Will it live up to the hype? It is a pretty common saying - Will it live up to the hype? As it turns out with technology often it doesn't! Getting carried away with the excitement of something is so common that an American research and IT firm called Gartner created a useful graphic which shows their view of how new technology products are perceived versus their usefulness over time. You can probably think of many examples of this series of events occurring but I will use Google Glass as mine. Google Glass is a set of glasses which projects digital images into the field of view of the wearer to create an augmented reality view. When it was first announced there was much excitement, people were clamouring to buy a pair but then a number of issues surfaced which resulted in the project being suspended. However as time has passed the augmented reality concept has matured and we are on the cusp of seeing really useful AR products appear in the market such as Google Glass Enterprise Edition and Microsoft Hololens. So that's the theory but how can schools use this knowledge? By knowing that this phenomenon occurs schools can take a step back during their planning for technology introduction and make sure they can answer the following questions BEFORE thinking about which piece of technology to buy. What would we like the students to be able to do? Why do we think that having the students do that will improve their learning? How will we be able to measure whether the expected outcomes are being realised? What types of technology will enable us to implement and measure this new way of working? What training will the teachers need to be able to implement this new methodology? There is probably no way to completely eliminating the hype curve but I think with SMART planning we can smooth out the height of the peak and the low of the trough to smooth out the ride and minimise wasted time, money and effort.

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Stuff in the news Using Technology Doesn’t Make You Innovative - A blog post from The Principal of Change 22 August 2017 UNSW's Arludo is making STEM more exciting one AR game at a time - With students so heavily immersed in the mobile world and becoming less engaged in learning as a result, Dr Michael Kasumovic, a lecturer at UNSW, decided to take things into his own hands. An article from ZDNET 16 August 2017

Stuff to buy Current Kickstarter Campaigns: Algobrix | The Ultimate Coding Learning Game - The most exciting and comprehensive code learning game for kids 5-13. Learning to program bots and transforming code into play. Annabelle & Aiden: Worlds Within Us - A kids' book exploring the big bang, and how we're all made of stars - and more special, interconnected, and 'larger' than we think. 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 Do Laptops Help Learning? A Look At The Only Statewide School Laptop Program - Again the themes of planning and importance of teacher training are there in this long term experience with laptops in schools. It's a pity many schools don't look to learn from others. An article from nprED 18 August 2017< Why doesn't education modernise? - Good question! An article from EducationHQ Australia 28 March 2017 Malaysian educators head to space academy to boost STEM teaching - The Malaysian teachers are doing some awesome training. How about yours? An article from Study International News 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 Contemporary practices in STEM education - This will be a live streamed event of interest to teachers and parents. It is part of Monash University's "Engaging STEM Education. Keeping Teachers at the Cutting Edge" series. 9 November 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 helps with Maths!

Stuff this week - Coding helps with Maths! One of the great things about coding is it shows how math is used in a practical way. You will find, especially if your kids start coding in prep, that they will have to learn aspects of maths that they would not normally for years. I think that is great because if they can grasp it then why not! So what sorts of mathematical concepts am I talking about? Angles may be the fist thing they come across. When they want to draw a square then they need to know that they need to turn 90 degrees at each corner. On the topic of shapes they will reinforce their understanding of those as they draw them out on the screen. When drawing on the screen they will need to learn about Cartesian coordinates because the characters can be moved around to x and y coordinates with the centre of the screen being 0,0. This means that to the left of centre and down from the centre the numbers are negative so they will be introduced to that concept. As things get more sophisticated they will need to use math to add, subtract, multiply and divide as they work with numbers to produce the outcome they need. Then these skills are usable when they start to work with spreadsheets and need formulas to work with data.  What coding really does well is allow kids to visualise a lot of abstract concepts. There is such an interest in this overlap between coding and maths that in the UK there is a research project being undertaken to examine the effectiveness of using coding to teach mathematical concepts. It is called ScratchMaths and for at least the next month the curriculum can be downloaded for free! So get your kids coding and see their maths improve as well!

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Stuff in the news STEM push hotting up - The momentum continues to build for a proposed $400 million STEM centre in the Hobart CBD. An article from news.com.au 18 July 2017. How Coding Develops Resilience - Without a healthy dose of perseverance, it’s unlikely any project or task will get done. An article from the Tynker Blog.  Is Digital Literacy the Most Important Kid Skill? - So how are schools preparing young people to navigate this brave new world where they spend most of their time, make many of their friends, and are exposed to an avalanche of new information? An article from the MiddleWeb Blog 26 June 2017. Programming = Batter Maths Skills + Fun - The conventional belief has always been that kids interested in programming should develop strong math skills. But it might actually be the other way around.An article from the Tynker Blog.

