INTERFACE Magazine, Issue 120, August 2023

Don’t miss out. Tell your students to get their blocks moving for year’s INTERFACE Minecraft Student Competition!

We’ve teamed up with the Marine Stewardship Council and your challenge is to design and build a new exhibit for the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier.

It could be a penguin enclosure, a shark tank, a home for a creature from the deep, a refuge for an endangered species, a hands-on encounter, a display area for viewing or something else. But whatever you choose, it must help visitors to the National Aquarium to better understand marine life in and around our oceans, as well as make sure the animal’s needs can be met. age categories. great prizes.

Entries close end of

For full details go to interfaceonline.co.nz/Minecraft2023.

CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTSAND

2 INTERFACE Student Minecraft Competition 2023

6 INTERFACE News and Views

6 Survey: What do you think about AI in Education? AI is looming large for education. But is it good or bad? Help or hindrance? Smart thinking or cheating? Well, that’s what we want to find out with our AI in Education Survey and we’d love to know what you think.

8 Noticeboard

11 Empower search and research in your school for free Accessit Library is more than a catalogue. It’s an evolving resource hub that can link with new and free ways to put knowledge at the fingertips of teachers and tamariki.

12 What’s stopping you learning new digital skills? Keeping as up to speed as possible with technology is crucial for effectively engaging and educating students in the digital age. Some challenges to adopting

14 The journey to inspire an education in electronics The Ministry of Inspiration is on a mission to encourage young people to be curious, to grow and to be challenged through STEAMS education. Part of the process is providing equitable access to learning resources for every child. Enter the STEAMS kit.

16 Things that we learned from INTERFACEXpo 2023 When people registered to attend INTERFACEXpo, we asked them to identify what digital technologies issues were uppermost on their minds. During and after the events, we also asked for feedback from delegates about how it had gone. Here we share a few of the things you told us.

19 Where are we going next year? Dates and locations for INTERFACEXpo 2024

20 File Share: four pages of online resources for educators.

24 Access and read your free digital copy of INTERFACE Magazine.

Do young children prefer a robot or human Researchers tested pre-schoolers to see whether robots could be better teachers than real people. The Canadian study used both a human speaker and a robot to see if they deemed similarity more important than competency when choosing which source to trust and learn from.

Heaps of great prizes to

Smarter devices engineered for education.

Lenovo 500w Yoga

The Lenovo 500w Yoga 2-in-1 laptop provides a boost of power and productivity for simplified, secure learning. The 360-degree hinge enables comfortable and convenient modes – especially while using the touchscreen with Pencil Touch technology.

Find out more: techtoday.lenovo.com/education

Meet the team

EDITOR

Greg Adams

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Greg.Adams@interfacemagazine.co.nz

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DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Michelle Durbin

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DESIGN

Design@interfacemagazine.co.nz

EVENT MANAGER INTERFACE Xpo

Paul Colgrave

Paul.Colgrave@interfacexpo.co.nz

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NEW ZEALAND INTERFACE™

(ISSN 1177-973X) is published six times a year by G MEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED

© G MEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED 2023.

Editorial opinions are not necessarily those of the publisher. We do not endorse or accept responsibility for any third party featured in this publication, unless stated otherwise.

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information in this magazine, the publisher does not accept liability for inaccuracies, omissions or misinterpretations that may occur, and urges readers to always check online resources before using them in class.

SURVEY: WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT AI

While Artificial Intelligence is nothing new, it seems that in just the space of a few months, the availability of some new AI-powered tools has significantly altered the teaching and learning landscape.

It’s hard to believe that ChatGPT was launched only eight months ago. From school staffrooms to classrooms to ministerial offices, its arrival has been something of a wake-up call.

AI is looming large for education; its impact is potentially profound. But good or bad? Help or hindrance? Smart thinking or cheating?

Well, that’s what we want to find out with our AI in Education Survey. We’d love to know what you think. What have been your experiences so far? What would you like to see happening with AI?

