Tomorrow's STEM professionals in the making

The Albanese Government is continuing to back Australian science and awarding 22 community engagement grants for young people totalling almost $2 million.

<https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/husic/media-releases/tomorrows-stem-professionals-making>

Telepresence robots to help sick kids across Australia 'attend' school in new pilot project

Year five student Fred McGuigan couldn't go to school for more than a year after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. But that changed when he met a robot named Steve. "This charity gave us the robot and that was situated in his classroom with all his classmates and his class teacher," Fred's mother Tiffany McGuigan said.

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-01/telepresence-robots-get-sick-kids-to-school-missingschool-pilot/102035340>

Video games engage and connect neurodiverse and neurotypical students

Summer Jeppesen first started exploring the online game Minecraft at her school library’s computer lab a couple of years ago. “Once I get into it, it’s relaxing, but it can be challenging, too,” says the Year 5 student at the remote Shepherdson College in the Northern Territory. “A highlight for me has been building a house with my best friend. It was pretty big – 15 by 15 square [blocks].

<https://www.aeufederal.org.au/news-media/news/2023/video-games-engage-and-connect-neurodiverse-and-neurotypical-students>

Welcome to our first edition of the DT Hub newsletter for 2023!

In this edition, we will focus on computational thinking. Computational thinking is one of the aims of the Digital Technologies curriculum, but what is it? It might sound complex, but at its core, computational thinking is about breaking down a problem we want to solve. It requires us to focus on the important information and break our problem into small, logical steps. These steps can then be written as an algorithm that solves the problem. We should evaluate the process to see how well we have solved the problem and consider what could be done differently.

<https://news.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/pub/pubType/EO/pubID/zzzz63ed88bfa5698015/interface.html>

Aim for the stars: Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy

The Young Indigenous Women's STEM Academy gives Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women the tools to succeed in a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) career.

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

New resources help parents engage in their child’s learning

Parents of NSW’s youngest learners now have more access to what their child is learning in the classroom than ever before, thanks to a new, free online student learning library.

<https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/new-resources-help-parents-engage-in-their-child-s-learning>

Engaging young citizens: Civic education practices in the classroom and beyond

Many OECD countries have implemented programmes and policies specifically targeting the development of civic skills and values in schools. Some of the most successful practices steer away from knowledge-transfer-based learning, and towards experiential learning practices which empower children by placing them in the centre of the learning process. The benefits of experience-based learning programmes also have the potential to reach beyond the classroom walls, allowing schools and students to create and strengthen relationships with the communities around them.

<https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/engaging-young-citizens_2166378c-en>

ChatGPT allowed in International Baccalaureate essays

Schoolchildren are allowed to quote from content created by ChatGPT in their essays, the International Baccalaureate has said.

<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/27/chatgpt-allowed-international-baccalaureate-essays-chatbot>

Women Tech Council’s SheTech provides career experiences and role models to activate and inspire girls into STEM fields [news release]

The Women Tech Council (WTC), a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in technology, today held SheTech Explorer Day, a day-long event to activate, engage and inspire high school girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The event drew nearly 3,000 girls from 125 schools across the state to learn about and experience STEM careers. They also met role models and mentors from 125 companies who helped them see what STEM fields are like and give them a vision of what they can achieve.

<https://www.prweb.com/releases/stem_activation_program_draws_thousands_of_high_school_girls_to_prepare_for_technology_jobs/prweb19198726.htm>

How coding with empathy can make science more inclusive

Why would a coding project benefit from having participants from different cultures on opposite sides of the world? It fosters greater empathy and reduces bias, according to Code.organd Empatico, organizers of the Coding with Empathy Challenge.

<https://codeorg.medium.com/how-coding-with-empathy-can-make-science-more-inclusive-af62df558ee8>

Q&A Webinar - The role of education in an interconnected world

Description: The world is fast changing, hyper-connected and increasingly complex. It is becoming ever more important to support students to be active citizens who can help build more sustainable, equitable and resilient societies. How should education systems respond? Join our webinar on 9 March to explore how schools can help students navigate and thrive in an interconnected world.

<https://meetoecd1.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ytwnYMDzTdeU4v3OVl_R2Q>

Aim for the stars: Young Indigenous Women’s STEM Academy

The Young Indigenous Women's STEM Academy gives Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women the tools to succeed in a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) career.

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

Primary school program aims to address STEM gender gap

An evidence-based Australian school program will help young girls catch the STEM bug early and to believe in their ability to succeed in science, technology, engineering and maths.

<https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/primary-school-program-aims-to-address-stem-gender-gap/281957>

The rise of ChatGPT shows why we need a clearer approach to technology in schools

ChatGPT and its powerful capacity to generate original text has taken the education sector by surprise. Not only are universities hurrying to adapt to it, schools are also grappling with this new technology.

<https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-chatgpt-shows-why-we-need-a-clearer-approach-to-technology-in-schools-199596>

Smartwatches, phones make their presence felt in primary schools

Long the domain of secondary schools, mobile phones and smartwatches are becoming increasingly common in primary schools.

<https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/smartwatches-phones-make-their-presence-felt-in-primary-schools-20230213-p5ck5k.html>

The My School website has just been updated. What makes a ‘good’ school?

Parents often worry about which school will be the best one for their children. Is the local public school the best option or would another public, faith-based or independent school be a better fit?

<https://theconversation.com/the-my-school-website-has-just-been-updated-what-makes-a-good-school-199979>

Here's how teachers can model responsible use of ChatGPT [subscription]

Mainstream and social media have been awash with the words of ChatGPT, the AI powered chatbot that promptly generates text on request.

<https://educationhq.com/news/heres-how-teachers-can-model-responsible-use-of-chatgpt-141449/>

‘Girls and the neuro­diverse must tackle STEM subjects’ [subscription]

Australia’s chief scientist has called for more girls and ‘neuro­diverse’ students to take maths and science subjects, saying our hi-tech industries cannot depend on migrants.

<https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/girls-and-the-neurodiverse-must-tackle-stem-subjects/news-story/1f47742269d36c324975fd662823b218>

SMP 2023 scholarships: open now

For Science Meets Parliament 2023, nine scholarship recipients will be able to access a full program of career-defining professional development training at no cost. Science Meets Parliament is Australia’s most significant event for deep engagement between the science and technology community and policymakers.

<https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/2023-smp-scholarships/>