What are other schools doing? You might be happy with what your school is doing with STEM or you might not. However I think the best way to form an opinion is to know what other schools are doing around Australia and then you can yardstick your school against them. So I will now do a short tour around Australia to showcase what some schools are getting their kids into. Gordon East Public School in NSW runs a robotics program as part of the curriculum. All students from 2-6 get one hour per week in a dedicated "Lego Robotics Room". The school has an excellent array of resources and steps the children through the Lego Wedo platform in years 3 and 4 before moving to the more advanced NXT robots in years 5 and 6. Rostrata Primary School in WA is fortunate to have on staff a Science Specialist Support Teacher who was a top ten finalist in the Global Teacher Prize awards in 2016. Rick Johnson's students get to work in the school's (and Australia's first) science laboratory designed specifically for young children.They work with augmented reality, 3D printing and robotics. Holy Family Primary School in the ACT has collaborated with the two local universities to develop key learning experiences which become the STEM units that the children work through. The outcomes of these are monitored and measured by the universities for the growth in ‘thinking’ generated by the activities.  Woodend Primary School in Victoria has facilitated the training of two maths and science specialists who then mentored other teachers in the school. They provide a rich science program and run regular STEM days and a STEM club. The newest primary school in QLD is near Caloundra and is set to open in 2018 and will have a robotics lab, recording studio, innovation hub and an indoor sports and performance centre. IONA Presentation Primary School in WA has created a Makerspace which is equipped with resources to allow learning in coding and robotics, engineering and electronics. The school also has teams which participate in the Australia wide First Lego League robotics competition. What sets these schools apart is a willingness to embrace the advice of experts and the direction given by government that STEM literacy is vitally important to the children of today. They have come up with not just a vision but a plan of how to realise that vision and they are implementing it. The students then reap the rewards! If your school is not Transforming STEM Teaching then there are extra-curricular activities you can do at a cost.

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Stuff in the news Apple CEO Tim Cook: Learn to code, it’s more important than English as a second language - what I am saying is that this is a language that you can [use to] express yourself to 7 billion people in the world. An article from CNBC 12 October 2017 STEM enrolments show shift in gender equity - It’s gone widely unreported that the new data from the Department of Education and Training’s u-Cube stats shows rare good news in changing perceptions of STEM. An article from EducationHQ 16 October 2017 This is the one skill your child needs for the jobs of the future - The World Economic Forum has just released its Human Capital Report with the subtitle “Preparing People for the Future of Work”. An article from the World Economic Forum website 15 September 2017

Stuff to buy Coding Books for Young Kids - The Tech Age Kids Blog has put together a list of coding related books for younger kids. *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 to Flatten Your Classroom and Encourage Authentic Writing Through Blogging - Blogging allows connections with others and can provide immediate feedback. It is one way to encurage kids to write. An article from Edsurge 7 December 2016. We must get school leaders to see the value of investing time and money into Professional Development - Keeping up with the latest skills and technology is challenging, and many times, educators simply don’t know what technologies are available to help them in their classrooms. An article from Daily Edventures10 October 2017. Twenty ideas for our schools and politicians in the new machine age - 20 ideas for how our schools, policies and mindsets need to change if Australia is to best prepare for the changes to come.An article from the Brisbane Times 20 October 2017

Stuff to do Australia Wide Code Camp - Three day holiday program is now open for bookings. RoboGals - Register to be the first to book for workshops on 15 and 16 December 2017. 5 Podcasts That Will Change The Way Your Kids See The World (and that you’ll enjoy too) - A list of five podcasts that will entertain your kids and they will learn something along the way! Give a Child the Gift of Science - A great collection of activities you can do at home 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 Brainiac Live - Join the Brainiacs for an actioned-packed hour of incredible experiments and explosive high energy entertainment. 9-13 January 2018. - - - 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.