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May 7, 2014
by rcrellin
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Mathematica, computer-based math and the new era of STEM with Conrad Wolfram

Conrad Wolfram Session: Free 27 May 2:30-3:30 at Bastow

Mathematica is a powerful global computation system that can handle all the various aspects of technical computing–and beyond–in a coherent and unified way. It is industry standard software used in the sciences, engineering, commerce, computer science and software development.

Conrad Wolfram, physicist, mathematician, businessman and technologist is Director of Strategic Development and European Co-Founder/CEO of the Wolfram group of companies. Conrad is also the world’s leading advocate for a fundamental shift of maths education to become computer-based, arguing that this is the key way to address issues in global maths education and move forward.

His widely acknowledged 2010 TED talk laid out the rationale and roadmap for this rethink and the same year he founded computerbasedmath.org (CBM) to drive implementation of the change. The movement is now a worldwide force in re-developing STEM curriculum and in February 2013 it was announced that Estonia would be the first partner country.

Wolfram Research and Mathematica Software

The Wolfram Group specializes in pushing boundaries at the intersection of computation, maths and knowledge, including making Mathematica software, the Wolfram Alpha knowledge engine (powering knowledge answers for Apple’s Siri), the Computable Document Format (CDF) standard, the newly announced Wolfram Language and forthcoming Wolfram Cloud.

Since 2011, Mathematica has been available to all Victorian DEECD secondary students and teachers via the eduSTAR image.

The importance of math to jobs, society and thinking has increased exponentially over the last few decades. Meanwhile, maths education globally has slipped backwards. Why has this chasm opened up? Computers are the key to addressing this challenge effectively – when computers do the calculating, people can work on harder questions, try more concepts, and play with a multitude of new ideas.

Conrad Wolfram will discuss his major project to build a completely new curriculum in mathematics with computer-based computation at its heart – covering the rationale for the change, how it’s being manifested and how Victoria is well placed to be at the forefront.

Who should attend Conrad Wolfram’s Session?

Anyone with an interest in mathematics education, in particular, school leaders, teachers and teacher educators, system representatives, policy makers and education researchers should attend. This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of the leading global thinkers in mathematics education and technology here in Melbourne.

Session Details and Registration:

May 27, 2.30pm – 3.30pm
BASTOW 603-615 Queensberry Street North Melbourne
Register here PLEASE NOTE: This is a free event. When you register and get to the payment section just choose credit card or invoice payment and it will progress through to a zero invoice and not require any payment.
A number of regional venues will also be linking to the presentation via Polycom video-conferencing.
Contact Peter Maggs maggs.peter.j@edumail.vic.gov.au for further information or polycom details.

OTHER MATH TED TALKS

Check out this collection of videos – 8 Math talks to blow your mind. Mathematics gets down to work in these talks, breathing life and logic into everyday problems. Prepare for math puzzlers both solved and unsolvable, and even some still waiting for solutions.

Support for schools using Mathematica

A range of resources are available to teachers on FUSE and the Digital Learning Showcase. The Wolfram Mathematica website also has a great range of free online tutorials and support materials for teachers. In 2013 schools from all over Victoria received Mathematica professional learning via Polycom Video conferencing.

Using Mathematica in the Classroom:

Print version: Conrad Wolfram Session

April 24, 2014
by rcrellin
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Using Digital Tools in the Classroom – Online Professional Learning

An online professional learning program related to using a range of digital tools in the classroom has been developed to meet request from schools.

Focus areas will include:

Beyond classroom walls – Web conferencing (2 sessions)
Social media in teaching and learning (2 sessions)
Mobile devices across the curriculum (1 session)

You can choose one or two focus areas or take part in all 5 sessions.

Online sessions will be held on Blackboard Collaborate and will be 45-60 minutes in length. Each focus area will run for approximately two weeks and will encourage teachers to link in with other professionals to share experience and ideas.

Participants will need to book sessions using the link below before the 20th of May, 2014.

To register for one or all of the courses click here.

