Researcher using maths to help Antarctica recognised in Young Tall Poppy STEM awards

A mathematician who codes models of Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef to better understand how to protect vulnerable ecosystems is one of 12 young Queensland scientists to receive a state award.

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-31/qld-tall-poppy-award-winner-combines-maths-antarctica-stem/101390348> 

Teenagers prove you’re never too young to have a bright idea

The University of Sydney hosted the 2022 Biotech Futures Challenge, an annual competition which sees high school students from across Australia and New Zealand engineer solutions to address current problems in healthcare and the environment.

<https://www.sydney.edu.au/engineering/news-and-events/unpublished/teenagers-prove-you-re-never-too-young-to-have-a-bright-idea.html>

Surfing the edtech wave: the future is online education

Never in the history of education has online learning been so important. But there’s a big difference between teaching online, and providing quality online education, say researchers at the University of South Australia.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/surfing-the-edtech-wave-the-future-is-online-education/280912>

How technology is empowering teachers, and keeping them in the classroom

A recent Grattan Institute report found teacher workloads have blown out in recent decades – an issue that has exacerbated staff shortages across Australia.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/how-technology-is-empowering-teachers-and-keeping-them-in-the-classroom/280886>

TPACK leveraged: A redesigned online educational technology course for STEM preservice teachers

Abstract: Integration of computational thinking and programming into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes is needed to promote students’ learning of twenty-first century skills. Yet, teachers are not equipped to achieve this integration successfully as teacher education curricula do not generally align with this need. With the Covid-19 outbreak, curricula also need to be adapted for online environments. This qualitative study presents the redesign of an educational technology course that introduces programming and computational thinking to STEM preservice teachers for online settings, and explores learning experiences of preservice teachers, in terms of how they combine technological knowledge with pedagogy and content.

<https://ajet.org.au/index.php/AJET/article/view/4773>

A flexible solution for hybrid learning

Over the past few years, getting digital devices into the hands of students has dramatically changed in line with the shift to working and learning from home.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/a-flexible-solution-for-hybrid-learning/280899>

What is the future of education looking like in Asia Pacific?

The concept of traditional education has drastically changed over the last several years, and even more so during the pandemic, shedding light on what the long-term future of education may include. Being physically present in a classroom is no longer necessary to learn thanks to the growth of the internet and innovative technologies like video conferencing systems and smart whiteboards.

<https://techwireasia.com/2022/08/what-is-the-future-of-education-looking-like-in-asia-pacific/>

Google Classroom: Beyond the Traditional Setting [Problems of Education in the 21st Century][2021]

Abstract: This research explored the participants’ use of Google Classroom and evaluated its acceptability using the Technology Acceptability Model (TAM). The respondents were limited to 56 teachers enrolled in the research methodology class in a graduate school of a certain university in Bulacan during the first semester of the school year 2019-2020. The study utilized a mixed-method design. Triangulated were the result of the TAM survey, the analysis of the open-ended survey, and the record of the submission frequency of the respondents through Google Classroom.

<https://scientiasocialis.lt/pec/node/1436>

Phone bans should be a matter of principals, not governments by Daisy Turnbull

Every Sunday morning, my phone will get a screentime notification of how much (usually too much) time I’ve spent on my phone in the past week. I use my phone a lot. I am writing this on my phone. I also know when not to use my phone, when to have it on silent, and when it is using me more than I am using it. I have learned how to do this because sometimes that screen time notification is a bit too high.

<https://www.smh.com.au/education/phone-bans-should-be-a-matter-of-principals-not-governments-20220908-p5bgkt.html>

Uptick of women in STEM jobs welcomed: But still more work to be done to achieve parity with men.

... Professor Yolande Strengers from Monash University's Department of Human Centred Computing said it was important for learning institutions to build programs that encourage greater diversity among their students. “Creative programs that build technical skills whilst simultaneously demonstrating how emerging fields like AI need contributions from all disciplines and perspectives to address issues of social responsibility, equality and ethics are a great way to encourage young girls to experience STEM,” she said.

<https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2022/uptick-of-women-in-stem-jobs-welcomed.html>

The state of STEM gender equity in 2022

We’ve updated the STEM Equity Monitor for 2022. The monitor is a national data resource on women’s and girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It captures the state of STEM gender equity in Australia and measures changes and trends. You can use it to explore girls’ and women’s pathways of participation in STEM through school, higher education, graduation and the workforce.

<https://www.industry.gov.au/news/state-stem-gender-equity-2022>

I spy playful STEM learning at school

‘One class was a notable illustration of everything we know about quality in play-based learning.’ In this article, ACER Senior Research Fellow Rachel Parker shares the details of a playful STEM class she witnessed in the United States, where students were engaged in a crime scene investigation activity.

