What's the Latest? My family was at QUT's Robotronica event last weekend. It was a huge event with thousands of people swarming over the Garden's Point campus trying to see as many of the 58 activities as they could in the seven hours that it was on. The huge popularity of this event made me consider how relevant the momentum in STEM Education is. You might think this is a fly by night idea and will eventually go the way of many other "fads" but I think not. The Australian Government continues to fund a rolling series of initiatives to provide students and teachers opportunities to engage with the STEM fields. Last week the Australian Chief Scientist launched STARportal which is a searchable database of STEM activities. The Victorian Government just announced the first of its 10 new brand new tech schools will open its doors in 2018. Each Tech School will be located on a TAFE or university site and offer rich, immersive STEM programs to all participating government and non-government secondary schools in the region.  National Science Week was last week and so many opportunities were available to interested schools. The CSIRO hosted a virtual classroom wherein students were able to participate in a forum with a panel of Australians working in the space industry. The CSIRO has also rebranded its Scientists and Mathematicians in Schools (SmiS) program to be the STEM Professionals in Schools program to reflect the broader scope of those particpating in the program such as engineers. There is a great deal occurring in the area of STEM Education. Schools that do not have a plan are being left behind. What is your school doing? If the answer is an unfortunate "not much" then take the initiative and avail yourself of the activities (many of them free) that I list below.

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Stuff in the news What is STEM and why is it important? - It’s much more than an acronym – it’s potentially your passport for the future. An article from the CSIROscope Blog 12 August 2017

Stuff to buy Cozmo - Anki’s adorable robot Cozmo plays games, fist bumps, and uses its big, blue digital eyes to convey convincing emotional range. And its brain uses machine learning, so it gets more savvy as you play with it. STEM Storybook - *At this point in time I earn no money from any product I list and I am not affiliated with any other company.

Stuff in education STEM teacher development for Mid North Coast educators - Some great work going on around the country to give primary school teachers the new skills they need. An article from Macquarie PortNews 19 August 2017 The STEAM vs STEM Debate: Practical Answers for Music Teachers - Support for STEAM continues to grow. One US commentator says the term “is becoming more and more popular to the ears of teachers and students alike and, right now in the educational sectors, it seems to be all anyone is talking about.” An article from Music Australia 15 August 2017. The rise of STEM subjects in education - A blog post from the Esperance Anglican Community School 10 August 2017

Stuff to do Australia Wide CodeCamp - Three day courses over the school holidays. Search for a school near you! 18-28 September 2017 LITTLE BIG IDEA -  The Big Competition for Inventive Little Kids (You could win a trip to NASA!). Closes 22 September 2017 NATA Young Scientist of the Year - Students are required to undertake an investigation around any topic relating to the theme of a sustainable planet. Closes 22 September 2017 CSIRO CREST Program - CREativity in Science and Technology. Engage your students with open-ended science investigations and technology projects through the CREST program. - - - Bricks 4 Kidz® | Awesome Fun With LEGO® Bricks  Young Engineers Australia - Provides an engaging, hands-on learning platform using LEGO® and K’nex® assembly kits CoderDojo - A volunteer run programming club Code Club Australia - A global network of coding clubs for kids aged 9 to 11.

Stuff to do in Brisbane Wizarding Workshops - Workshops are designed to accommodate Potter fans of various ages. Participants are grouped according to year levels and work in teams to complete projects at their ability level, challenged and supported by teachers. Paddington.23 September 2017 - - - SLQ Digital Futures - Each year the State Library of Queensland presents a theme of interest to the Queensland community. Throughout 2017, they invite you to join in exploring Digital Futures. STEM in a Box has ongoing coding, robotics and 3D printing activities Brisbane Library Service has purchased the very flash NAO Robot and is showing it off in various libraries. The Cube at QUT has a number of changing programs.  Brisbane Planetarium - Features entertaining and informative shows for adults and children STEMPUNKS STEM classes for kids in Brisbane STEAMPUNX - Not to be confused with the organisation above! Offers in-school and out of school workshop programs Flying Fox Studios - A studio offering programs in the arts, music and construction areas from babies to teenagers in Brisbane Building Block Studio | Learning Activity Centre in Brisbane For Budding Coders And Engineers Fun Chess Classes For Kids in Brisbane | Chess Mates Red Cat Science | Kids get to do what they can't at school It's Rocket Science School Incursions - Educational and fully interactive project based rocket science incursions for primary and secondary schools in a safe and empowering learning environment.