For the PDF information sheet to display in your school (similar to below) please click this link – Using Digital Tools in the Classroom

For more information or enquires please contact Penny Rowe on 03 9651 3017 or email rowe.penelope.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

Webinar date/time	Focus Title	Presenter	Target audience
Wednesday, 21th May 2014, 4pm and Wednesday, 28^th May 2014, 4pm	Beyond Classroom Walls – Web Conferencing These sessions will support teachers to use web/video conferencing tools such as polycom, Lync, Skype and Blackboard collaborate and connect with other teachers outside of your school community. This course would be very useful to those schools that have recently received a Polycom unit and would like to learn how to use it better. Register	Anne Mirtschin, Virtual Conference Centre Coach	All school staff Register
Thursday 5^th June 2014, 4pm and Thursday 12^th June 2014, 4pm	Using Social Media in Teaching and Learning These sessions will explore how social media can support and enhance teaching and learning. This course will help teachers to develop a better understanding around using social media safely with students, exploring some of the concerns and misconceptions. It will also help teachers who are unfamiliar with social media to learn about how it can be used for tasks such as professional networking and information gathering. Register	Mel Cashin, Digital Learning Consultant	All school staff Register
Wednesday 18^th June 2014, 4pm	Mobile devices across the curriculum This session will explore using mobile devices, such as iPads, in the classroom in creative ways. We will consider the value and use of various apps across all curriculum areas including video, animation, recount, storytelling, and augmented reality. There will be opportunities for discussion around how to overcome barriers such as the transfer of data, connecting, creating a multi-device environment and implications of particular apps. Register	Penny Rowe Senior Project officer, Digital Learning Branch	All school staff Register

April 9, 2014
by rcrellin
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Students leading the way

Schools can empower students to help build the capacity of their peers, staff, and the wider school community in the use of digital technologies by providing and promoting ICT leadership opportunities and by showcasing students’ digital work.

By training ICT mentors and student experts, or encouraging students to work alongside their teachers and help them learn new skills, schools give students recognition and positive attention and help them develop a positive profile as tech savvy kids.

Victorian schools are already exploring options for students to assist in the development and leadership of digital learning policies.

What can teachers do to encourage students to mentor and support each other and their teachers to use technology?
How can students contribute to the professional learning of their teachers?
Why would teachers involve students in planning and decision-making?
How can student skills and understandings in the use of technology be leveraged to supplement technical support processes already in place?
How do online tools and spaces support student reflection and learning?
How do collaborative learning spaces support students to connect, collaborate and co-create knowledge?

Competitions

Nominations for the 20th national iAwards are now open to all segments of the ICT industry. The iAwards honour the achievements of the student and the school through state and national exposure.
ACMI’s Screen It is Australia’s national film, animation and game making competition for school-aged students. Designed to encourage imagination and inventiveness in primary and secondary school students.
Trop Jr is a filmmaking competition and free outdoor festival for kids 15 years and younger.
The Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards celebrate the best of Australian and New Zealand screen content from the education sector and screen industry professionals.
RoboCupJunior Australia is a project-oriented educational initiative that supports local, regional and international robotic events for young students.
Young ICT Explorers is a technology competition for primary and secondary students to submit their best ICT project. This competition is sponsored by SAP, Group X, NICTA and Swinburne University. It aims to inspire creativity and innovation while encouraging students to consider a career in ICT.

Leadership Events

The Global Education Conference is a collaborative, inclusive, world-wide community initiative involving students, educators, and organizations at all levels. It will take place online from 17 – 22 November 2014.
The Digital Demons – Playing by the Rules program saw elite footballers and Year 9 students discuss how they can behave safely and responsibly online.
EcoCentre Education team members can visit schools and inspire students to reconnect with their local environment through creating, installing and monitoring nest-box homes for wildlife.
Adobe Youth Voices is the Adobe Foundation’s signature philanthropy initiative empowering young people to ‘Create with Purpose’.
Kids Congress is an award winning technology and learning conference for 9-12 year olds. The conference challenges the digital generation and their teachers to take part in fun, problem-solving workshops using cool software and technology. What’s unique about this event is that it’s run by kids, for kids.

