ACS digital road map will strengthen the economy

With the twin goals of overcoming the COVID pandemic’s economic legacy and shaping Australia’s future digital economy, the ACS has unveiled a detailed policy road map ahead of the 2022 federal election. ... The nine policies recommended by the ACS ahead of the 2022 election are: ... A $100-million program should be undertaken to boost the resources and support for school teachers to implement an Australian Curriculum Digital technologies framework. This would help teachers by delivering technology-related content to be used in class.

<https://www.afr.com/technology/acs-digital-road-map-will-strengthen-the-economy-20220311-p5a3vp>

School kids to be taught advanced cybersecurity skills

According to AustCyber’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan, Australia will need more than 27,000 cybersecurity professionals by 2026.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/school-kids-to-be-taught-advanced-cybersecurity-skills/279824>

Study shows high levels of public trust and value for Australian teachers

Ahead of World Teachers Day, new research from Monash University has found the role of teachers continues to be recognised as important and influential in developing students' social and emotional development - which became even more important during COVID-19 remote learning. ... The study also found there was perceived merit in a hybrid or more flexible approach to schooling with 76.6 per cent of participants in support of rethinking the way schools operate in the future by creating a more flexible model where students attend school but have the option to take some classes online. Over half of the respondents, 56.7 per cent, believed the shift to remote learning during COVID-19 was successful in Australia.

<https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/study-shows-high-levels-of-public-trust-and-value-for-australian-teachers>

NSW school returns to remote learning as spiralling Covid cases hit classrooms

At least one school in New South Wales has had to return to some days of remote learning amid surging Covid cases in students and staff.

<https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/15/nsw-education-officials-unmoved-on-return-of-masks-in-schools-despite-surging-covid-infections>

Tech teachers honoured for robot innovation

Sydney’s south west is becoming a hotspot for science and technology with three schools earning plaudits in the field of robotics.

<https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/tech-teachers-honoured-for-robot-innovation->

Introducing the EdTech Buyers Guide for 2022

EdTech Impact is an independent review platform for EdTech worldwide. It’s also the driving force behind the EdTech Buyers Guide, which is an essential tool to have in your back pocket when you’re visiting the Bett show. This report, written by Michael Forshaw, highlights useful tips for how educators visiting the show can adopt an evidence-informed approach to EdTech procurement in order to make sure they are finding the best solutions for their setting.

<https://www.bettshow.com/bett-articles/introducing-the-edtech-buyers-guide-for-2022>

Lessons from the pandemic on fairer and more caring uni teaching and learning

The pandemic forced universities to rush out remote delivery of their courses online. Now we have had time to take stock of the impacts. Our newly published Australia-wide research investigated the challenges and opportunities of remote delivery for culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and refugee (CALDMR) students and university staff.

<https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-the-pandemic-on-fairer-and-more-caring-uni-teaching-and-learning-178292>

School kids to be taught advanced cybersecurity skills

According to AustCyber’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan, Australia will need more than 27,000 cybersecurity professionals by 2026.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/school-kids-to-be-taught-advanced-cybersecurity-skills/279824>

Rural residents say $750m NBN boost 'not enough' to bridge digital divide in the bush

In one of the most remote regions of Australia, residents in the Gulf of Carpentaria have long suffered the consequences of poor internet services. "We're so remote, we rely on telehealth. But what good is that when you lose your connection in the middle of a chat with your doctor," the region's mayor Jack Bawden said. "Our businesses can't do transactions because the EFTPOS machines are always down, you can't do remote learning, run meetings, because online connections are always dropping out.

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-24/farmers-welcome-nbn-upgrade/100928668>

What Generation Z can teach us about cybersecurity

Girl Security National Security Fellows Program fellow Amulya, a 17-year-old interested in countering online disinformation, said she feels her sense of personal privacy has been largely nonexistent “growing up in a media-saturated world.” She believes her sense of privacy was stolen by a combination of mass media, access to tech without education, and an increasing divide among generations, government, and industry around responsible technology. With an online presence from a young age, members of Generation Z, like Amulya, bring personal insight to the cybersecurity conversation about online privacy.

<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/03/15/what-generation-z-can-teach-us-about-cybersecurity/>

Let’s get personal: adaptive learning tech and education

Twelve years ago, Shantanu Sinha left his job to join his long-time friend Sal Khan’s new venture. At the time, Sal was spending his days making educational YouTube videos. It was an unusual career choice for both of them. But they saw what was possible when students had more agency over their learning and how technology could play a role. Together they started the online education platform Khan Academy, and Shantanu worked there for five years.