Plus, as thank you for taking part, you’ll go into the draw to win a bag of INTERFACE goodies, including a copy of 50 Strategies for Integrating AI Into the Classroom, a Mini Desktop Robot Vacuum Cleaner (AI-powered, of course!), and a $100 Prezzy card.

If you’d like to take part and share your thoughts, please go to the survey at interfaceonline.co.nz/aisurvey

GET YOUR STUDENTS WORKING ON THEIR MINECRAFT COMPETITION ENTRIES

It’s the most popular competition of the year – you’ll be in big trouble with your students if you miss it! Yes, we’re talking the INTERFACE Minecraft Student Competition 2023. We’ve teamed up with the Marine Stewardship Council and your challenge is to design and build a new exhibit for the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier. There’s still time to take part. Entries don’t close until the end of Term 3.

Students choose the type of environment for the exhibit, maybe a penguin enclosure, a shark tank, a home for a creature from the deep, a refuge for an endangered species, or something else. But whatever the design, it must help visitors to the aquarium to better understand marine life in and around our oceans, as well as make sure the animal’s needs can be met.

HOW ARE YOU USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR CLASSROOM?

We know teachers are doing amazing things with digital technology – and we want you to tell us about it! From coding to esports, CAD to STEAM, to …

Once they have a plan, students need to create it in Minecraft, write a short explanation on how the exhibit meets the requirements, and provide a short video tour.

There are three age categories to choose from: Primary (Years 1-6); Intermediate (Years 7-8) and Secondary (Years 9+). And some great prizes to be won.

For full details, judging criteria and entry form go to interfaceonline.co.nz/Minecraft2023

well, whatever it is you’re digitally doing, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Editor Greg Adams at greg.adams@interfacemagazine.co.nz

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LATEST COMPETITIONS WINNERS

Thanks to everyone who entered the July competitions. There were some great prizes up for grabs.

We had two Foldable, Wired Over-Ear Headphones to give away. The first names drawn were Karen Gilmour, Lytton Street School, Feilding (red) and Wendy Fleming, Greymouth High School, Greymouth (blue).

The Brainbox FM Radio Electronic Kit proved a popular choice and is on its way Rose Martin, Ohakune School, Ohakune.

See pages 30 and 31 for latest competitions or go to interfaceonline.co.nz/competitions/

SURVEY: WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT AI

TRY 4 NEW ARTS AND AI EXPERIMENTS FROM GOOGLE

AI is looming large for education. But is it good or bad? Help or hindrance? Smart thinking or cheating?

Well, that’s what we want to find out with our AI in Education Survey. We’d love to know what you think. What have been your experiences so far? What would you like to see happening?

Find out more and how to take part on page 6.

MEET PHICTIONARY, THE PHISHING DICTIONARY

Google has launched four new art experiences powered by AI, each created by a Google Arts & Culture Lab’s artist in residence.

“Our artist residency programme has been running since 2014 and supports artists and creative coders experimenting with emerging technologies to solve a cultural challenge, or to connect audiences with culture online in new ways,” said Freya Murray. The four experiences are:

• XYZ TOY (guess the hidden word)

• Odd One Out (guess the ‘imposters’ hidden among artworks)

• Un-Dough! (guess the landmark under coloured dough)

• Haiku Imagined (illustrated and animated haiku)

“The starting point for these new experiments was applications of Google AI Image Generation Research to inspire cultural discovery and learning through play.” More at bit.ly/aiartgoogle

Learning about online scams and phishing with your students? Created by Norton, Phictionary is a dictionarystyle guide to help spot the tell-tale signs of phishing attacks. It’s a useful checklist with real-life examples of scams to help people proactively recognise fake and fraudulent communications.

