Professional Learning |

October 7, 2019
by rcrellin
0 comments

Digitech Conference 2019 – A Student Showcase

The Digitech Conference will be held on Friday 8 November at Carrum Primary School. This Conference is designed as an interactive “kids teaching kids” program for students and teachers. Each school can send 1-2 teachers and between 4-8 students.

At Digitech 2019, students and teachers will:

be inspired by Student Keynote Addresses on App & Game Development
experience ‘hands on’ action in a variety of workshops conducted by students, showcasing great Digitech activities. Workshop sessions include: Drone Programming, Swift Playgrounds, Ozobots, Scratch Gaming, Microbit action, Game Maker, Airblock, VEX Robots, Mindstorms EV3 programming, Sphero Chariot Races, Derby Track vehicle construction, Augmented Reality Workshops, Minecraft in Education – City X Project, App Lab – App Making, Animation Making in Animation Desk, 3D Designing in Sketch Up, Green Screen, Podcasting ‘How To’, Internet Radio Broadcasting, Makerspace Arcade and many more!
access teacher PD hosted by Apple on ‘Coding & App Dev on iPads’ and ‘VR & AR in the Classroom’.

There are two student competitions (with prizes!):

‘Robots Alive’: Program a robot to dance in a 1.5m x 1.5m space for 1 minute
‘Design A Game’: Code a playable game using SCRATCH, Minecraft or any other game code builder.

Digitech Conference 2019 is a FREE event for schools, developed by the Northern Peninsula Digital Technology Teacher & Student Network.

Find out more

To register your school for the 2019 Conference, please email: digitechconference@carrumps.vic.edu.au
Please include your school name and the number of teachers/students who would like to attend by 1 November 2019.
For more information, please contact Marcus Mulcahy at Carrum Primary School on marcusmulcahy@carrumps.vic.edu.au

November 29, 2018
by Stephanie Grima
0 comments

Making connections: DigiTech Across the Curriculum

The Digital Technologies curriculum is anchored in real world problem solving and design, and offers plenty of opportunities to explore a wide range of subjects. In this day of collaborative learning and planning we will explore how a range of digital technologies can be used to explore many subjects. You’ll do some coding, hear examples of cross curricular projects, and have the chance to think about how you can make links across the curriculum.

10 Dec 2018, 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM

KIOSC, Swinburne University of Technology, 369 Stud Road, Wantirna

November 8, 2018
by Stephanie Grima
0 comments

Cisco Webex Virtual Conferencing Technologies

Coming to your classroom and school!

Throughout term 4 all DET schools and teachers across Victoria are receiving access to hardware and software through the Cisco Webex Platform. This innovative virtual learning platform will provide online tools to connect learners, encourage enrichment opportunities, support collaboration and strengthen practice excellence, build collaboration across schools, support participation in communities of practice and enhance professional development opportunities.

As part of the adoption strategy, free professional development is available and teachers are encouraged to attend either a face to face or online ‘skill up’ session.

These workshops are designed specifically for educators and focus on how to apply virtual conferencing technology across different learning areas inside and outside of the classroom. Through the Webex Teams Application, Webex Boards and Room Systems, participants will learn how the technology can virtually connect educators and students.

At the end of the workshop, educators will gain:

Confidence in using the technology to improve the way they work in both physical and virtual learning environments.
Understanding of how the technology can encourage student team work.
Enhanced ability to apply to professional development, teacher training and learning.
Greater understanding of the features and functions that support virtual learning.
Clear understanding of the ongoing support available to assist with adoption of virtual learning.

For further information and to register for these professional development opportunities please click here

October 17, 2018
by Deb Hicks
0 comments

GSuite Professional Learning Workshops

G Suite ‘ Getting Started’ Workshops for Term 4, 2018

Previously known as Google Apps, these full-day G Suite workshops are designed to support DET school leaders and teachers just starting out, as well as those who have been driving their own learning with G Suite. Participants are introduced to the key apps in the suite, presenting a school focused approach in their use for administration, learning and teaching. The workshop will provide some tips and tricks, while discussing a holistic set up for different learning environments and settings, providing examples using both the SAMR and 4 C’s models. Register for one of the workshops below to make the most of Google Drive, Docs, Slides, Forms, Sheets, Sites, MyMaps, Drawings and, of course, Google Classroom.

Book in, here, for a workshop this term!

October 2, 2018
by rcrellin
0 comments

Kids Conference 2018

A fantastic opportunity exists for students to present at the Kids Conference 2018.

The conference involves short speaker sessions where primary and secondary students can present innovative projects relating to History, Geography, Science, English and digital technologies. It allows students to present on how they have developed their learning by exploring new and emerging technologies and presentation tools.

Video: Kids Conference 2017

The Kids Conference promotes students as creators of knowledge and innovation to an audience of lead educators, policy makers and the teaching community. It promotes the role of teachers as facilitators of creative, collaborative and student led projects.

Registrations for student presenters close on 31 October.

Find out more

Download

July 6, 2018
by rcrellin
0 comments

Using Google Apps in your classroom

Schools can provide students and staff with access to Google Apps for Education online services at no cost through the Department. Professional learning sessions for Term 3 have been announced to help you get the most out of the software.