Coding in the younger years! I was excited to read this week about a school near me that was in the local newspaper detailing how they have introduced coding for their five year old students. As they say you are never to young to learn...or something like that anyway. The article detailed how the school was using BeeBots to introduce the initial concepts of computational thinking to this age group. The kids learn how to sequence actions to achieve a desired outcome and have to debug their sequence if it doesn't work. Whilst relatively simple it is a powerful and engaging introduction to the world of coding. From there pre-readers can move onto Kodable and learn, without having to be able to read, abount sequencing, loops and conditionals.Then there is Scratch Junior and Daisy the Dinosaur if some of the Kodable lessons gets too difficult. I also like Lightbot Jr which also introduces basic coding concepts again without the need to be able to read. Ultimately though these can just fall into the basket of "games" unless the teacher is reinforcing the Computational Thinking concepts that underpin each of these apps. Therefore, Teachers need training in Computational Thinking so they understand the end goal. There are a variety of resources available for teachers including Google's Computational Thinking course, The UK's Barefoot Computing website or the University of Adelaide's Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Parents might like to view some of these as well so you can keep up with the kids!

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Stuff in the news SpaceX launch: Australian high school students play major role in NASA's resupply mission - It is awesome what opportunities kids can have when a school priorities STEM. An article from ABC News 15 August 2017 Encourage children to spend more time online, says former GCHQ head - Just about every country is talking about STEM. Robert Hannigan, who was head of Britain’s surveillance agency between 2014 and 2017, said that the UK was struggling to keep up with competitors when it came to cyber skills. An article from The Guardian 8 August 2017 Coding is the new cursive writing – and we have to embrace it - Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills are becoming more necessary to succeed in the professional world. With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), the need for such skills will increase dramatically over the coming decade. An article from The Globe and Mail 23 July 2017

Stuff to buy mBot Ranger - Transformable STEM Educational Robot Kit - If you want a more capable robot than the one I linked last week check out this one. I am a big fan of Makeblock products. Affordable for what you get and uses a Scratch-like programming language. STEM Storybook - QUT Professor is launching a series of stories which teach STEM concepts to younger kids. Good to see Australians on Kickstarter! *At this point in time I earn no money from any product I list and I am not affiliated with any other company.

Stuff in education Students draw on range of skills for challenge - A good example of curriculum integration. An article from the Shepparton News 15 August 2017 The new Technology syllabus: preparing our students for an unknown future - The mooted restructure of employment lies with what academics are referring to as the Automation Revolution (the fourth industry revolution), as we embark on a disruption of technology like never before. A blog post from Grok Learning 28 June 2017.

Stuff to do Australia Wide Australian STEM Video Game Challenge - For grades 5+.The Australian STEM Video Game Challenge will ask participants to develop games in response to a central theme or idea. Registration open 1 May and submissions close 25 August. NSW All Schools Paper Plane Challenge - Calling all paper pilots. 2017 challenge is open. Closes 26 August 2017. CodeCamp - Three day courses over the school holidays. Search for a school near you! 18-28 September 2017 LITTLE BIG IDEA -  The Big Competition for Inventive Little Kids (You could win a trip to NASA!). Closes 22 September 2017 NATA Young Scientist of the Year - Students are required to undertake an investigation around any topic relating to the theme of a sustainable planet. Closes 22 September 2017 CSIRO CREST Program - CREativity in Science and Technology. Engage your students with open-ended science investigations and technology projects through the CREST program. National Science Week - Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology and thousands of individuals – from students, to scientists to chefs and musicians – get involved, taking part in more than 1000 science events across the nation. 12 - 20 August 2017 - - - Bricks 4 Kidz® | Awesome Fun With LEGO® Bricks  Young Engineers Australia - Provides an engaging, hands-on learning platform using LEGO® and K’nex® assembly kits CoderDojo - A volunteer run programming club Code Club Australia - A global network of coding clubs for kids aged 9 to 11.