Find out more download the guide at nz.norton.com/blog/online-scams/phictionary

ENERGISE AT #MAKEANIMPACT HUI 2023

Join impactED for #makeanimpact hui 2023, on 26 -27 September, at St Thomas College of Canterbury. Experience an electrifying two-day hui, forged by educators for educators, as it brings together international and local speakers, sharing deep insights on pedagogy and curriculum. Find out more at impacted. co.nz/energise-makeanimpact-hui-2023/tools.

DEAL VALUES KAHOOT! AT NEARLY US$2BILLION

Popular online quiz platform Kahoot! is set to be valued at US$1.7 billion if an acquisition offer from Goldman Sachs Asset Management is approved. The move would take the Oslo-based company private and provide investment for expansion and take advantage of the growing global market for digital learning tools.

Education Perfect has partnered with the Ministry of Education to create a free, online Beginners’ Samoan language (Gagana Sāmoa) course. This makes it the first Pacific language course on the company’s platform, sitting alongside 10 other languages.

“We’re incredibly proud to provide this course to all schools in Aotearoa for free, supporting our educators in teaching Gagana Sāmoa,” said Education Perfect on Facebook. “Together, we can provide a platform for Pasifika communities and their voices, and create a truly inclusive Aotearoa.”

Gagana Sāmoa is the third most spoken language in New Zealand. The course consists of 30 lessons, which include content such as the alphabet, days and months, White Sunday and Siva Sāmoa (dance).

Register for the course at hsl.educationperfect.com/ beginners-samoan-registration

NEW SAMOAN LANGUAGE COURSE LAUNCHES

AND THE YUBIKEYS GO TO …

Congratulations to Rob Oliphant, from Farm Cove Intermediate, Auckland, who was drawn as the winner of The Ministry of Education’s Yubikey competition. Ten security keys from Yubico are on their way to Rob.

SURVEY SHOWS STUDENTS PREFER SNAPCHAT TO TIKTOK … JUST

Snapchat has emerged as the top app among high school students in New Zealand, with 61% of them reporting that they used it four or more times the day of the questionnaire, according to the CensusAtSchool survey. TikTok was a close second (60%), followed by Instagram (49%), YouTube (48%), Discord (18%), and WhatsApp (17%). Primary school students, however, preferred YouTube (59%), ahead of TikTok (29%) and Snapchat (22%). More at new.censusatschool.org.nz

NEW FORUM TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE AI

Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI are launching the Frontier Model Forum, an industry body focused on ensuring safe and responsible development of frontier AI models. Its objectives include identifying best practices for the responsible development and deployment of AI, and collaborating to share knowledge about trust and safety risks. In the coming months, the FMF will set up an Advisory Board to help guide its strategy and priorities.

RWANDAN SCHOOLS GO ONLINE WITH STARLINK

Fifty schools in Rwanda have gone online thanks to satellite-based internet provider Starlink, giving 18,000 students access to online learning opportunities – with 450 further schools planned.

Almost half the country’s schools (approx. 3,000) currently don’t have any internet connectivity. In March, the Rwandan Ministry of ICT and Innovation launched the ‘School Connectivity Program’ to connect all primary and secondary schools in the country to high-speed internet by the end of 2024.

N4L APPOINTS NEW CHAIR OF BOARD

Jeremy Banks has been appointed new Chair of Network for Learning (N4L). After six years as a board member, he took up his new role last month.

“I’ve seen the valuable role technology can play in online education,” he said. “It’s an exciting time for us at N4L, as we explore what role we can play to help support all ākonga in Aotearoa having equal opportunity for and access to online learning – ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa ki hea – no matter who they are, or where they are.”

Spark your students’ imagination by using video in the classroom

Video content provides an effective and innovative way to engage your learners (even the reluctant ones!), and Education TV can provide a vast range of material across all curriculum areas and age groups.

Audio visual material in the classroom is certainly not new. What has improved immeasurably, however, is the technology that brings it into your classroom and the vast range of video material that’s available to you on demand.

