I was a little sad when I realised it has been a whole year since I had last blogged about EduTech. I remember leaving the conference feeling totally inspired and motivated. This year I left feeling the same way. It is such a fantastic event to attend. I am crushed that it is moving to Sydney in 2017.
The best part of going to Edutech this year was getting to bring along three of my colleagues. Exposure to innovative ideas is great, but the chance to have professional dialogue about them and their application in your school context is even better. Coding, STEM/STEAM, Maker Spaces and Robotics are all still the buzz words in the educational technology world at the moment and are still things I am very interested in. This year I have started my own Code Club at school and we have been working pretty heavily with Sphero. I was fortunate to attend some fantastic breakout sessions that focused heavily on this and learnt about some cool new robots and Apps to use with children to help them build their coding skills. A particular area I have been struggling to find a good tool to use was with Early Coders. I was really excited by these discoveries. Dash and Dot
Dash is an explorer who zips around the room, getting into mischief along the way. Using sensors, Dash can detect objects in front and behind, and hear where you are. This robot has quite the personality and becomes more capable as you program and play. You will find lesson plans and more useful information here: https://teachers.makewonder.com/lessons
Colby the Robot Mouse
Cargo Bot App
Local New Report on the EventSee a Storify of my Tweets during the event below:
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Play Time!
New Learning Environments: Linq Precinct
Murray James and Vanessa Noonan from Sheldon College spoke at length about their whole school approach and showcased the Linq Precinct at the college. This drool worth state of the art building provides the space required to make new pedagogical approaches to teaching and the implementation of Digital Technologies possible.
LINQ Precinct from Sheldon College on Vimeo.
The College also used Project Based Learning to facilitate the integration of Digital Technologies with some really exciting units that has great links to curriculum and the real world. There was an impressive commitment to teacher professional development with teachers getting into the Maker Movement. The culture of sharing about their projects was hugely impressive and placed value on the work of the students.
Blended Learning - Shane MasonST2P
Dr Tina Doe is a professional learning consultant who works with schools to create capacity for enhanced capability for an increasing demanding profession. She discussed the changing needs of learners and presented her ST2P model for instructional leadership.
The image below outlines the model: |
Laura's BlogRead all about my thoughts on teaching in the 21st Century, my experiences with technology in the classroom, running a Maker Space, launching STEAM and Design Thinking with students, coding, robotics and much more! Email UpdatesRSS SubscriptionClick the button below:
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