Stuff to do in Brisbane Robotronica 2017 - Robotronica is a groundbreaking one-day event showcasing the latest developments in robotics and interactive design. QUT's The Cube 20 August 2017. TOMORROW!! Wizarding Workshops - Workshops are designed to accommodate Potter fans of various ages. Participants are grouped according to year levels and work in teams to complete projects at their ability level, challenged and supported by teachers. Paddington.23 September 2017 - - - SLQ Digital Futures - Each year the State Library of Queensland presents a theme of interest to the Queensland community. Throughout 2017, they invite you to join in exploring Digital Futures. STEM in a Box has ongoing coding, robotics and 3D printing activities Brisbane Library Service has purchased the very flash NAO Robot and is showing it off in various libraries. The Cube at QUT has a number of changing programs.  Brisbane Planetarium - Features entertaining and informative shows for adults and children STEMPUNKS STEM classes for kids in Brisbane STEAMPUNX - Not to be confused with the organisation above! Offers in-school and out of school workshop programs Flying Fox Studios - A studio offering programs in the arts, music and construction areas from babies to teenagers in Brisbane Building Block Studio | Learning Activity Centre in Brisbane For Budding Coders And Engineers Fun Chess Classes For Kids in Brisbane | Chess Mates Red Cat Science | Kids get to do what they can't at school It's Rocket Science School Incursions - Educational and fully interactive project based rocket science incursions for primary and secondary schools in a safe and empowering learning environment.

ICT does not equal Digital Technologies

Stuff this week - ICT does not equal Digital Technologies This week I heard a story of a principal who said words to the effect of "The kids can really use a laptop well so that shows that we are doing a good job with digital technologies". Whether this was a slip of the tongue or not I thought I would talk about the difference in the curriculum between ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and Digital Technologies. The Australian Curriculum has eight subjects which cover the specific knowledge areas that a student should gain over their time at school and then also has seven General Capabilities which are, amongst other things, skills that a student should acquire. Digital Technologies is a SUBJECT and ICT is a GENERAL CAPABILITY.  ICT, in basic terms, covers the skill of using a computer and the traditional software applications such as Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets, Google Docs for word processing and Apple's Keynote for presentations. It also covers the digital citizenship ideas of respecting copyright, remaining secure online and being respectful net-izens. In summary you can consider that ICT is about USING technology. Thus ICT can and will span across all of the subject areas and teachers should be including it as part of all learning (along with the other general capabilities). Digital Technologies on the other hand is about UNDERSTANDING and CREATING with technology, it is one HALF of the TECHNOLOGIES subject. By the end of year 6 students should understand how computers work (in basic terms), how everything in a computer is reduced to ones and zeroes, how the Internet works and how to create visual programs using a combination of programming concepts. The students should be on their way to understanding and employing Computational Thinking to solve a wide variety of problems.  You are probably thinking "WOW I don't know how to do any of that!" which is also what a lot of the teachers are saying which is why it is so important that schools upskill them to be able to deliver these new subjects properly. Knowing how to blind carbon copy (BCC) someone in an email is not digital technologies, creating a game of catch the banana is! P.S. If you want a little more info on what this is about have a read of the FAQs on the Government's Digital Technologies Hub. P.P.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK begins TODAY!!