ETV is the largest online video platform for educators in New Zealand, with more than 150,000 videos recorded during the last 13 years We have a particular focus on New Zealand based content, making the resources relevant to all curriculum areas and age groups, from Early Learning to Tertiary.

Impressive range

Programmes are captured daily from freeview channels, Sky TV and legitimate online sources, such as YouTube. From movies, documentaries and current affairs to recent events such as the Te Matatini festival, the range of material available is impressive. Teachers are also able to request any upcoming programme by using the Request Recording button on each page of ETV. Our digital librarians will then capture the programme and upload it and advise that it’s ready to be used in your classroom. And the bonus is, once we have it on ETV it will never disappear, as frequently happens with YouTube.

It’s well known that learners will readily engage with video, reaping the benefits of its ability to communicate on both a cognitive and emotional level. Textbooks take a linguistic approach, while audio-visual utilises sight, sound, colour, and movement, inspiring deeper learning, better retention and reinforced motivation.

Video annotation tools also come free with an ETV subscription. Annotations can be added to pop up at any point in a video, from labels and text to single/multiple choice and true/false questions, creating a unique resource for sharing with both learners and colleagues.

Article by Martin Drew, General Manager, ETV

Special offer for INTERFACE readers

Stream live TV channels and ETV content in your reception area, classroom or library with a free Link TV box. No other equipment is needed, no computer, no Chromecast and no Apple TV. Simply email Martin Drew on martin.drew@etv.org.nz and put ‘INTERFACE Term 3 offer’ in the subject line to arrange for your free Link TV to be sent to you.

IN TERM THREE FOR FREE

E T V

W H O A R E W E ?

We are a not-for-profit charitable trust, approved by the Minister of Education as an Education Resource Supplier.

W H A T D O E S E T V D O ?

ETV is the largest online video platform in New Zealand with over 150,000 videos searchable by your staff and students We capture a vast range of content with a focus on providing videos relevant to schools in Aotearoa. This includes historical and current affairs content, and events such as Te Matatini, along with other TV programmes and movies We have been providing this service for all age levels and curriculum areas for over 13 years.

Content captured daily from freeview, Sky and international channels as well as online sources such as YouTube. Teachers can request uploads

E L I N K

Create personal and shared workspaces, control who can see it, and connect your learning resources with colleagues and students.

E V A

Our Enhanced Video Annotation tool, turns any video into an enriched interactive experience

R E S O U R C E S

ETV's teaching resources support our curriculum and enhances the content available on ETV

Hobsonville

"ETV is an excellent resource for teachers. It has a particular focus on New Zealand based content which makes it relevant to all curriculum areas"

Point Secondary School

Empower search and research in your school for free

Accessit Library is a hub for a range of resources that help schools build a connected community of learners. The homegrown library management system is more than a catalogue, however, it’s an evolving resource hub that can link with new and free ways to put knowledge at the fingertips of teachers and tamariki.

New Zealand schools are lucky. Yes, we may face many issues, but there is one place that our librarians know we are winning, and that’s access to research sources for our students. Google search results can’t always be trusted, so in our quest to create thoughtful and smart researchers we must provide access to creditable resources.

Thanks to the Ministry of Education and the National Library, our schools have access to an amazing range of resources for free – the EPIC resources. These databases cover all learning areas in our primary and secondary school curricula and are accessible at school and at home.

Answers to questions

From Gale to EBCSO’s MasterFILE Complete, plus international publications, art, music and Te Tiriti o Waitangi resources, the EPIC databases – giving access to thousands of high-quality journals, magazines, books, audio-visual items, images, and other online content – provide schools and students with the answers to many questions!

We just need to get these resources used more, and that requires access and searchability.

Intuitive searching

Our aim at Accessit Library has been to make research accessible and approachable, and search has been at the forefront of that goal. Our search understands the communication levels of a wide range of literacy capabilities, ensuring students can get the answers they need.