Stuff to buy Latest on Kickstarter: Algobrix | The Ultimate Coding Learning Game - The Latest in Lego and Coding! *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 Building mathematical knowledge with programming - Maths is difficult in part because of the language in which it is expressed. Can we find a different language – and set of ideas and approaches - that is more open, more accessible and more learnable? Students enjoy Australia's first STEM adventure holiday camp - Year seven and eight students from 40 South Australian schools are sciencing-up their school holidays in an Australian-first. An article from ABC News 19 July 2017 Opportunities to Integrate Coding Across the Curriculum - Coding has become a buzz word we hear quite often, particularly in discussions around how to implement the Digital Technologies curriculum. An article from Scootle Lounge3 July 2017

Stuff to do Australia Wide LITTLE BIG IDEA -  The Big Competition for Inventive Little Kids (You could win a trip to NASA!) NATA Young Scientist of the Year - Students are required to undertake an investigation around any topic relating to the theme of a sustainable planet. NSW All Schools Paper Plane Challenge - Calling all paper pilots. 2017 challenge is open. Opportunities and Obstacles for STEM Education - Free public lecture at the University of Melbourne 15 August 2017 Program Computers to Talk - Coding with Speech Synthesis for Kids - Read this blog post from Tech Age Kids to see how you can get your kids into experimenting with speech synthesis. Its easier that it sounds! 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. Young ICT Explorers -  A non-profit competition, which has been created by SAP to encourage school students to create their best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects. Registrations are OPEN. See the YouTube video here! 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 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!! 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.

Let's Build a Makerspace!

Stuff this week - Let's Build a Makerspace! Some schools have embarked on structured coding or robotics or more general STEM programs. Others however have created an open environment for kids to create in. The Makerspace. Born out of a DIY tech sub-culture makerspaces can offer the freedom for children to create whatever they can imagine. The Australian Government believes in the skills that such a space can develop and offers funding for schools to create them. As with everything I think planning is essential. So if you are thinking that this might be something great for your school you can have a look at "What Should I buy for my New Makerspace?". Just like the best STEM activities open ended exploration and creation should be the end goal. This will cultivate the maker mindset where experimentation, design, creation and failure are the tools of the trade. Children are able to think big to solve the problems that they see around them making this learning relevant. Schools can start small with tech such as the $25 Micro:Bit which can be used to create wearable creations which switch on lights or display scrolling messages. As they learn kids can progress to building their own robot for less that $20 in parts! Of course 3D printers (and laser cutters at some schools) add another dimension to the creative options. At the end of the day what is required is a will to build a space for children to create in and then the development of a vision for how this can be achieved. The kids will do the rest! As the article How Should We Measure the Impact of Makerspaces? neatly summarises what kids will get out of these spaces is a new way of thinking and those all important 21st Century Skills. If you are thinking kids get all the cool stuff these days well don't fret as there are adult versions of Makerspaces all over Australia just like Hackerspace Brisbane.

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Stuff in the news Schools Must Get The Basics Right Before Splashing Out On Technology - The question now isn’t whether technology has a place in schools, but which devices would work best: laptops, tablets, smartphones or something else entirely? An article from The Tech Advocate 7 June 2017 Coding: the skill you need to learn - No longer one of the dark arts of the information revolution, coding is now a mainstream workplace skill that UK business leaders need to embrace – and quickly. An article from Director - Inspiring Business website 31 May 2017 Robotics leader named a Superstar of STEM - Dr Sue Keay will be a mentor and role model for young women in STEM across Australia. An article from QUT News 7 July 2017 Southern councils band behind university’s STEM project - STEM is not just an education project and that is why Infrastructure Australia have put it on their priority list. An article from The Mercury 27 July 2017

Stuff to buy Latest on Kickstarter: CodeSpeak Books: Picture Books for Inspiring Little Coders - Fun children’s stories that teach kids (ages 2-6) the foundations of computer coding without needing a device! Kickstarter Gold: World's Smallest STEM Friends - Make clean energy from mud! Have a good ol' fashioned yeast race! Innovative STEM kits for budding engineers and scientists! *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 Aussie students vying for gold in maths and science Olympiads - The country's former chief scientist Ian Chubb said the Olympiads were "essential in capturing high-achieving students' interest in science and mathematics at a critical stage". An article from ABC News 22 July 2017. 112 students, one classroom - Inaburra school in Sydney's south has placed all year 5 and 6 students into an open-plan room with five teachers. An article from the Sydney Morning Herald 20 May 2017

Stuff to do Australia Wide Opportunities and Obstacles for STEM Education - Free public lecture at the University of Melbourne 15 August 2017 Program Computers to Talk - Coding with Speech Synthesis for Kids - Read this blog post from Tech Age Kids to see how you can get your kids into experimenting with speech synthesis. Its easier that it sounds! 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. Young ICT Explorers -  A non-profit competition, which has been created by SAP to encourage school students to create their best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects. Registrations are OPEN. See the YouTube video here! 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 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 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. 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  - - - 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.