More Resources

The Student Leadership of Digital Learning FUSE Package has over 20 resources that will help teachers set up a leadership program for students interested in digital learning
GenYES is an innovative program that creates 21st century leaders and learners. GenYES students in years 4-12 help teachers use technology in classrooms, supporting effective technology integration school-wide.
For more information, see: DEECD Students and Digital Technologies, Competitions and achievements and Leadership events.

Kids Congress Bendigo

March 27, 2014
by rcrellin
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3D Printing

Guest blogger: Penny Rowe, Digital Learning Branch

3D printing is becoming a more widely used technology in schools, with the lowering costs and strong connections to science, engineering and maths. Quantum Victoria is taking the lead in this area and offers cutting edge professional development and student programs to guide both teachers and students through the process of using the device. From building to using 3D printers; students and staff develop a deeper understanding of 3D modelling and printing.

Quantum Victoria was established by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. With a diverse team comprising of highly skilled teachers and education support staff Quantum offers workshops and training which is innovative and tailored to enhance access and learning with technology.

On March 6 and 7^th Quantum Victoria held a two day professional development workshop for teachers to learn how to use a Solidoodle 3D printer, which they were then able to take away with them to install into their prospective settings. This was made possible through a partnership grant with DEECD. Schools were invited to participate in this initiative with the hope that they would embed this new technology across Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics within their schools.

During the training teachers were guided by the highly skilled team at Quantum. The process started with learning how to set up and calibrate the device, connect and communicate with the computer, instructing the printer what to print. We sourced 3D models from the internet on http://www.thingiverse.com, as well as being taught how to use a range of software packages to create our own 3D models. These included MeshMixer, OpenSCAD, SketchUP Make, and Sculptris, all of which was free to download from the internet and required various levels of skill.

It was an excellent two days of training. All in attendance, teachers from both primary and secondary school settings, rural and metro locations, went away excited and empowered to use this device to enhance learning in their school communities. There was rich conversation and collaboration among the participants about how the device could be used in the classroom to enhance problem solving and thinking skills and make real world connections with their students which attributed to the success of the two days. Teachers also have an opportunity to share their ideas and lesson plans with each other through the online community established by the Quantum team.

As part of Education Week, Quantum Victoria are running Modelling and 3D Printing sessions for Years 7-9 students on 20 May. See Calendar of Free Activities for this and other events.

To find out more information about 3D printers and the programs at Quantum Victoria please contact: Soula Bennett via email at: soula.bennett@quantumvictoria.vic.edu.au or for more general information on 3D printers the Digital Learning Branch.

While not related to Victorian education – this video shows the potential of 3D printing technology, in this case to create 3D prosthetic limbs.

March 12, 2014
by rcrellin
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Opening Learning to Parents

Anne Mirtschin is our guest blogger this week

Technology opens up many doors, flattens classroom walls and enables involvement in learning in innovative ways, many of which are now only being pioneered. Distance, time, cost and effort are no longer barriers to the ability to attend classes, meetings and special events. Connecting, collaborating and communicating can take place anywhere and anytime as long as there is internet access.

Tools such as Blackboard Collaborate, skype and MS Lync; and high definition videoconferencing equipment eg Polycom mean that parents, teachers and students can attend meetings, lessons and professional development sessions provided there is access to the internet using either a mobile device or fixed hardware. Following are some of the ways that technology could be or have already been used to connect parents virtually.

Online Meetings:

Committee meetings –There is no longer a need to meet in a central location, participants can attend the meeting virtually from the comfort of their home and work place, by logging in to a virtual meeting room using Blackboard Collaborate, via a link provided by the moderator. Alternatively, if Polycom equipment is available at a local school, parents can dial into the room and be part of a meeting via a large monitor, webcamera and microphone. An app is now available for mobile devices to provide access to both Polycom and Blackboard Collaborate. Both types of virtual meetings can be recorded for members who can attend.

