We've been waiting to see what NESA would come up with for an update for Information Software Technology for a while now - ever since we saw the NSW draft of the Technology Mandatory syllabus and wondered what was next for Stage 5. Well now we know! The replacement course is called Integrated Computing and it really has been updated to align better with out changing world.

It's very important that  all teachers of Computing have their say so attend a consultation near you or at least read the draft syllabus and complete the feedback survey. We're also keen to hear from you at president@ictensw.org.au to add to our own written response we're preparing for NESA.

We live in exciting times! So many changes - so much potential for student learning!

We are often asked to recommend products that assist with the implementation of the new Mandatory Technology syllabus for Digital Technologies. We want to go on record to say that it is definitely possible to teach the Digital Technologies Curriculum without any purchases, however, the micro:bit is an excellent tool for engagement and bridging the gap between digital technologies and engineering. The BOSON Starter Kit for micro:bit has some really positive features for extending the micro:bit for built projects.

Content of Boson Starter Kit for micro:bit by DFRobot

Benefits:

• Easy to use. The grove connectors to break out the pins from the micro:bit make sensors and actuators available for easy connection.
• Easy to build. The components in the kit have both Lego and screw connector attachments to make the components accessible to a large variety of projects.
• Variety. There are a good number of components, colour coded for easy identification for extending projects.
• Tutorials. There are mini-project cards that come int he kit to train students in the use of the kit.

Drawbacks:

• Board manipulation. Despite the ease of use once the micro:bit is inserted into the mount, it is not easy to push the micro:bit into the breakout and nor is it easy to remove it once inserted.
• Cost. The kit is not cheap. It's listed for different prices around Australia and overseas but the kit costs approximately 5 times the cost of the micro:bit itself. 

In summary, this is a great little kit that helps to make controlling electronic components with the micro:bit easier for students. It is an investment so scope out the projects that it can be used for and ensure it's worth the money.

This year, instead of a state conference in March as would normally be the case, ICTENSW hosted a planning and programming retreat at Winbourne the Edmund Rice Conference Centre in Mulgoa. It was even more popular than we anticipated and the feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive with 100% of respondents suggesting they would recommend to others.

The retreat began on Friday evening with arrivals and checking and then a sharing session after dinner where all attendees could voice their concerns with the implementation of the new NSW syllabus and set goals for the weekend.

Saturday kicked off with a session run by the wonderful Chris Woldhuis and Kelly Bauer outlining a Persona driven, Project-Based Learning focused Unit planning paradigm to guide the attendees in their objective for the day. Then we broke into groups along stage lines - with groups for both IPT and SDD and started to put together units of work around the outcomes. Stage 3 and 4 focused on the new curriculum and unpacking what was actually required. 

Saturday night we relaxed with board and card games and got to know each other a bit better outside the context of the work we were doing.

Sunday was a short day where each of the groups shared their outcomes of the weekend and the committee is tidying up and categorising resources to share back to the membership.

I was very impressed with the dedication of the teachers who gave up their weekend to help others get their heads around difficult content and plan interesting units. We hope to run more retreats like it in the future.

NESA have launched their request for feedback for changes to the IPT (including life skills) and SDD syllabuses. Please offer your feedback to help make these subjects as good as possible. 

Link to the feedback surveys here

ICTENSW will be putting together an official position for these syllabuses and will post these to the website and discuss it at our next meeting - the AGM and HSC Solutions workshop on March 17th 2018. 

Unfortunately the deadline for responses is March 18th 2018 so if you won't be attending the HSC solution day you'll need to get your response in earlier.

For further details contact:

Anthony Rotondo 
Senior Curriculum Officer, Technologies
NSW Education Standards Authority
anthony.rotondo@nesa.nsw.edu.au
(02) 9367 8881

View this in your browser The Australian Council for Computers in Education and the Organising Committee invite proposals for papers and presentations from F-12, preservice and tertiary educators, researchers and research students. Authors are encouraged to address the conference theme, ImpaCT. Proposals are invited that address the conference theme through one of the strands listed below.

All proposals must be submitted via the online Speakers' Portal adhering to the submission guidelines and official paper template. Further information regarding the submission process can be accessed through the conference website. Partnership and exhibition opportunities are selling fast! The point of difference in partnering with ACCE 2018 is that we focus on professional teacher’s associations with long established networks. We are connected to education with a trusted voice—this is your opportunity to connect with our members Australia wide. View our packages and contact us today to find out how you can be involved.

Copyright © 2017 Australian Council for Computers in Education, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have expressed interest in ACCE 2018. Our mailing address is: ICE Australia 183 Albion Street Surry Hills, NSW 2010 Australia

NESA has just released a survey on Years 7-10 Electives courses in TAS. Feedback from the survey will be considered as amendments are made to each syllabus.

You are strongly encouraged to provide feedback in this process. In the survey, you will have the opportunity to comment on as many or few of the subjects as you choose.

Thanks to Dan Rytmeister for the information. 

Bookings are now open for the NSW term 3 joint MITIE ACCE/ICTENSW conference to be held at Rosebank College Five Dock on Wednesday 27th Septemeber. Thanks to Saif Samaan and College Principal, Tom Galea, for hosting the day. If you can’t make this event, it will be live streamed by Clickview, and a recording made available at a later time.

What’s MITIE?

