Our guest blogger this week is Stephen Spain from the Australian Catholic University
The 2017 Kids’ Conference brings together primary and secondary students from across the world to share their ideas and creativity using new and emerging digital technologies. ACU will once again host the conference in partnership with the History Teachers’ Association of Victoria and the Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria on Tuesday 21 November at ACU’s Melbourne campus. The Conference welcomes new event partners this year: The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV), Cultural Infusion and the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE) with sessions spanning History, Geography, English and Science.
‘Kids’ teaching teachers’ has been the vision for the conference to highlight the remarkable creativity in our schools, promote ‘student voice’ in learning and enable teachers to facilitate, observe and hear from students applying digital technologies in new ways. The Kids’ Conference 2017 brings together primary and secondary students as presenters, offering them the opportunity to share their creative and innovative projects, and allowing senior teachers, early career teachers, and pre-service teachers the opportunity for professional development.
Founded in 2012 by Stephen Spain from ACU and Dr. Jo Clyne from the History Teachers’ Association of Victoria, the conference has grown significantly over the past few years and will include for the first time this year two new disciplines, Science and English. It has also expanded internationally with the inaugural Kids’ Conference Germany held this year.
The State Member for Melbourne Ellen Sandell MP will be this year’s guest speaker, with senior representatives from both state and federal government in attendance. Professor Dr. Klaudia Schultheis and Dr. Petra Hiebl from Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Germany will also be attending to present virtual presentations by German primary school students in the history and science sessions.
The Kids’ Conference has been kindly supported by the Australian Catholic University and the Australian Government, Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
For more information on the conference please visit: http://www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/faculties,_institutes_and_centres/education_and_arts/kids_conference
