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.

Augmented Reality in the Classroom

Stuff this week - Augmented Reality in the Classroom I was excited to read in the news this week that Canberra Grammar is the first school in the world to trial Augmented Reality in the classroom using Microsoft Hololens. Its great to see Australia leading the world in using edtech to enhance and redefine the learning process. In case you don't know the difference, augmented reality is where computer generated images are overlaid on the real world. This differs from virtual reality when the user is completely immersed in the computer generated world. Personally I believe that augmented reality will find a greater use in the classroom. This is not to say that virtual reality is a non-starter. Google has recently made their Google Expeditions application available to all. With hundreds of places to explore if you have a phone, a tablet and a cheap headmount for the phone (like the sub-$20 Google Cardboard) then you are good to go. My girls have been on many an expedition around the world and the solar system! The problem for schools is the cost of entry is high as they will likely need to purchase 20+ phones. This is not the same with augmented reality. Whilst Canberra Grammar is trialing Microsoft Hololens which starts at $4300 you can also get some great outcomes with tablet based apps. Schools typically already have iPads so they can jump straight in with some awesome free software. In my schools after-school STEM club we have used 4D elements which takes paper cubes with one of the periodic elements printed on each face and changes that into a transparent cube with the element inside when viewed through the app.The company also make another app called 4D anatomy. Another app aimed specifically at younger children is Chromville which has a series of science based experiences amongst others. Lastly, Aurasma is an app that allows you to make your own augmented reality experiences for the classroom. Augmented reality and virtual reality are not new ways to teach per se. What they do is provide an extremely engaging way of introducing lessons or topics. It allows for the redefinition of the way a lesson is delivered which is exactly what edtech should be doing (rather than just being another way to do the same thing). It also encourages communication (one of the 4 Cs) as the students are immersed in and then discuss this amazing blend of the real and computer generated worlds. What innovative things is your school doing in the classroom with edtech? If they aren't using augmented reality then show them how easy it is to get started!

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Stuff in the news Australian students being taught via hologram - Australian students are being taught via hologram in a revolutionary world first that is being trialled at a Canberra school.An article from news.com.au 3 May 2017 Making the Grade: State’s first STEAM-certified school energizes kids - In the USA many states have a STEM or STEAM certification programs for schools. This article discusses the positive benefits fpr all learning by taking this approach. An article from ajc.com 25 April 2017

Stuff to buy DFRobot's BOSON Kit: Powerful Building Blocks For LEGO STEM - This is being funded through Kickstarter. So if Littlebits are too expensive and you missed out on the Makeblock Neuron then this might be a good option.  iMicroscope R - Bring a Microscope with Your Phone - Another Kickstarter campaign. A nice handy microscopic tool - Solid, easy lens switching with dedicated APP, perfect for either education or professional applications.  *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 in the Primary Classroom: 4 Ways Educators are Acclimating to STEM Education - An article discussing how teachers can move to incorporate more STEM activities in their classroom. 8 January 2015

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. 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. Edutech 2017 - EduTECH is the LARGEST education event in Asia-Pac and the Southern Hemisphere. 7-9 June 2017 in Sydney. 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 STEAM EXPO – A Festival of Education for the Future. This event is being held on the 21st May from 9.30am – 5pm. Entry is FREE. 14 different workshops $25-$50 each. Bulimba State School. 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  - - - 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.