Over the last month I have had the huge honour of speaking at three conferences. The first was Innovation in Education Festival in Brisbane. It was held at an impressive new school in the South Brisbane, Brisbane South State Secondary College. I shared with delegates my thoughts and work in ‘Technology in the Hands of Creative Thinkers’. One big take away from this conference was the importance of educators and schools to connect with and make use of experts and industry.
The next conference was the National Education Summit in Brisbane. I have spoken previously in the Capacity Building School Libraries strand but this year I spoke in STEM Across the Curriculum strand. I shared many of the activities and ideas I use to integrate Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies curriculum across other curriculum areas. Take away from this conference was that there are many schools using technologies to develop exciting and progressive units of work. I was particularly keen to learn more about the platform and resources used by Knox Grammar, Sydney, in their Knoxigation Units. The program is problem based, investigative in nature and designed to encourage students to understand their role in making a difference in our world.
The last conference was EduTECH in Melbourne. I was invited to be part of a panel discussing ‘The Current and Potential Role of Drones in Education’. I shared with delegates my journey of using drones across curriculum and grade levels. Beginning with observation and exploration, then building, programming and piloting drones. Drone education builds critical thinking and problem-solving skills in addition to technical skills. Our girls become fully engaged and excited when drones are used in their units of work.
I think the most benefiting and rewarding part of attending conferences is the opportunity to meet up with colleagues and other passionate educators. I was delighted to catch up with many in Melbourne including Louise Bender (past Deputy Principal at St Aidan’s, now in Tasmania), Sarah Prestridge(Griffith University), Brett Salakas, Anna Kinnane, Zeina Chalich, Dan Martinez …..oh ….and taking the opportunity to see Hamilton 😊