<https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/i-spy-playful-stem-learning-at-school>

Students march into the future with smaller (carbon) footprints

Through STEM Professionals in Schools, a school teacher teamed up with an environmental scientist to help students identify ways to reduce their impact on the climate.

<https://blog.csiro.au/students-reduce-carbon-footprints/>

Happy campers: Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy

The Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy provides students with the tools and support to succeed in an exciting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) career.

<https://blog.csiro.au/young-indigenous-womens-stem-academy-camp/>

Supporting the next science rock stars

Students from the Pia Wadjarri Remote Community School visited us in Perth, Western Australia, for a day of astronomy fun. We welcomed the students as part of our joint science camp with Curtin University (Curtin). Pia Wadjarri’s STEM Professionals in Schools representative and geology researcher from Curtin, Dr Luc Doucet, organised the camp.

<https://blog.csiro.au/pia-wadjarri/>

NSW government to appoint chief behaviour adviser to boost respect at schools

A chief behaviour adviser tasked with improving behaviour in NSW's public and private schools will be appointed by the state government after an "inappropriate" group chat run by students at one of Sydney's most exclusive schools was uncovered.

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-26/nsw-to-appoint-chief-behaviour-adviser-lift-respect-at-schools/101472388>

Premier’s plea to parents to set better example in social media ‘cesspit’

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has urged parents to set better examples for children when engaging on social media, deploring the “cesspit” of disrespectful engagement led by adults on online platforms.

<https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/premier-s-plea-to-parents-to-set-better-example-in-social-media-cesspit-20220926-p5bl3a.html>

Remote learning tools can support mental health

New research examines innovative ways to support the mental health of children in low- and middle- income countries and emergency contexts.

<https://www.acer.org/au/discover/article/remote-learning-tools-can-support-mental-health>

Broadband Commission highlights role of digital technology in globe’s future: Commissioners address pandemic-driven realities and review next steps for meaningful universal connectivity

​​​​​Digital technologies should form the foundation of education and skills-building as communities continue to adapt to the realities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, which met on Sunday at its annual fall meeting. ... Technology's role in education: During the meeting, convened ahead of the U.N.'s Transforming Education Summit at the opening of the 77th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, the Commission called for universal, inclusive and affordable connectivity for the digital transformation of education.

<https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/PR-2022-09-18-digital-technology-in-future.aspx>

The power of ICT for education

The Transforming Education Summit has been an opportunity for countries to make commitments to provide high-quality digital learning for all. Today’s session organized by ITU, UNESCO and UNICEF was no exception.

<https://www.itu.int/hub/2022/09/transforming-education-digital-learning-houlin-zhao/>

EdTech Research Update: What Schools Need to Know

New findings from the EdWeek Research Center will help you identify the most impactful edtech tools and how they can help students succeed.

<https://www.edweek.org/events/webinar/edtech-research-update-what-schools-need-to-know>

Virtual Reality Looks Cool, But Can It Actually Help Schools Teach Maths?

A VR company founded in 2019 to offer a learning solution for maths now serves over 20,000 students.

<https://www.edweek.org/technology/opinion-virtual-reality-looks-cool-but-can-it-actually-help-schools-teach-math/2022/09>

The Role of STEM Education in Improving the Quality of Education: A Bibliometric Study [International Journal of Technology and Design Education]

Abstract: The United Nations (UN) has launched several initiatives to promote the role of education in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and set Goal 4 for quality education among other SDGs. The integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) approach is a promising educational framework for sustainable development that improves education quality. In this study, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to evaluate the scientific results of the role of integrated STEM education specifically in improving the quality of education (SDG 4). A hundred and fifty publications, with an increasing trend in the number of documents each year, out of the total number of 74,879 documents related to “education quality” and 5,430 documents related to “STEM education” were chosen from the SCOPUS database. The study analyzes the growth and development of research activities in the area of “STEM education” and “Quality education” as reflected in the publications output in the time span of 27 years from 1993 to 2020. The publication and citation trends, the most frequently used keywords, the most influential authors and journals, and the research hotspots were investigated using VoSviewer and Bibliometrix software. Accordingly, the United States happened to be the most productive country in this field owning two-thirds of the number of publications. The “Science Education” journal is ranked at the top of the highly cited journals. The findings show that topics such as “early childhood education”, “computing education”, and “environmental education” are the main hotspots in the research area of STEM and quality of education. The results of this study will help enhance the understanding of integrated STEM education in improving the quality of education and will support future works in this area.

<https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4191297>