Teachers continue to inspire, against all odds

During the pandemic and remote learning, teachers continue to work hard and inspire a new generation.

<https://www.smh.com.au/education/teachers-continue-to-inspire-against-all-odds-20211007-p58y62.html>

One in six teachers working outside their area of expertise, documents reveal

An analysis of HSC results found students taught by specially qualified teachers did better than those who were not, particularly in science and technology subjects.

<https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/one-in-six-teachers-working-outside-their-area-of-expertise-documents-reveal-20211007-p58y28.html>

Webinar: Anxious kids, remote learning and school refusal

There have been plenty things which can cause us to be anxious over the past 2 years. To which, children and young people have not been exempted. In this presentation, Clinical Psychologist ,Tom Lothian, will review the nature of anxiety, what can be done to help and what to avoid. There will be a specific focus on anxiety in young people and on school refusal as this is a widespread challenge in many households coming into the final school term of 2021.

<https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/anxious-kids-remote-learning-and-school-refusal-tickets-180631994157>

Student video game designers scale the challenges

Students entering the 2021 Australian STEM Video Game Challenge have been commended for persevering throughout an often challenging school year.

<https://www.acer.org/au/discover/article/student-video-game-designers-scale-the-challenges>

Industry, schools and governments must work together to foster STEM career pathways

Weld Australia is calling on industry, schools and governments to work together to develop and deliver STEM programs that engage, excite and attract students. Australia needs a vibrant national STEM skills program that illuminates the opportunities available in careers like welding and manufacturing for kids and parents alike.

<https://weldaustralia.com.au/news-views/industry-schools-and-governments-must-work-together-to-foster-stem-career-pathways/>

Chief Scientist: We need more women in STEM

Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley is urgently calling for cultural change to help encourage women in STEM fields to avoid being left out as the country undergoes a shift toward science and technology.

<https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2021/chief-scientist--we-need-more-women-in-stem.html>

STEM Women Asia launched to the world

STEM Women Asia has been launched—providing an online directory of women in Asia and Oceania working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

<https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/stem-women-asia-launched>

Celebrating two years of impact with The GiST

In September, The Girls in STEM Toolkit (The GiST) is celebrating its second anniversary. Read about the achievements of The GiST during this time, from developing classroom principles to publishing inspiring stories of women paving the way in STEM.

<https://www.esa.edu.au/resources/news-articles/article-detail/celebrating-two-years-of-impact-with-the-gist>

Supporting teacher and principal wellbeing

How does educator wellbeing build a foundation for effective and rewarding teaching and learning? This self-paced online course from the Student Wellbeing Hub will help you develop tailored strategies to enhance your own wellbeing and professional fulfilment.

<https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/educators/professional-learning-courses/principal-and-teacher-wellbeing/>

Artificial Intelligence Explainers video: AI applications

The invention of the car more than 125 years ago transformed society at the time. Today, AI has the same transformative power. Share this video with your students to learn about innovative AI applications in Australia that will help to transform our modern lives. 

<https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/resourcedetail?id=1f3e4d98-09f9-6792-a599-ff0000f327dd>

Lesson plan on AI and image recognition

How does a computer see? This new lesson plan from the Digital Technologies Hub helps students explore how computer vision, a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), is used in digital systems to recognise and classify an object in an image.

<https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teachers/lesson-ideas/ai-lesson-plans/ai-and-image-recognition>

STEM students prove they are masters of the universe

Vanessa Lahey meets a team of budding astronauts from Newcastle that has won an international space race.

<https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/stem-students-prove-they-are-masters-of-the-universe>

Public school teacher shortage raises fears they will ‘run out of teachers’

Confidential departmental documents show NSW government schools face an unprecedented lack of teachers and are likely to “run out in the next five years”.

<https://www.watoday.com.au/national/nsw/public-school-teacher-shortage-raises-fears-they-will-run-out-of-teachers-20211003-p58wtq.html>

Early childhood education in remote NSW moves online to help kids during lockdown

A preschool in western New South Wales is using online conferencing and toy deliveries to help ensure its young people are not being left behind during the pandemic.

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-02/remote-early-childhood-education-bourke-nsw/100505420>

Towards a more equitable and empowering mathematics curriculum: What if we made progressive pedagogies more visible?

The Covid-19 pandemic has added to growing concerns about how misleading statistics and media reports can influence the beliefs and behaviour of millions of people. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 project (OECD, 2018) called for a review of the school curriculum with a view to cultivating the collective knowledge and critical understanding needed for today’s learners to address the environmental, economic and social challenges facing our society. We believe that mathematics education has a vital role to play in meeting these aims; however, current policy directions in England may prevent it from doing so.

<https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/towards-a-more-equitable-and-empowering-mathematics-curriculum-what-if-we-made-progressive-pedagogies-more-visible>

Teaching with Google Arts & Culture

Since its creation in 2011, Google Arts & Culture has made a wide range of cultural stories and experiences available to everyone, thanks to our collaboration with cultural organisations around the world. From experiencing dinosaurs and iconic fashion garments in 360 to getting immersed into masterpieces guided by your favourite actor or musician, and even projecting Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit into your home in AR, the platform offers curious minds many opportunities to learn.

<https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/teaching-google-arts-culture/>

Will technology solve education inequality?

As Harvard analyst, Deval Patrick, truthfully pointed out once: “When there’s inequity in learning, it’s usually baked into life.” The quality of education we receive as children and young adults directly impacts the quality of life we enjoy later. A good education allows us to work, develop and ultimately live a more secure and happier life. Receiving an inadequate education, on the other hand, can significantly hinder our personal development.

<https://www.techradar.com/au/news/will-technology-solve-education-inequality>

A celebration of strength and resilience this World Teachers’ Day

According to Google Trends, over the last 18 months, searches for “missing my students” increased 150%, and searches for “bulletin board ideas” dropped to an all-time low in April 2020. 

<https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/world-teachers-day/>

Apple launches new coding guide for elementary school students

Apple is rolling out several new resources for elementary school students, including a new "Everyone Can Code Early Learners" activity guide. The new guide extends Apple's curriculum resources from kindergarten to college. This latest rollout is part of the tech giant’s Everyone Can Code initiative, which aims to help educators and families introduce coding to students early on.

<https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/05/apple-launches-new-coding-guide-for-elementary-school-students/>

Panel: Demystifying computer science for Black parents of K-5 students

Code.org recently launched CS Journeys, a program designed for K-12 students to explore how computer science impacts their world and envision their own future possibilities. This initiative also engages parents to join this journey along with their children.

<https://codeorg.medium.com/panel-demystifying-computer-science-for-black-parents-of-k-5-students-517ca3913ceb>