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Stuff in the news $6m in STEM funds for preschools - Australian preschools are about to find out if they have been selected for a new $6 million STEM program. The play-based science, technology, engineering and maths program will be piloted at 100 preschools in 2018. An article from the Sydney Morning Herald 5 August 2017 PBS Show Will Teach Preschoolers How To Think Like Computers - PBS is creating an animated television show called Monkeying Around that uses four monkeys to teach the subject of Computational Thinking. An article from Edsurge 3 July 2017 Tim Cook and Other Leaders Contacted by Trump Administration for STEM Education Advice - Members of the Trump administration have begun contacting technology, education, and business leaders to ask for advice on "shaping funding approaches" for education related to STEM in United States schools. An article from MacRumours 27 July 2017

Stuff to buy Arduino 2 Wheel Drive Ultrasonic Robot Kit - Looking to get your child into some more advanced robot building and coding. Look no further than this all in one kit. Add an IR receiver module and you could drive it around with your TV remote! *At this point in time I earn no money from any product I list and I am not affiliated with any other company.

Stuff in education How Teachers And Students Benefit From Technology - Technology has the potential to revolutionize how classrooms function, a fact that has not gone unnoticed over the years by teachers and legislators alike. Determining how schools should best capitalize on that potential has been a process of trial and error, with some approaches proving, ultimately, ineffective. An article from techtree.com 1 May 2017 STEAM learning - A short blog post detailing the successes in STEAM that a school in Sydney is having through their careful planning and commitment to teach training. NSW Department of Education website June 2017.

Stuff to do Australia Wide Australian STEM Video Game Challenge - For grades 5+.The Australian STEM Video Game Challenge will ask participants to develop games in response to a central theme or idea. Registration open 1 May and submissions close 25 August. NSW All Schools Paper Plane Challenge - Calling all paper pilots. 2017 challenge is open. Closes 26 August 2017. LITTLE BIG IDEA -  The Big Competition for Inventive Little Kids (You could win a trip to NASA!). Closes 22 September 2017 NATA Young Scientist of the Year - Students are required to undertake an investigation around any topic relating to the theme of a sustainable planet. Closes 22 September 2017 CSIRO CREST Program - CREativity in Science and Technology. Engage your students with open-ended science investigations and technology projects through the CREST program. National Science Week - Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology and thousands of individuals – from students, to scientists to chefs and musicians – get involved, taking part in more than 1000 science events across the nation. 12 - 20 August 2017 - - - Bricks 4 Kidz® | Awesome Fun With LEGO® Bricks  Young Engineers Australia - Provides an engaging, hands-on learning platform using LEGO® and K’nex® assembly kits CoderDojo - A volunteer run programming club Code Club Australia - A global network of coding clubs for kids aged 9 to 11.

Stuff to do in Brisbane EKKA Scratch Coding and 3D Modelling Challenge - Submit entries online for display at the Ekka from 17 August 2017 Robotronica 2017 - Robotronica is a groundbreaking one-day event showcasing the latest developments in robotics and interactive design. QUT's The Cube 20 August 2017. BOOKINGS ARE OPEN!! Wizarding Workshops - Workshops are designed to accommodate Potter fans of various ages. Participants are grouped according to year levels and work in teams to complete projects at their ability level, challenged and supported by teachers. Paddington.23 September 2017 - - - SLQ Digital Futures - Each year the State Library of Queensland presents a theme of interest to the Queensland community. Throughout 2017, they invite you to join in exploring Digital Futures. STEM in a Box has ongoing coding, robotics and 3D printing activities Brisbane Library Service has purchased the very flash NAO Robot and is showing it off in various libraries. The Cube at QUT has a number of changing programs.  Brisbane Planetarium - Features entertaining and informative shows for adults and children STEMPUNKS STEM classes for kids in Brisbane STEAMPUNX - Not to be confused with the organisation above! Offers in-school and out of school workshop programs Flying Fox Studios - A studio offering programs in the arts, music and construction areas from babies to teenagers in Brisbane Building Block Studio | Learning Activity Centre in Brisbane For Budding Coders And Engineers Fun Chess Classes For Kids in Brisbane | Chess Mates Red Cat Science | Kids get to do what they can't at school It's Rocket Science School Incursions - Educational and fully interactive project based rocket science incursions for primary and secondary schools in a safe and empowering learning environment.