Welcome to the final Digital Technologies Hub newsletter for 2017

2017 has been a big year for the Hub! It has been a year of updates and improvements, sharing of ideas and suggestions for implementing the Digital Technologies curriculum, and bringing in a range of experts for professional development sessions. We are constantly thinking of new ideas and tools that will help you, so please let us know if there is anything else you'd like to see.

We are taking a short break, but will be back in your inbox in the new year. Our office will be closed from midday 22 December 2017, and will reopen on 2 January 2018.

Scope and sequence — watch this space!

We are developing a scope and sequence that will help teachers implement the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies. The scope and sequence will provide a range of topics for each year band in years F–10.

Each topic will offer a sequence of learning that includes a summary, a brief description of what the topic is about, suggested learning activities, and supporting resources and assessment ideas.

It is expected that the scope and sequence will be published by the end of January 2018.

Digital technologies + other learning areas

One approach to implementing the new curriculum is to look for ways to integrate digital technologies with other learning areas. Here are a few suggestions:

Years F–2

Three little pigs
Integrate English while programming: Re-tell the story of the three little pigs using a light sensing robot such as an Ozobot.
Fairytale fun
Integrate English and exploring algorithms: Use the slide sorter function to arrange a set of presentation slides in the correct sequence to re-tell a fairytale.
Bee-Bot ruler
Integrate mathematics and algorithms: Explore the concept of sequencing steps, using Bee-Bots to measure length.

Years 3–4

Plan a 'choose your own adventure' story
Integrate English and programming: Students create a storyboard to plan a story where the reader is provided with a number of decisions that lead to alternative endings.
Take a Lego building challenge
Integrate English and exploring algorithms: In pairs, explore giving and following a sequence of steps and decisions to build a Lego toy.
Create a language-learning program
Integrate HAAS with programming: Create a computer program to learn an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.

Years 4–6

Makey Makey projects
Integrate science, digital systems and programming: These lesson ideas demonstrate how to combine Makey Makey with Scratch to create all sorts of interesting solutions with students, as well as teach the basics of circuity, conductive materials and algorithms.

Years 5–6

Design a flag with Pencil Code
Integrate HAAS with programming: Design your own Australian flag. First, examine common elements of flags, then create a step-by-step process (algorithm) to program your design. Finally, create your flag using a turtle drawing program such as Pencil Code.
When I post something online how permanent is it?
Integrate mathematics and staying safe online: Students engage in a photo rip-up activity to emphasise the permanency of online information. They will explore factor trees, doubling, and line graphs through the lens of information sharing, while they collaboratively develop a set of protocols around sharing information online.

Webinars

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in our webinars this year! We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback you’ve sent through. The engagement during each of the sessions has been great to be a part of. We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to our presenters this year: Chris Harte, Dr Rebecca Vivian, Lauren Stanhope, Tim Bell, Anna Kinnane, Jo Klein, Steve Morrill, Matt Vines and Helen Sultana. We couldn’t have done it without you!

All of our webinars have been recorded, and can be found on the webinars page of our website, along with the handouts and/or slides from these sessions.

2018 schedule

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting another round of webinars during 2018, so watch this space! We have taken your feedback on board, and aim to provide sessions that will cover a range of topics and year levels. To build up the anticipation, we can confirm we’ll be hosting some sessions for secondary educators that will cover programming and Arduino, among other things.

The first will take place in February, so keep an eye on our Facebook page for dates and details.

Hour of Code

Have you registered yet? Hour of Code events can be organised by anyone, and take place all over the world. No experience is needed, and one-hour tutorials are available online. Take part in this global movement! You can register your class, school or community to learn code and have fun. There are also resources available to help you spread the word.

Upcoming events

Find out what competitions, conferences and professional learning opportunities are on offer in 2017 through our events calendar.

#MissMakesCode teacher and librarian training; 12 December, VIC
Regional STEM Conference 2017; 13 December, VIC
Making Computing Real with Data Science; 20 December, VIC
NCSS Summer School; 5–14 January, NSW
STEM X Academy; 7–12 January, ACT
Queensland College of Teachers: Reading in the digital age; 18 January, QLD
Queensland College of Teachers: Professional boundaries; 18 January, QLD
Queensland College of Teachers: Capturing evidence; 19 January, QLD
HEA STEM Conference 2018; 31 January–2 February, NSW

Join us on Google+

Did you know that we're also on Google+? Pop over to learn about site updates, featured resources, case studies, and information to help support your implementation of the Digital Technologies Curriculum.