Parent Information Evenings – Hawkesdale P12 College trialled online nightly parent information meetings over a 4 week period. The first evening was held physically in the school library. Students and parents were stepped through the basics of virtual meeting rooms using the student netbooks. One hour meetings were scheduled over a 5 week period. Parents were either emailed a link to the room or accessed it from the school blog, logged on from home, with their child supporting them and participated in a planned webinar with the chat feature being used for questions, feedback etc. A sample agenda:-

Ice breaker (6 mins)
From our Principal (7 mins)
Assistant Principal (7 mins)
Online exploration: Ms Murnane Literacy co-ordinator (7 mins)
An e-guest from Darwin – Rachel Neale (7 mins)
From the classroom – Mrs Gow (Science/maths teacher) (7 mins)
Mr Poynton (humanities teacher) – Education Week (7 mins)
Question time and student sharing (7 mins)

These webinars were recorded for interested parents who could not attend. Read more at Techno Parents (http://murcha.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/techno-parents-in-elluminate-transforming-educational-communities/)

Online school assemblies – Scott Duncan, is an innovative ICT teacher at a new school in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs. His school shares the site with the local secondary college and has limited access to the gymnasium. This led to the introduction of broadcasting and recording of their school assemblies using web conferencing and Blackboard Collaborate. Classes, teachers and parents login and participate. Read more at Online Assemblies (http://mrduncan.global2.vic.edu.au/2012/09/10/online-assemblies/)

Global Student Summits

Parents have been invited to virtually join online global student summits with students presenting and sharing their learning across different countries. They are able to listen, ask questions in the chat and provide feedback to the student learning that is being shared. They become one of the classroom members.

eSchool Council Meetings

School Council Members from Hawkesdale P12 College and Apollo Bay College met virtually using Polycom videoconferencing equipment, to discuss the value and nature of using videoconferencing for learning.

Further ideas: There are so many ways in which technology can connect parents to learning. Further possibilities include bringing in expert speakers, virtual art exhibitions, online book character parades, book clubs, other special classroom activities, parent teacher interviews etc

What suggestions do you have? How have you used virtual meeting/classroom software or hardware to connect parents with learning?

March 12, 2014
by rcrellin
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Digital Technologies Curriculum

Technologies enhance and affect the lives of people and societies globally. Currently there is an accelerating ICT skills shortage, with declining numbers of higher education enrolments in computer science. This is also a concern in the school education system where computer science is taught primarily in upper secondary, and often as an optional subject.

The Australian Curriculum: Technologies describes two distinct but related subjects:

Design and Technologies, in which students use design thinking and technologies to generate and produce designed solutions for authentic needs and opportunities.
Digital Technologies, in which students use computational thinking and information systems to define, design and implement digital solutions. This is the focus of the MOOC outline below.

The Technologies curriculum is part of the review of the remaining Australian Curriculum learning areas. At this stage, it is envisaged the second iteration of AusVELS will, subject to approval by the Minister for Education, be released early in Term 3, 2014 for the purpose of school curriculum planning. It is expected schools will begin to report against the new achievement standards in these additional learning areas and general capabilities from 2015. More information VCAA Notice to Schools 9/2014

CSER Digital Technologies MOOC (F-6)
The CSER digital technologies MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) is hosted by the Computer Science Research Group, based at the School of Computer Science, University of Adelaide, and developed with the support of Google. This free and open course will explain the fundamentals of digital technology and computational thinking, specifically addressing the learning objectives of the Australian Digital Technologies curriculum (Foundation-6). MOOC Information Start date: 22 March 2014, the course will run for 8 weeks, with the first four weeks as one block, a two week break and then another four week block. The expected time commitment is approximately 3 hours per week.

Module topics:

Module 1: Welcome and Introduction
Module 2: Data (Patterns and Play)
Module 3: Data (Representation and Binary)
Module 4: Digital Systems
Module 5: Information Systems
Module 6: Algorithms and Programming
Module 7: Visual Programming and Visual Programming Environments

DEECD Support: This MOOC is a self-paced and self-directed opportunity which is available without charge to schools. Support will be provided by DEECD Digital Learning branch staff as they undertake this course alongside participants. No CRT support is available for schools.

