                                    Not sure what it is all about? Have a read of the:

Transcript of joint press conference - Gonski Review of Funding for Australian Schooling Report

                                   Teachers and parents asked to give a Gonski - Go Teaching

For further reading: 

Peter Garrett responds to Gonski review - 7.30 - ABC

You can sign up for Twitter to follow I give a Gonski (@igiveagonski). ... Do you give a #gonksi? tell us what difference more funding for schools would make for you.

There is also a facebook page set up: 

I give a Gonski | Facebook

Thanks to Deb Hogg for alerting me to this initiative.

Stay smart online

 It is National Cybersecurity Awareness Week 

Why is cybersecurity awareness important?

Australians are increasingly relying on the internet in their everyday lives for banking, shopping, education and communication. It is, therefore, important that they are able to use the internet in a secure and confident manner. The government has established a range of initiatives to raise the awareness of Australian internet users about the importance of cybersecurity and the simple steps they can take to protect their personal and financial information online.

Cybersecurity Awareness Week Events Calendar

The Australian Government has a section with valuable safety Tips 
Here are a few...Check out the rest of the tips 

• Stop and think before you share any personal or financial information—about you, your friends or family. Don’t disclose identity information (drivers licence, Medicare No, birth date, address) through email or online unless you have initiated the contact and you know the other person involved.
• Don't give your email address out without needing to. Think about why you are providing it, what the benefit is for you and whether it will mean you are sent emails you don’t want.
• Be very suspicious of emails from people you don’t know, particularly if they promise you money, good health or a solution to all your problems. The same applies for websites. Remember, anything that looks too good to be true usually is.

Resources and Fun Stuff

Kids to have a good time on the internet, you need to keep yourself cyber safe and cyber secure.

 The Cybersmart website is produced and hosted by The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) and includes information, tips and resources specifically for kids.

The ThinkUKnow website provides information and resources to help educate and raise awareness amongst parents, carers and teachers about how to help children stay safe online.

Download the factsheets and quizzes.

Are you getting ready for take off?

 (pathways for learning anywhere, anytime - a network for educators).
Learn to learn....Learn how to learn Exciting times! We need to teach students to be able to learn.
As educators we need to apprentice students to be capable of managing their own learning so they become lifelong learners. 
New technologies? New National Curriculum? So many challenges....

PLANE is giving keen P-12 educators like you the opportunity to experience and help shape this dynamic communityplatform as it develops, before it becomes available to all educators in NSW from June 30th 2012. 
So if you want to learn, connect andcollaborate with other educators as you explore the possibilities ofemerging technologies in education, YOU SHOULD REGISTER NOW until June 23, 2012 to become a PLANE Pioneer.
/

We are ALL different....Let kids learn to be the best they can be!!

                       

NAPLAN ‘an expensive mistake’ - Education Review

More than 140 academics from various fields have signed a letter calling for the end of the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), saying the pressure on teachers and children to perform well on the tests is narrowing the curriculum and eroding time for quality teaching and learning.

We must insist on changing this testing culture. 

Why are we loosing so many valuable resources?

How many schools are aware of the new format of the NSW School Magazines and the teaching guides that accompany them?  

Each magazine has its own Teaching Guide which consists of two full lesson plans and four teaching ideas pages which have three activities each as well as a worksheet. 

Each focus is tied to an outcome of the NSW English syllabus and the English strand of the national curriculum.  There’s even a chart at the back that shows the specific focus.

Apart from providing a great resource that appeals to kids (there are comic strips, puzzles, poems, plays, stories, serials and so forth) and the Teaching Guides providing great lesson ideas, a subscription might even save the jobs of those who work for it full-time, given the news about restructuring.

 The lost positions in the organisational chart published at https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/psportfolio/functional-realignment reflect considerable reductions in support for schools in a number of areas, including literacy and numeracy, learning areas curriculum and policy support in all learning areas in a time when schools will want equitable support for implementing new curriculum K-12, PRC is not mentioned, The School Magazine looks like it may have fewer staff etc  – most major projects and programs across curriculum support, online teaching and learning including support, and professional learning are facing significant or complete reductions.

