Smith Family trials digital delivery of educational programs to reach more students in need

Like many parents, Tammy (not her real name) is happy to see the back of remote learning experienced by families during the COVID lockdowns.

<https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7851512/trialling-digital-delivery-of-educational-programs-to-reach-more-students-in-need/>

Digital skills challenge sets kids up for tech careers

Over the last two years, the pandemic has seen technology thrust to the forefront of teaching and learning, not to mention the new Australian Curriculum, which will see a greater focus on improving young people’s digital literacy.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/digital-skills-challenge-sets-kids-up-for-tech-careers/280765>

Grok school program to hone digital skills [AAP]

A digital skills challenge will be free to schools across Australia to plug a critical gap in teaching, and attract thousands of students needed as future technology professionals.

<https://michaelwest.com.au/grok-school-program-to-hone-digital-skills/>

<https://www.cessnockadvertiser.com.au/story/7854742/grok-school-program-to-hone-digital-skills/>

<https://www.portnews.com.au/story/7854742/grok-school-program-to-hone-digital-skills/>

Making sense of the digital education landscape

The consortium for school network has released its driving K-12 innovation report, Education Services Australia CEO, Andrew Smith discusses.

<https://www.educationmattersmag.com.au/making-sense-of-the-digital-education-landscape/>

ESA News 

This edition of ESA News features engaging lesson plans from the Digital Technologies Hub, upcoming professional learning sessions and a 20-year milestone with myfuture. Read about where we'll be at EduTECH and find details for our live session on AI classroom lessons.

<http://edservaus.createsend.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/r/A6F113F3745BDE8B2540EF23F30FEDED/C67FD2F38AC4859C/>

Tech revolution essential to help stop technology-facilitated abuse

As new research reveals 1 in 2 Australians have experienced technology-facilitated abuse at some point in their lifetime, the eSafety Commissioner is calling for a radical shift in technology design and use to help end online abuse.

<https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/tech-revolution-essential-help-stop-technology-facilitated-abuse>

Parents urged to watch out for signs of cyberbullying

As Term 3 gets underway, parents are urged to be alert to changes in their children’s behaviour that might suggest they are a target of cyberbullying.

<https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/parents-urged-watch-out-for-signs-cyberbullying>

AFL and eSafety commit to #PlayitFairOnline

The AFL has signed a new agreement with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to help improve online safety for AFL players, fans and the broader community and raise awareness of the steps Australians can take to #PlayItFairOnline.

<https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/afl-and-esafety-commit-playitfaironline>

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare supports Spelling Bee competition

The new Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has thrown his weight behind a campaign to improve children’s spelling. He said the skill was critical for setting children up for their future. He said it was important to choose the right kind of book in an era where screens are the preferred choice of entertainment for kids today.

<https://www.news.com.au/national/federal-education-minister-jason-clare-supports-spelling-bee-competition/news-story/0c466fc4aa4a6de6c52fc3c3844f3ff4>

Powering the next generation of teaching and learning by ASUS

Educators, students and parents nowadays are confronting more barriers than ever to streamline education systems and enhance teaching communications.

<https://educationhq.com/news/powering-the-next-generation-of-teaching-and-learning-125716/>

Australia spends $5 billion a year on teaching assistants in schools but we don’t know what they do [not technology: DG]

This Friday, state and federal education ministers will meet for the first time since the federal election.

<https://theconversation.com/australia-spends-5-billion-a-year-on-teaching-assistants-in-schools-but-we-dont-know-what-they-do-187918>

EduTECH 2022: Moves to assess students' critical and creative thinking, resilience [subscription]

Is there a better way of assessing the vital skills and capabilities that students will need to thrive in their lives beyond school?

<https://educationhq.com/news/edutech-2022-moves-to-assess-students-critical-and-creative-thinking-resilience-126144/>

Train teachers to spot signs of radicalisation in classrooms: expert [subscription]

Teachers should receive training in semiotics to better detect signs of right-wing radicalisation in classrooms, a former FBI agent and cyber intelligence expert has said.

<https://educationhq.com/news/train-teachers-to-spot-signs-of-radicalisation-in-classrooms-expert-125832/>

Investing in a Testbed…for Schools and Institutions

There are unique benefits for education partners in a testbed trial program. These schools and institutions can be brought into the education innovation ecosystem, market themselves at the cutting edge of digital learning, and more.

<https://edugrowth.org.au/2022/07/09/gveia-investing-in-a-testbed-for-schools-institutions/>

A Sydney high school banned mobile phones. It had dramatic results

A Sydney high school has seen a dramatic decrease in behavioural issues and a boost in physical activity and students talking to each other just two months after it tightened restrictions on mobile phone usage.

<https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/a-sydney-high-school-banned-mobile-phones-it-had-dramatic-results-20220803-p5b6zf.html>

Wollongong cycling race road closures force students back to online learning

Thousands of Wollongong students face a week of online learning as roads close to cars for the UCI Road World Championships in September.

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-10/wollongong-cycling-race-road-closures-students-online-learning/101318246>

Wollongong schools forced into remote learning during UCI bike race

Seven Wollongong public schools will be forced into remote learning for the last week of this term due to road closures for the UCI bike race.

<https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7853852/wollongong-schools-forced-into-remote-learning-during-uci-bike-race/>

Google's 'Read Along' Learning Tool Now Available on the Web

Google is rolling out its Read Along learning tool for the web. The app, which is supposed to help children learn how to read, has been exclusive to Android since it was released in India in 2019. (It was called Bolo at the time; Google changed the name for its global launch in 2020.) Now it'll finally be available to kids without Android devices.

<https://au.pcmag.com/education-1/95548/googles-read-along-learning-tool-now-available-on-the-web>

Help kids learn to read with Read Along, now available on the web

Over the past three years, more than 30 million kids have read more than 120 million stories on Read Along. The app, which was first released as Bolo in India in 2019 and released globally as Read Along the following year, helps kids learn to read independently with the help of a reading assistant, Diya.

<https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/read-along-web/>

What we are learning | What we are reading: Recommended reading for people who demand evidence in EdTech (1 of 6)

This is Part 1 of a six-part blog series inspired by discussions with partners working in the EdTech space who recognize they do not have the information they need to make informed decisions and recommendations. With that in mind, we put together a series summarising what we have learned so far in each of our focus areas: Data for Decisions, Digital Personalised Learning (DPL), Girls’ Education & Technology, Participation & Messaging, and Teacher Continuous Professional Development. In each blog, we provide some key lessons, an outline of our ongoing work, and additional resources (written by us and by our partners) for readers who want to delve deeper. This first blog focuses on the general EdTech Hub space.

<https://edtechhub.org/2022/07/29/what-we-are-learning-what-we-are-reading-recommended-reading-for-people-who-demand-evidence-in-edtech-1-of-6/>

What we are learning | What we are reading: Data for Decisions – Can technology be used to improve data collection, analysis, and planning to improve learning outcomes?

This is Part 2 of a six-part blog series inspired by discussions with partners working in the EdTech space who recognize they do not have the information they need to make informed decisions and recommendations. So, we put together a series summarising what we have learned so far in each of our focus areas: Data for Decisions, Digital Personalised Learning (DPL), Girls’ Education & Technology, Participation & Messaging, and Teacher Continuous Professional Development. We provide some key lessons, an outline of our ongoing work, and some additional resources (written by us and by our partners) for readers who want to delve deeper. This blog focuses on Data for Decisions.

<https://edtechhub.org/2022/08/09/what-we-are-learning-what-we-are-reading-data-for-decisions-can-technology-be-used-to-improve-data-collection-analysis-and-planning-to-improve-learning-outcomes/>