The Managers of Information Technology in Education (MITIE) serves those responsible for the infrastructure, procurement and governance of IT in schools. It arose from a group of largely Independent education IT managers who needed to share information, solutions and ideas.

There appears to be a natural fit between MITIE and the state groups that make up ACCE, so this meeting is to explore opportunities in partnering, but also to listen to some great presentations and to provide some wonderful networking opportunities.

Our Sponsors

We are proud to have the following companies as our sponsors - there should be something for everyone in this select group:

Gold Sponsor: StudentNet

Silver Sponsors: AC3, CompNow, CyberHound, JB HiFi and ViVi.

Live streaming sponsor: ClickView

Program

This term conference will be a joint event with ACCE/ICTENSW recognising the importance of good working relationships between those teaching ICT related subjects and those charged with managing technology. The program is  here.

Book your tickets

Book for the event through Trybooking here. There is a modest charge of $55.30 that covers the cost of your refreshments on the day.

A big thank you!

I’d especially like to acknowledge the work done by Saif Samaan and Ken Lin from Rosebank and Martin Levins from ACCE in putting this event together.

Ian Ralph

MITIE President

2017 Department of Computing Professional Development for Computing/TAS Teachers 28th to 29th September 2017

This is a two-day course, providing 10 hours of NESA approved professional development, for high school TAS/Computing teachers that covers the syllabus topics of Databases, Artificial Intelligence, Software Development and Digital Media. It is ideal for teachers of the 7 – 10 Information and Software Technology course as these make up four of the optional topics in this course. It is also highly relevant to the Stage 6 courses: Software Design and Development, Information Processes and Technology and Industrial Technology - Multimedia. Teachers learn practical skills in these areas and ideas on how to incorporate them in their classrooms. In addition, they learn about current research in each of these ICT areas. Materials created for this course were funded by the Google CS4HS 2017 Award.

Click here for more details.

Wednesday 26 July 2017

The University of Sydney is excited to announce today its leading role in supporting schools to implement Australia’s Digital Technologies curriculum.

At a launch event at Artarmon Public School today, Australian Government Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, commended The University of Sydney’s Australian Computing Academy (ACA) for its role in delivering the Australian Digital Technologies Challenges for Years 5 and 7 project.

The ACA, which is based in the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies, has been awarded $10 million over the next four years to provide Australian teachers with educational resources and professional development necessary to deliver the new Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies and enable students to excel in the digital economy.

The ACA will deliver the Australian Digital Technologies Challenges for Years 5 and 7 on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training until December 2020, with support from Grok Learning and Monash University.

The Challenges are a series of free, self-paced, online classroom activities linked to the Digital Technologies curriculum for all Australian Year 5 and 7 students. These activities include:

• interactive course notes, videos and unplugged activities;
• engaging, real-world coding problems with intelligent automated feedback;
• lesson plans and other resources for teachers.

In addition, the Academy will provide email, phone and online support for schools participating in the Challenges to deliver the new curriculum.

Speaking at the launch event, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence said the ACA’s important role supporting the new curriculum demonstrated the University’s leadership in the digital space.

“By leading the ACA, the University builds upon its long-term commitment to computing education in schools through our annual National Computer Science School and innovative online computing activities,” he said.   

ACA Academic Director Associate Professor James Curran, one of three authors of the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies and a co-founder of Grok Learning, said the Australian Digital Technologies Challenges represented a significant investment in Australia’s digital future.

“The introduction of Digital Technologies is an important addition to the Australian Curriculum. We are delighted to work with the Australian Government in providing resources and support for teachers as they learn and teach the Digital Technologies curriculum,” he said.

“Through the new curriculum, every Australian child has the opportunity to develop the coding, data analysis and collaboration skills that will enable them to be the master of their digital future.”

The project is funded under the Inspiring All Australians in Digital Literacy and STEM element of the National Innovation and Science Agenda.

Congratulations to Stephanie Schwarz, who has recently received the Order of Australia medal for her work within ICT Technologies over the past years.

Those of you who know Stephanie would know her as an exceptional teacher of IPT and SDD who has consistently given her time and expertise in mentoring teachers within the computing studies field from the beginning of the subject within Australia. Stephanie has been a member and great support of the ICTENSW Association, and previously, the Computing Studies Teachers Association (CSTA) since its inception, and was given life membership of the CSTA (now ICTENSW) in 2004. In the Australian honours system appointments to the Order of Australia confer recognition for outstanding achievement and service. It is safe to say that our profession as ICT teachers within NSW would not be the same without Stephanie’s contributions to this field. 

More details on her work with ICTENSW can be viewed here. The testimonials below also go a small way to demonstrating her work to support technology educators. 

Stephanie Swartz is a SDD goddess #ICTENSW

— Nicole Nakwaski (@nicoledecourcy) March 11, 2017

She is a treasure. SDD teachers not on that room are missing out #ICTENSW https://t.co/qoV99Tka6F

— Debra Bourne (@dbourne) March 11, 2017

No computer will ever be capable of processing information (and wit) faster than Stephanie Schwarz #ozcschat #ICTENSW #sdd

— Gemma Rainger (@g3moStone) March 12, 2016

#ictensw Stephanie Schwarz always does an enlightening HSC SDD solutions sessions #greatPD pic.twitter.com/6noXAi7Rta

— Malyn Mawby (@malynmawby) March 14, 2015