<https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/adaptive-learning-technology/>

6 Ways Conversational Virtual Humans Can Be Used in Education

The “New Normal” isn’t new anymore. The world of E-learning has changed forever, and it’s not going back. Even if students are returning to school, and eventually it happens - the model of a teacher, a whiteboard, and dozens of students sitting on chairs has changed forever. Instead, multitudes of new learning tools have entered the classroom. Technologies such as conversational AI, which were used mainly in textual interfaces and for commercial purposes, have entered this field.

<https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2022/03/6-ways-conversational-virtual-humans.html>

Why learning together is the future of online education

Something remarkable is happening with online learning. Let’s call it ed tech’s second wave.

<https://www.fastcompany.com/90733863/why-learning-together-is-the-future-of-online-education>

Rising to the challenge of providing all students with high-quality STEM education

Whether it’s the pandemic, climate change, food shortages, or economic inequality, almost all of the world’s most pressing problems would benefit from STEM-based solutions. Fourteen of the 16 fastest-growing “industries of the future” are STEM industries, and all of the top 25 degrees by pay and demand are in the STEM subjects. By 2025, there will be 3.5 million STEM jobs open in the United States alone.

<https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2022/03/23/rising-to-the-challenge-of-providing-all-students-with-high-quality-stem-education/>

CSIRO program sees students harness coding to solve musical challenge

Year 6 students in Perth have invented a device that makes music lessons easier for people with hearing impairments as part of a program run by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

<https://www.csiro.au/en/news/News-releases/2022/CSIRO-program-sees-students-harness-coding-to-solve-musical-challenge>

$2 million in grants to give young Australians STEM opportunities

Applications to foster creativity and inquiry-based learning for young Australians are open as part of the Maker Projects – Community STEM Engagement grants.

<https://www.industry.gov.au/news/2-million-in-grants-to-give-young-australians-stem-opportunities>

A milestone for championing the vision for women in STEM

The Academy is delighted to welcome Nokia as the 40th Champion of the Women in STEM Decadal Plan. The national plan aims to establish a thriving STEM-skilled workforce that is fit for the future, globally recognised, powered by a diverse and gender-balanced pipeline, and supported by an inclusive and respectful workplace culture.

<https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/milestone-championing-vision-women-stem>

Helping Australian school kids and teachers learn cybersecurity

A computer science academic at Sydney University, and associate professor James Curran’s research was in computational linguistics. One of the programs he ran was the 27-year-old National Computer Science School. That was where he came across students and teachers who were enthusiastic about IT but did not have the technical skills they needed to pursue IT positions.

<https://www.csoonline.com/article/3654201/helping-australian-school-kids-and-teachers-learn-cybersecurity.html>

New educational website to help teachers promote equitable learning

The Australian Academy of Science’s secondary science program, ‘Science by Doing’, is proud to announce a new website designed specifically for teachers.

<https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/new-educational-website-help-teachers-promote-equitable-learning>

The science of screen time: How much is too much for our kids?

New research has found that two hours a day appears to be the upper limit of healthy recreational screen time for children, beyond which they start to report only negative effects.

<https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-science-of-screen-time-how-much-is-too-much-for-our-kids-20220329-p5a934.html>

Some (other) facts about teachers and teaching

We spend time and energy revering celebrities and “influencers”, but rarely, if ever, teachers. Let’s perhaps reconsider where we direct our admiration and respect.

<https://www.smh.com.au/education/some-other-facts-about-teachers-and-teaching-20220324-p5a7ja.html>

3D printing shaping learning for blind and low vision students

More than 1,000 blind or low vision public school students in NSW are benefiting from access to 3D models, which can be created at their school with a 3D printer.

<https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/3d-printing-shaping-learning-for-blind-and-low-vision-students>

The promises and perils of new technologies to improve education and employment opportunities

Digital technologies are rapidly developing and transforming the way individuals work, learn, and participate in civic life. As digital innovations become more available and present opportunities to make quality learning and career opportunities more accessible across the globe, educational institutions, administrative data systems, and regulatory frameworks have struggled to adapt. Through research on the landscape of digital micro-credentials, we hope to provide insights and policy recommendations to decisionmakers and stakeholders, such as education and labor policymakers, to expand access to skills and quality jobs to the most disadvantaged learners and workers across the world.

<https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-promises-and-perils-of-new-technologies-to-improve-education-and-employment-opportunities/>