Basic autocomplete is a form of assistance we all know and love, but it’s our intuitive searching that really helps learners to succeed. Phonetic and truncated searching are the true heroes in Accessit Library – whether it’s spelling giraffe the way it sounds (‘jiraff’) or using partial words when looking for The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (lion witch ward), Accessit can rationalise and identify the most relevant words to use.

This means students can get to the right resource rather than being disheartened by subpar results.

Relevant results

We also utilise Visual Search, meaning students can find the right area of resources even if they don’t know the words to get them there.

An add-on to one of Accessit’s popular additional features – Syndetics Unbound

– is Proquest’s exciting new AI-enhanced Talpa Search (talpa.ai). It will look for things like the type of book or the colour of its cover, then find the most relevant results and match it to what you have in your own library. It’s truly amazing!

Credible and trustworthy

How can you put the search and resources together? Accessit Library has One Search, which looks beyond the books and resources in your school’s library and can search linked online databases, such as the EPIC databases, that you subscribe to.

Put it all together and you have the resources and the search features to ensure your students find the answers to their questions, using sources you’ve identified as credible and trustworthy. Nothing makes homework easier while also empowering students to build their research skills.

The resources are free. Are you and your students getting the most out of them?

By AJ Johnston, Accessit Library and lifelong learner.

To find out more about the EPIC database resources and information go to natlib.govt.nz/librarians/epic

What’s stopping you learning new digital skills?

Keeping as up to speed as possible with technology is crucial for effectively engaging and educating students in the digital age. It can not only improve the learning experience but also save time, simplify classroom management, and help career development. development. How are you upskilling to keep ahead? Take our six-step challenge.

Change can be scary. Leaving comfort zones can be uncomfortable and unnerving. New ways of doing things can be confusing. The rapid pace of innovation in education technology means teachers are faced with constantly learning new digital skills.

Some challenges to adopting technology do exist. However, they are not insurmountable. Instead of putting things in the too-hard basket, consider where new skills can take you. What’s the state of your skillset and how can you improve? Follow these six steps to find out.

1. Take a stocktake of your digital skillset

Before you can effectively develop your technology skills, first assess your current digital abilities and what you already know. This will assist you in determining your strengths and highlight places for improvement. Ask yourself:

• What tech tools am I comfortable using in the classroom?

• How do I incorporate technology into activities?

• What technological talents do I want to master?

Armed with this information, you can make informed choices on what to do next.

2. Set out specific goals

Once you know where you stand, you can establish some precise aims for increasing technological abilities. What are the goals you want to achieve?

When setting these targets, think about the importance, as well as the practicality, of the talents you wish to gain. You may have a lengthy wish-list of technologies you want to learn, but it’s critical to select and concentrate on the ones that will have the greatest influence

on your teaching and impact on students’ learning.

Don’t go for technology based on what you are comfortable with or what’s new and most popular. Try converting everything into the actual classroom outcomes – in other words, the return on your investment in learning new skills. Just figure out your problems and challenges, and search solutions to address these. Consider how much you could benefit by adopting new technology.

3. Take advantage of PLD opportunities

If you are not too tech savvy, connect with technology experts, who can show you what’s available on the education scene. There are numerous possibilities for teachers to participate in PLD related to technology integration, including training days, conferences and webinars. Their guidance will assist you in identifying the best ways forward for learning new skills, and adopting new technology.

4. Seek out peer support and collaboration

Improving your technological talents does not have to done alone. Connecting with others with a similar desire and interest can be a tremendous source of encouragement and inspiration.

Many of your peers are going through exactly the same experiences and decisions. You’ll find much of the same journey has already been done by others. You can simply hop on board and benefit from their knowledge and wisdom. This process could include joining online groups and forums, following blogs and social media feeds, following the news, and so on.

5. Use new skills in the classroom

Okay, after setting precise goals and taking advantage of support opportunities, you have learned some new tricks for your teaching armoury. Now it’s time to put these new talents to good use.

