Digital Learning
News
17th April 2015
Blog Posts
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Great Coding Webinars for Teachers - As part of the Great Victorian Coding Challenge for Education Week, 2015,
a series of webinars will be delivered by school-based coding experts during Term 2. Read more…
The Great Victorian Coding Challenge - Get involved, intrigued and inspired by maths during Education Week from 1723 May 2015. Take part in The Great Victorian Coding Challenge in the lead-up to Education Week this year and bring
maths to life in your classroom. Read more…
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iPads for Learning Professional Learning Program – facilitated through Polycom and MS Lync - The Department of
Education and Training’s Virtual Conference Centre is providing eight iPads for Learning Online Professional Learning
sessions in Term 2. Read more…
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ICT Planning Workshops for School Leaders – Term 1 and Term 2 – DET Digital Learning Branch and Information
Technology Division is now offering full-day workshops to support school leadership teams through the process of
developing a long-term school ICT Plan. Read more…
Virtual Learning News
May events from Electroboard (Polycom)
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5th May, 2:30pm: Fizzics Education – 4 Slimes in 30 minutes
5th May, 3:30pm: Fizzics Education – Primary Teacher Science PD
12th May, 9:30am: Sydney Opera House – Significant Australian Places
12th May, 2:00pm: Fizzics Education – Liquid Nitrogen
12th May and 19th May, 3:30pm: Fizzics Education – Teacher PD
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13th May, 11:00am: Harper Collins – A Home Amongst the Gum Trees
14th May, 9:30am, 10:45am, 12:15pm: Sydney Opera House – Aboriginal Perspectives of Bennelong Point
15th May, 9:30am: Sydney Opera House – Aboriginal Perspectives of Bennelong Point
19th May, 2:30pm: Fizzics Education – Blow stuff up and get paid
20th May, 16th Jun and 22nd Jun, 2:00pm: NRL One Community
26th May, 1:45pm: NRL One Community
See the See, Share, Shape website for more Virtual Excursions
Other events
 Great Coding Webinars for Teachers - As part of the Great Victorian Coding Challenge for Education Week, 2015, a series of webinars will be
delivered by school-based coding experts during Term 2.
o These webinars will take place on Blackboard Collaborate.
o Register now:
 16th April, 2pm (students and teachers)
 16th April, 4pm (teachers only)
 23rd April, 11:30am (students and teachers)
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iPads for Learning – online professional learning facilitated through Polycom and MS Lync
o These sessions are for teachers and leaders who are using iPads in their teaching and learning . Sessions will be supported with materials
accessible via the Department’s iTunes U Campus.
 21st April, 3:45pm: Introduction to your iPad
 28th April, 3:45pm: Start creating with your iPad
 5th May, 3:45pm: Exploring content on your iPad
 12th May, 3:45pm: iPad Tips and Tricks
 19th May, 3:45pm: Assessment and Workflow Part 1
 26th May, 3:45pm: Assessment and Workflow Part 2
 2nd June, 3:45pm: MacBook Essentials
 9th June, 3:45pm: Digital Portfolios
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Screen It 2015 Videoconference series - This free, five part videoconference series allows students and teachers to discover what makes a
winning Screen It entry. Each session runs 45-60 mins. Register now!
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23rd Apr, 1:30pm: Exploring the 2015 Screen It Theme, Change
30th Apr, 1:30pm: Live Action Film Making
4th May, 10:00am: Creating Animation
15th May, 1:30pm: Creating Animation
25th May, 10:00am: Game Making
5th June, 1:30am: Game Making
17th Aug, 10:00am and 1:30pm: Screen It Entry
Virtual Learning Senior Project Officers, Jo Tate (tate.joanne.e@edumail.vic.gov.au) and Butch (Gary) Schultz (schultz.gary.r@edumail.vic.gov.au) support
the development of Virtual Conferencing across Victoria.
Professional Learning and Classroom Opportunities- see our Professional Learning Calendar for a full list of events
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Series 2 Year5/6 Leadership and Debating Program This is a
leadership program for Year 5/6 students which develops critical
thinking skills, collaboration, dealing with real world problems and
solutions.
 Term 2 now fully subscribed.
 Join us in Term 3 if you are interested in Yr5/6 or Yr7 or a
(new) Yr8/9 Series.
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Inclusion Online - Free courses in Autism Spectrum Disorder,
Dyslexia, Speech and Language, and Hearing Loss offer 20 hours of
professional learning over 10 weeks. Register your interest by
contacting your region’s Lead
Tutor. http://www.oltaustralia.net/courses_victoria.asp?stateid=
9&schooltype=1
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Microsoft EduCast brings together
academic leaders, innovative
institutions, and pioneering
educators in a monthly series for
educators.
Register for this live webinar series
at http://www.pilnetwork.com/pd/VUWebinars
Young ICT Explorers encourages
school students to create their best
Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) related projects.
Registrations close 26 June 2015.
Project submissions close in Victoria
17 July 2015.
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To find out about Professional learning opportunities visit
www.bastow.vic.edu.au or phone Bastow on (03) 8199 2900.
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Adobe webinar series:
More on professional learning
through Adobe is available at
https://edex.adobe.com/professional
-development/
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ACMI Screen It 2015 moving image competition. Registrations
are now open for Primary and Secondary school students to enter.
Entry categories include Animated Film, Live Action Film,
Videogame.