‘Getting Started’ Workshops

A full day workshop is available to support school leaders and teachers just starting out, as well as those who have been driving their own learning with G Suite. Participants are introduced to the key apps in the suite, presenting a school focused approach in their use for administration, learning and teaching. The workshop will provide tips and tricks, while discussing a holistic set up for different learning environments and settings.

Sessions dates and locations

8 August – Castlemaine
15 August – Flemington
23 August – Corio
18 September – Flemington

Find out more and register for professional learning

Find out how to get Google Apps for your school

May 24, 2018
by rcrellin
0 comments

Meeting Additional Learning Needs in Your Classroom Using Technology

Windows 10 offers a range of functions to help students independently manage their own learning including:

Ability to edit text directly from a photograph or pdf.
Take photos of a whiteboard or other object to save as a word doc and edit.
An immersive reader that allow students to alter text to make it larger, change the background and spacing, identify nouns, verbs and adjectives.
Text to speech function in a range of languages, including an option for an Australian accent.
Easy to use speech to text function.
Scaled back internet browser (Edge) that removes distractions and allows students to annotate on the screen.
An increased range of options through Microsoft editor.

Microsoft are running a free professional learning session on 28 June for teachers to get hands on with some of these tools. At this session teachers will:

see how Windows 10 and Office 365 can transform their students’ educational experience and personalise learning
experience Learning Tools watch it improve reading comprehension
learn how students can demonstrate their understanding using inputs other than keyboarding and text and be equipped with productivity and collaborative tools, and skills they will use throughout their lives
navigate these tools and tailor them to their students’ individual learning needs.

“As a teacher, I am constantly on the hunt for technology and tools that give students with additional learning needs an environment that is personalised, differentiated and yet as close to their peers’ experience as possible… With Windows 10 and Office 365, I have been able to find and use many of the accommodations that I have been looking for making consumption of materials, content creation, collaboration and organisation possible for students using the same technology and tools as their peers.” – Robin Lowell, Special Education, Science and Mathematics teacher.

Regional STEM Education Conference 2018

The fourth annual Regional STEM Conference will be held in Wodonga on Monday June 25.

Early bird registrations now open

Presenters include:

Maria James, Curriculum Manager – Science, VCAA
Michelle Rayner, The Patch Primary School
Jackie Bondell, OzGrav
Jenny Ashby, Department of Education
Pauline Rogers, Essential Assessment
Dr Seamus Delaney, School of Education, Deakin University

Primary focused sessions include:

Rocketing into numbers and words
Level up story telling across the curriculum
Essential Assessment masterclass
STEM in the outdoors
Critical and creative thinking
Approaches to Integrated STEM – Mission to Mars
STEM learning through robotics and CAD

Secondary focused sessions include:

Introduction to the Wolfram Suite for STEM
Implementing the revised VCAL Numeracy curriculum
Taking it to the field – collecting primary GIS data in a digital age
The language of science: do you have the energy?
Developing scientific literacy – turning science articles into assessment tasks
The logbook & scientific poster in VCE sciences
Immersive science: using virtual reality and interactive apps to introduce space science

A more detailed preview is on the website with the full program to follow.

There are still some spaces in the program for sessions. If you would like to offer a session, or know someone else that might, please get in touch by reply email as soon as possible.

Other upcoming events

North East Region Design & Technologies Group Meet Up, May 31, 4pm
GIS for Schools, June 13, 2018 8:30am

More information is available via our website.

May 3, 2018
by rcrellin
0 comments

Personal Local Global Conference

Creative Problem Solving Conference

Friday 18th May, Harvester Technical College Sunshine

Great sessions for primary and secondary teachers with a focus on applied STEM learning, design thinking and practical upskilling in new technologies, including

Creative Digital Solutions ro Real World Engineering Problems
Solving Personal, Local & Global Problems in VCE PD&T
Teaching Coding, Electronics & Wearable Technologies
Unpicking Initiative – STEM in Textiles
Developing Practical D&T Sessions for Primary
The Benefits of Lasers in Education
Balloon Jousting – Rapid Prototyping Robots in the Classroom
Introduction to 3D Printing & Tinkercad
Leading STEM
Eco-printing our way to a More Sustainable Future

Find out more

April 19, 2018
by rcrellin
0 comments

DigiTech professional learning

Check out the range of sessions to support teachers with the Digital Technologies curriculum.

VCAA specialist teachers are delivering face-to-face and online sessions covering different aspects and levels of the Curriculm. Sessions are being held at: Burwood, Moe, Berwick, Ballarat, Hawthorn, Preston, Shepparton, Altona, Swan Hill. Find a session near you or register for a webinar

Digital Teaching and Learning Victoria (DLTV)

Developing the Digital Technologies Curriculum Webinar, 24 April 5:00 – 6:00pm
Object oriented programming for Y9-10 and VCE 22 May, Brunswick
Python for first time coding teachers, 10 August, Brunswick
DigiCon – 26-27 July, Fitzroy

CSER: DigiTech Champions Workshop – Secondary, 25 July Scienceworks

Code Club Teacher Training Bendigo – 03 May

Digital Technologies Hub professional learning webinars – various topics

Find out more about the Digital Technologies Curriculum

Download