How to Register:

Go to the CSER website to register. To participate fully in the MOOC experience, you will need to set up a gmail account, because the creators of the course are using a Google course builder platform on which to construct it.
Please send the names of registered teachers and school to Penny Rowe, Senior Program Officer Digital Learning, rowe.penelope.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

February 26, 2014
by rcrellin
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iPad Orchestra at Boneo Primary School

Our guest student bloggers this week: Liam, James, Riley, Macoy, Zali, Finn, Seth, Tom , Brigitte, Harry, Stacey, Poppie, Ella, Meg and Samantha.

Thanks to Sally Walsh for pulling it all together.

We have a fabulous school concert band with lots of excellent musicians. Many of our musicians are also very interested in technology, particularly mobile devices. One day our teacher played her iPad by blowing into the microphone using the Ocarina app. Our clarinet and flute teachers played too. It looked like a lot of fun, so- the Boneo PS iPad Orchestra was born! At present we have 20 members in our i-Orchestra. There are lots of music apps for iPad. We already had Garage Band and were looking for instrument apps that matched the instruments we play in our concert band. We researched lots of apps and came up with the following list to use.

Garage Band: Turns your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses.

Real Piano: A full 88-key piano app that brings you realistic grand piano sound, smoothly moving and zooming, customizable key labels, and professional tuning & transposition functionalities.

Woodwind instrumentSS: A music application packed with 12 different woodwind instruments such as the flute and the clarinet.

Viola: Play Viola on iPhone, options are smooth performance or bowed and pizzicato sound

Ocarina 2: Blow into your phone, play the notes, feel the magic as Ocarina 2 responds to your breath, touch and movement. Turn your phone into an ancient flute-like instrument.

Drum Kit: is the fastest and most realistic drum app in the App Store. It blends in cymbal sounds like a real kit, a feature that isn’t available on any other drum app.

How it works: Each group plays their own part together – keyboard players, then guitarists, flautists, etc using the apps we chose. Then we try to play two groups together, adding parts until we are all performing together. When we first started we had problems because we couldn’t hear what other people were playing, but then we bought mini hamburger speakers to each iPad. That solved the problem.

Opportunity to collaborate:

Would you like your class to collaborate with ours for music lessons? Join in the fun at Boneo PS online. All you will need is a data projector or IWB and a computer. Lessons are at different times of the week, covering all primary grades and lots of different activities. No experience in either music or technology necessary!

Contact Sally Walsh: walsh.sally.j@edumail.vic.gov.au

February 26, 2014
by marcellinus
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New Pedagogies for Deep Learning – An opportunity for 80 Victorian Schools

What is New Pedagogies for Deep Learning?

Deep Learning is a term that is not new to education. Long have educators strived to develop learning experiences that go beyond surface learning and help students to develop connections to learning at a level that demonstrates deep understanding, application and an awareness of the interconnectedness of learning concepts. Why then is it so hard?

There are many challenges to creating learning environments and opportunities that provide deep learning experiences. Two of the missing components are in pedagogy and assessment. Pedagogies provide the ‘how’ of how learning is achieved. To achieve deep learning requires New Pedagogies. Likewise, how do we know that Deep Learning is occurring and that the New Pedagogies are working? That is where New Measures provide evidence and information to assist schools in making decisions around constructing deep learning experiences.

So how does the New Pedagogies initiative work?

It’s a global partnership aiming to implement deep learning goals across whole education systems that are enabled by new pedagogies and accelerated by technology.

Students across the globe will be engaged in deeper level learning and provided the skills to be life-long learners, creative, connected and collaborative problem solvers who can successfully participate and innovate in our increasingly interconnected world. Global education stakeholders and their business partners, will work together to address a key education challenge: how educators can design and practice teaching and learning that lead to more successful futures for all students.

Who is in it and what’s it about?