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21st April, 4:30 – 5:30pm: Pedagogy
strategies for Maths in the digital age
- In this session Professor Shimon
Schocken will share his strategies for
student success in mathematics
driving self-learning, learning by
doing, self-exploration and
community-building. His latest K-12
math project involves students in
interactive digital learning for early
age mathematics
Register now at
connectwithmaths@aamt.edu.au
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VCE Computing Implementation Workshops – various dates,
various Victorian locations
29th April, 4:30pm (Swinburne University, Hawthorn): So You
Think You Can NAO
1st May, 3:50pm (LaTrobe University, Bendigo): DigiTech in the
Goldfields: creators not consumers
11th May, 4:30pm (Caroline Chisholm College): Mastering
multimodal text with a range of Adobe solutions
24th June, 4:30pm (Strathcona, Canterbury) – Mastering
multimodal text with a range of Adobe solutions
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Make the Web Work for You: 20th
April – 1st June (delivered online)
The six units provide an introduction
to concepts, tools and networks to
help educators and library
professionals thrive in a digital world.
To register, click here.
Conferences and Events
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Big Day In: 27th May, Melbourne - The BiG Day In™ is an IT careers conference designed by students for students. It is designed for both high school
(Years 9-12) and University students interested in careers in technology.
AusVELS Digital Technologies News
 The Great Victorian Coding Challenge - Get involved, intrigued and inspired by maths during Education Week from 17-23 May 2015.
Take part in The Great Victorian Coding Challenge in the lead-up to Education Week this year and bring maths to life in your
classroom. Read more…
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Australian STEM Video Game Challenge, Nationwide, Registration opens 20 April 2015 - Open to all Australian students in Years 512, the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge aims to increase interest and participation in the science, technology, engineering
and mathematics disciplines by harnessing kids’ love of video games; inviting students to design and build an original video game
from scratch.
Resources
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Centenary of ANZAC for teachers - This resource package is designed to provide support for teachers in their delivery of AusVELS
History. On the 25 April 2015, we will mark 100 years since the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) landed at
Gallipoli, our first major military action of World War One. Use the digital resources in this package to help your students learn
more about the experiences of Australians during wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations over time. Find out about
commemorative services on ANZAC Day, understand how our ANZAC history has contributed to our national identity and more..
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5 Fantastic, Fast, Formative Assessment Tools - Learn the strengths and weaknesses of each tool. Here are one teacher’s five fab
tools for formative assessment. Read more
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Each fortnight we feature one of our Digital Deck cards. The Digital Deck features digital resources, providing an overview, how to
get started, and ideas for the classroom. For the full version of Digital Deck, visit
https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/pages/View.aspx?pin=J7QNR9
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If you have any of your own ideas for Digital Deck cards and would like to submit them to the Digital Learning team, please contact
rowe.penelope.m@edumail.vic.gov.au
Digital Deck 6: What is… FreeMind?
FreeMind is a Mind Mapping software program. It has a fairly simple interface and is easy to use once you have mastered a few
concepts and controls. It allows you to edit a hierarchical set of ideas around a central concept and assists in brainstorming new
outlines and projects, as ideas branch out around the Mind Map.
Getting started today
 View the resource package on FUSE - 7CHRFG https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/?7CHRFG or scan the QR code below
 Go to the Digital Learning Showcase: http://epotential.education.vic.gov.au/showcase/edustar_win/ freemind
 Go to ePotential ICT Capabilities Resource and search for ‘FreeMind’ to find examples of how this program is being used in
schools. http://epotential.education.vic.gov.au/
Ideas for the classroom
 Brainstorm as a class what students know about a topic and what they want to know about it.
 Structure a piece of writing or prepare a story map.
 Create a knowledge base of small or medium-sized notes on a topic.
 Students create Mind Maps to demonstrate prior knowledge.
 Use FreeMind for assessment by creating a Mind Map as an overview of a topic. Begin with I learnt that…
 In Science, create cause and effect charts.
 In English, develop character studies about key characters.
For more user resources on FreeMind, click here.
Research
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DEECD Mail
Schools for 21st Century Learners, International Summit on the Teaching Professions - an OECD report: What do you need to create
a responsive 21st-century school? This report, Schools for 21st-Century Learners: Strong Leaders, Confident Teachers, Innovative
Approaches, uses evidence from the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the OECD Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA), and the OECD Innovative Learning Environments project to identify school- and systemlevel policies that promote effective school leadership, strengthen teacher’s sense of self-efficacy, and encourage innovation in
creating 21st-century learning environments... Read more…
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iPads for Learning - Teachers and leaders who use iPads in their teaching programs can participate in a range of sessions through the department's Virtual
Conference Centre to further develop their skills.
Session one: Introduction to your iPad – 21 April
Session two: Start creating with your iPad – 28 April
– DET School Update, 14th April
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‘Crack the code with maths!' this Education Week by getting your school involved in maths and coding-themed activities. Primary Schools can also take
part in the Great Victorian Coding Challenge as a fun way to learn or improve coding skills in the lead-up to Education Week. – DET School Update,
Tuesday 24th March, 2015 and 14th April
Please feel free to pass this on and contact me on brown.jillian.k@edumail.vic.gov.au if you have something you wish to share.
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Jillian Brown | Senior Project Officer | Secondary Reform Division
Department of Education and Training
Level 2, 33 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne VIC 3002
T: (03) 9651 3128
E: brown.jillian.k@edumail.vic.gov.au
W: www.education.vic.gov.au
https://twitter.com/littleswan2
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