Look for ways to use technology to improve or enrich your current classes and activities. Don’t be scared to experiment as this can be an excellent method for determining what works best for you and your students.

Instead of migrating everything at once, employ a phased approach. Switch part of your teaching activities at a time, concentrating on just one new tech skill. It will reduce the complexity of the integration and give you (and your students) chance to see how things are going before moving on.

6. Reflect on your use of technology

As you include digital technology in your teaching, it is critical to reflect on how well it is functioning. This will assist you in determining what is working well and what may need to be tweaked. Some things won’t work as you expect (probably many things) – a small change may be enough to do the trick or a complete re-think may be required. Remember, no amount of prep work and planning will guarantee surviving first contact with the classroom.

Improving your technology skills as a teacher is a continuous process. It’s important to keep up with new technology and search for ways to successfully incorporate them into your teaching. You’ll enjoy digital life all the more when you do.

Compiled by the INTERFACE team.

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. SOCRATES ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHER

The journey to inspire an education in electronics

The Ministry of Inspiration is on a mission to encourage young people to be curious, to grow and to be challenged through STEAMS education. Part of the process is providing equitable access to learning resources for every child. Enter the STEAMS kit.

In 2016, Alan York and Amy Cornelisen embarked on a mission to develop the STEAMS kit, driven by a combination of Alan’s engineering/IT background and passion for micro-controllers with Amy’s frustration with the lack of resources available to support students and teachers in basic electronics.

Their goal was to create a comprehensive guide that would take teachers (and their students) from a state of knowing nothing about electronic circuits to being able to code an Arduino microcontroller and create their own circuits.

Alan and Amy developed a compact box that contained all the necessary materials for learners to work through the lessons. This included additional components to account for the occasional mishap or blown circuits, ensuring that learners could continue their exploration without interruption.

Launching the STEAMS kit

In 2017, through the Ministry of Inspiration, a not-for-profit charity, where Amy serves as CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer), the STEAMS kit was officially launched. It was made available to schools, students, parents, and wha - nau, providing a comprehensive

resource for electronics education. The launch marked a significant milestone in enabling broader access to quality electronics learning experiences.

School engagement

A number of schools across the country have since embraced the STEAMS kit and embarked on their electronics education journey. Here are two of those journeys.

Antonio Sardella, St Joseph’s School, Nelson

In 2020, Antonio Sardella introduced his gifted and talented group of Year 4 to Year 8 students to the fascinating world of creativity, coding, and electronics through the STEAMS Kit.

His experience with this group found that students who possessed an inclination towards creativity, electronics, and coding displayed a remarkable level of engagement throughout the STEAMS lessons. They thoroughly enjoyed working with the kits and eagerly embraced the challenges they presented.

“The hands-on nature of the kits, coupled with the opportunity to explore their own ideas, sparked their enthusiasm and curiosity,” he said.

“While some students struggled with resilience when hitting bugs, it is important to note that younger students, such as those in Year 4, surprised us with their resilience and ability to navigate through the lessons.

“Ultimately, the success of the kits largely depends on the students’ motivation, drive, and personal interest in coding and electronics.”

Our mission is to inspire today’s youth, through STEAMS education, with the joy of lifelong learning .

We want to show every young person that they have the potential to achieve great things, and to grow their confidence and belief so that they can take advantage of the endless opportunities the future holds.

THE MINISTRY OF INSPIRATION

Insights and troubleshooting

For himself, Antonio found that the teacher handbook provided in the kits proved to be incredibly beneficial. As an educator, he appreciated the thoroughness of the handbook, allowing him to gain a comprehensive understanding of each lesson and its objectives. It not only guided him on what to do but also provided insights into how everything worked. This knowledge empowered him to effectively support his students, passing on accurate information and troubleshooting.

“Having experienced the immense benefits of the kits, I’m wholeheartedly committed to continuing their use in my teaching. They provide an exceptional platform for introducing the world of coding and electronics in a challenging yet accessible manner.