Countries are part of the Global Partnership will include 1,000 schools across the world. The goal is to build collective capacity to define and measure deep learning, investigate and share models of New Pedagogies, use collaborative tools to design and measure deep learning as well as learning outcomes, and leverage change leadership to foster deep learning. Central to this holistic approach to education transformation is the role that digital technologies play in enabling and accelerating learning.

All partnering schools will share consistent assessment approaches and collaborate in identifying and further innovating and scaling the most promising practices and tools that enable deep learning. In Australia we have 100 schools participating, 80 in Victoria and 20 in Tasmania.

What are the intentions and success criteria?

The intent of the initiative is to engage education systems in collective effort to mobilize deep learning, identify deep learning work within those systems, capture and cultivate new pedagogies that advance deep learning and operationalize, refine and validate measures for deep learning

The success criteria of the initiative is defined by being able to produce measureable results of making learning more engaging and productive, produce measureable results of new pedagogies driving deeper learning and to build enough capacity so education systems start collaborating on creating their own transformation methodology.

How do I find out more or get involved?

Its not often that an opportunity to participate in a initiative which is international, and involves such great thinkers around education. Victorian schools are fortunate to be able to participate through an open expression of interest process, which closes on the 3^rd of March 2014. To find out more, the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning website provides more. In particular the two White Papers; Towards a New End: New Pedagogies for Deep Learning and A Rich Seam by Michael Fullan and Maria Langworthy provide a detailed examination of the concepts explored in the initiative also the reading is great professional learning!

With teachers in schools all over the world thinking and working towards the goal of deep learning, the real beneficiary is the students – after all 21^st Century learning isn’t in the future. It’s right now!

The expression of interest form can be found below.

EDUTRACK_n1213789_New_Pedagogies_EOI_January_2014

February 11, 2014
by marcellinus
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Everyone can be an inventor with a MaKey MaKey!

Our guest blogger this week is Marc Blanks from the Digital Learning Team

Remember when using technology in the classroom was exciting, experimental and creative? The MaKey MaKey is one tool that is helping learners to think beyond predesigned, closed activities and develop skills in thinking, creativity and innovation all while learning key skills in digital technologies and other disciplines such as science.

Have you ever had a student with great ideas and imagination, but couldn’t realise them because they lacked the resources, skills or expertise? The MaKey MaKey helps build the connection between what is imagined and possible. It truly is the ‘invention kit for everyone’.

The strength of the MaKey MaKey is that it presents a world of possibilities- banana pianos, water based dance machines? Pet photo booths? Absolutely! Home made game controllers? For sure! Designed by two graduate students at MIT Media Lab and funded through a Kickstarter launch, MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. The MaKey MaKey is a great example of how invention can redefine learning through the use of technology.

The beauty of the MaKey MaKey is in its simplicity of operation and vast array of ideas you can apply it to. The MaKey MaKey uses a USB cord to connect its circuit board to your computer. The circuit board takes over the functionality of certain key on your keyboard or mouse, like the space bar or the mouse click. By simply using alligator clips -for beginners- you can connect the space bar function of the MaKey MaKey controller to the end of a banana, or a pencil line, or a piece of Play-Doh, and make that object the keyboard or mouse input. Just touch your “home made key” and you control the functionality of the space bar and more on the computer.

Watch this clip below to see just how it all works.

MaKey MaKey – An Invention Kit for Everyone from jay silver on Vimeo.

Once you have connected the MaKey MaKey and played with some pre-made apps- the real fun is in creating your own! Scratch and Gamemaker are apps that are on the Edustar software suite which can be used easily with the MaKey MaKey to create games and interactive digital experiences. Interactive dioramas can made where the viewer can interact with the contact on the screen by touching real objects. When students are thinking beyond a mouse, keyboard or tablet- its amazing the creative input solutions they invent!

