EdFest15

EdFest15 was a free national virtual conference held on the 27th January which we were unable to participate in because of our own school commitments. The event featured fourteen half hour presentations on Australian Curriculum implementation and contemporary models for learning.
You can view one or all of the fourteen sessions in the full recording above. To check out the day's program click here

Scootle Community Learning

How is your digital footprint? Help build your  professional profile by joining the Scootle Community. It has new features  that will help  you to collaborate and connect to like minded educators. Check out the existing networks tab. There will be something there for everyone. Watch the presentation above that showcases the new features.

Differentiation Wiki

This Differentiation Wiki  is an example of one of the resources I found on  the Scootle Community site. Click on the image above to access. I found it under the "networks" tab where you can scroll through and join a number of networks.I am sure there will be many other networks that you will want to explore.

ACARA Changes

There have been some recent improvements in the Australian Curriculum with regards to General Capabilities and Cross Curriculum priorities. They are now tagged in Learning areas and there is a very clear distinction between the capabilities that are to be developed or applied to content and those that are there as an opportunity  to focus on as suggested in the content elaborations.

Below is an example of Year 7 History's Investigation of an Ancient Society. The General Capability to focus on is Critical and Creative Thinking- Inquiring: identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas. The elaborations suggest that Literacy and Sustainability could also be applied.
 

 

Australian Learning Lecture:Joy and Data

 

It is fantastic that we can view the inaugural Australian Learning Lecture, delivered by renowned British educationalist, Sir Michael Barber,only yesterday at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention centre. The title of the lecture was "Joy and Data" and looked at the relationship between the joy of learning and the data that enables success. Although it looks like the video goes for 1: 40 minutes, I recommend you cut to the chase and fast forward to the 39 minute count which is the actual start of the lecture. The presentation  will appeal to our many cyclist passionistas!

 

Work Smarter,Not Harder

 A few posts ago I mentioned a great article in a Technology Ed magazine that offered some strategies to reduce stress from online expectations. Here are two more worthwhile articles that teachers could use to help them make their careers in teaching more sustainable.

 

 

Can teachers ever have A Life /Work balance?

How To Balance family Life As A Teacher

How Successful People work Less But get More Done

 

 

Levels of Engagement

An interesting poster from Phillip Schlecty.Click on the image for more information.