It is true that three positions will be lost from the seven-member English/Literacy team here in CLIC over the next six months: Leader Literacy (Annalies van Westenbrugge’s PEO position), a SEO2 literacy position and the CEO position (Group Leader, English/Literacy).In total about 200 positions have been shed from state office directorates in the Schools Portfolio, including all PEOs and CEOs in the curriculum area.

If you would like more information about the proposed restructure, you might like to go to  https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/psportfolio - you will need to access via the portal. If you look at ‘functional realignment’ in the left hand menu, you will get access to the organisation charts for what appears to be our new area, Learning and Leadership, including Early Childhood & Primary Education and Secondary Education. Apart from the cuts, English and Literacy will no longer be part of the one team and will soon be divided into primary and secondary teams – an odd decision given that we are now embracing a K-10 syllabus.

There is an email address (also available through the webpage above) for any interested person to ask for further information or express an opinion:DDGSchools@det.nsw.edu.au. The consultation period lasts until 10am on Thursday 7 June only.

You can check out what’s on offer at http://theschoolmagazine.com.au/   

Aussie teachers: It's TeachMeet- a virtual one!! Don't miss it!

Join in the learning at TMSydney 
Join a #TMSydney Hub or from an Adobe Connect session at home or at school.

Olympic education resources ready to use!

Please feel welcome to use my on-going collection of various educational websites: Olympic Resources

One of the most valuable resources is featured below:
London 2012 Olympic Resource - Teacher Guide


The London 2012 Olympic Resource is a national resource produced by the Australian 
Olympic Committee in consultation with teachers and educational advisors. The 
resource contains over 60 primary cross-curriculum lesson plans and student handouts
themed around the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. 
The London 2012 Olympic Resource features activities designed for a range of age 
groups:
• Lower Primary (Early Stage 1 and Stage 1)
• Middle Primary (Stage 2)
• Upper Primary (Stage 3).

Has your school decided to join in Olympic Day?

Across the globe, millions of students celebrate Olympic Day on 23 June 
each year by participating in Olympic education and activities. In Australia, schools can 
celebrate Olympic School Sports Day by staging their own series of sport, education 
and cultural activities.


Participants may include students from a single class, an entire 
year, or the entire school, as well as students from other local schools. Olympic School 
Sports Day is a single day of competition and celebration, with qualifying rounds and 
associated cultural events held across a number of days or weeks in the lead up to the 
event. 


More information about Olympic School Sports Day is available from 
Olympic Day site and  includes 10 lesson plans ready to implement.
Registration for your school is available at Olympic Day Registration

World Wonders Project

Google has revamped its core product - search - in a major way. It looks like the change is paying off. Read more at Google: Knowledge Graph is Making You Search More

As Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher on Twitter) teaches high school English at Grosse Pointe South High School said: "The Google search is your best friend. It is a great way to start a broad search and see if other teachers have written about a tool and how to use it. We go to Google for so many different answers that searching for web tools should be no different. If you can master searching with Google, half the battle is won."

Read his latest post: 

A Tech Expert's Not-So-Secret Sources

Google has produced so many tools that are most helpful in education. Just to name a few: 

Maps

View maps and directions

Scholar

Search scholarly papers

Docs

Create and share your online documents, presentations, and spreadsheets

Books 

Search the full text of books

 and now...... 

Another wonderful Google product!!

Google’s World Wonders Project brings the magic of Street View to historic sites

The World Wonders Project is a valuable resource for students and scholars who can now virtually discover some of the most famous sites on earth. The project offers an innovative way to teach history and geography to students of primary and secondary schools all over the world.
Google has been taking Street View off-road for some time — offering users effortless glimpses into special areas like backcountry national park trails and famous landmarks — and the company is now tying those efforts together with a more formal service called theWorld Wonders project. Google's included 132 historic sites from 18 countries 

Google's World Wonders project expands on its Street View tours of special places

The right-hand side of the World Wonders site has menus allowing you to find out more about the location, including information provided by UNESCO World Heritage, along with links to pursue additional education. There's a video section with (of course) YouTube selections highlighting various interesting or important aspects of the site, and a photography section with content provided by Getty Images and image sharing sites OurPlace and Panoramio.
Read more: http://technorati.com/technology/article/googles-world-wonders-project-gives-teachers/#ixzz1wTpMFIF3

                                               Screenshot  of Three Castles, Bellinzona
Have fun exploring your world! So easily!