MaKey MaKey outlines

Recommended or Ages 8 and up
No software necessary. Operates through USB
Works with any object that can conduct even a small amount of electricity.
Multiple MaKey MaKeys can be used together
Runs on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux

Find out more and take it further:

A great introduction clip to the MaKey MaKey and some possible project ideas:

http://www.MaKeyMaKey.com/forums/index.php?topic=5743.0

Looking for the best place to start? The MaKey MaKey website is the best spot to begin; especially useful is the MaKey MaKey quick start guide. It also includes materials and software to get going.

http://MaKeyMaKey.com/howto.php#materials

Scratch and MaKey MaKey are a perfect match. Below is a quick start link on the official MIT Scratch website explaining how to connect the MaKey MaKey to your computer and use Scratch.

http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/How_to_Connect_to_the_Physical_World

A starter MaKey MaKey tutorial with some good ideas to

http://wowattachment2013sciencecentre1.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/MaKey-MaKey-ideas.pdf

Matching technology to learning theory enables the development of deeper learning experiences. Here is an informative blog post from Lauren Murray exploring Multiple Intelligences and MaKey MaKey.

http://murraylauren.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/multiple-intelligences-in-the-classroom-with-MaKeyMaKey/

At the bottom of this post, Jason Webb highlights some of the materials that are available to extend the possibilities of the MaKey MaKey- including conductive, paper, tape, thread and paint!

http://jason-webb.info/2013/02/overview-of-the-MaKey-MaKey-for-educators-of-students-with-diverse-needs/

I wonder what ideas your students will have with the MaKey MaKey?

January 22, 2014
by wmacpherson
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Online Professional Learning 28th January: Links and information

Thank you for registering for our online professional learning sessions in the Virtual Conference Centre. Please find links to sessions below. A number of participants have registered for concurrent sessions. Please decide which session you will attend rather than chopping and changing once sessions are underway. Remember that all sessions are being recorded and links will be published on this page on Wednesday 29^th January

Please run some checks on your computer so that you are confident of your ability to connect to Blackboard Collaborate well in advance of Tuesday 28^th January. You will need a headset with microphone if you wish to participate fully, however you will be able to view and listen to the presentation using your computer and speakers and join the conversation using the online chat system.

Go to the Blackboard Collaborate page of the DEECD Virtual Conferencing webpages.

You will be able to check whether you have Java installed on your computer.
Test your connection and if you are able to access the training room your system is correctly configured.
Whilst you are in the training room, set up your microphone headset or speakers using the Audio Set-up Wizard.

The Blackboard Collaborate Orientation Guide will step you through how to prepare for your first Blackboard Collaborate web conference.

You will be able to click on the session links 30 minutes prior to the advertised starting time.

Session Links for Online Professional Learning: Tuesday 28th January

10.30-11.30am

Introduction to AusVELS: Sharon Foster, VCAA

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.9F3FF7E7ACE75D2AFED560E135B600

11.30-12.30pm

Using Digital Resources to Support AusVELS: Rachel Crellin Digital Learning Branch

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.83A86C338B6853921F1A23D5E67FEA

iPads for Learning: Megan Iemma, ICT Coach

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.98905F9A3E8D90E6D8A52639559D98

Introduction to 21C-LD (21st Century Learning Design): Marc Blanks & Wendy Macpherson, Digital learning Branch

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.35E16BC694A0CDDC068A3BCAC62B03

1.30-2.30pm

Online Learning- Planning and preparing for the year ahead: Sandy Phillips, Digital Learning Branch

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.424DC17270C290607850D1B4F99BD9

Digital Pedagogies: Flipped, Blended and Virtual Learning; Marc Blanks, Digital Learning Branch

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.AF141391588EE9A3D269E703E205D9

2.30-3.30pm

Introduction to facilitating online learning: Peter Maggs, Digital learning Branch

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.A965EE795D79332B09FC929667E0FD

Starting up a Student Digital Learning Leadership Program; Wendy Macpherson, Digital learning Branch

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2007026&password=M.B2CBB296CEBC8CE7E6987371DB981B

Please refer to the Technical Support materials if you are experiencing difficulties setting up Blackboard Collaborate. (note that the previous name for Blackboard Collaborate was Elluminate. Elluminate support materials are still relevant)