“By connecting to real-world applications, the kits enable students to develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of these skills. Furthermore, the open-ended nature of the projects encourages critical thinking and fosters creativity.”

Antonio’s recommendations for educators:

“I highly recommend the STEAMS kits to those seeking to incorporate coding and electronics into their curriculum. They’re suitable for a range of ages, although older students tend to benefit more due to the fine motor skills required to complete lessons successfully. It’s important to consider the students’ level of motivation and willingness to tackle challenges when determining the appropriate audience for these kits.”

Vince Fox – Tapawera School, Tasman District

In Term 2, 2023, Vince Fox introduced STEAMS kits to his Year 9 Materials Technology class. Despite facing challenges like limited class time due to external factors, the implementation proved to be fruitful and worthwhile endeavour.

He provided his students with the STEAMS kits, accompanied by some pre-teaching of generic electronics concepts. The pre-set lessons within the kits allowed the students to take charge of their learning, self-managing their way through the activities and exercises.

“They experienced a sense of achievement when successfully assembling the components and witnessing their functionality. In moments of uncertainty, students actively sought assistance from their peers, fostering collaboration and teamwork. An important lesson they learned was the significance of following pre-learned knowledge rather than randomly assembling components, as exemplified in a lesson where an LED was intentionally meant to blow as part of the learning process.”

Engage and enhance

“Despite not being able to complete all the lessons due to time limitations, there’s a strong desire to keep using the kits. I plan to explore the more advanced features next year.

“I have found that these kits effectively introduce and engage students in activities that apply their acquired knowledge and skills to solve real-world challenges within the materials technology field. The hands-on nature of the kits enhances student learning outcomes and deepens their understanding of the subject matter.”

Vince’s recommendations for other educators:

“Based on experience, I highly recommend STEAMS kits to other

educators interested in incorporating electricity and electronics into their teaching.

“These kits are suitable for educators at any level and provide an accessible and enjoyable platform for students to experience success while gradually advancing their learning and problemsolving abilities. The versatility of the kits makes them suitable for integration into various disciplines, catering to a wide range of learners.”

Article supplied by the Ministry of Inspiration.

For more information about the Ministry of Inspiration and the STEAMS kit go to ministryofinspiration.org or contact Amy Cornelisen at amy@ministryofinspiration.org

What’s inside STEAMS kits?

STEAMS kit is a portable box of hands-on, one-hour technology lessons with an engaging series of projects involving light, sound, and movement that encourage students to develop electronic and programming understanding.

Each contains all the components necessary (except the computer) for 14 hands-on, detailed lessons. The kit starts with simple electronic concepts that then lead students into controlling those electronics through programming with an Arduino pattern-based platform.

Things that we learned from

It was quite a four days for this year’s INTERACEXpo. We travelled the length of the country, supported by 22 sponsors. We couldn’t host the event without them but, just as importantly, we couldn’t do it without you. More than 600 educators joined us to talk tech and make digital decisions. Here are just a few of the things you told us.

What’s currently on your digital radar?

When people registered to attend INTERFACE Xpo, we asked them to identify what digital technologies issues were uppermost on their minds. The answers we received covered a range of topics, with finding new tools/resources for the classroom and upskilling both featuring prominently, followed by cybersecurity, updating devices and generally integrating DT into the curriculum.

“I want to continue to familiarise myself with new online tools and to become more confident in the regular use of online tools in education.”

“Finding ways to continue to embed good teaching and learning into classrooms and keep upskilling teachers.”

“Learning about new digital tools available for teaching.”

“Integration of the updated curriculum and using digital technology to support these updates and ensure we are covering the technology progress outcomes. Seamless transitions between year groups with using IT.”

“I’m in charge of our school TV channel. So, I am always looking for ways to add to our skill set and incorporate these skills into our episodes. My team teacher and I are also always looking for interesting digital resources to incorporating into our planning and how we deliver learning experiences.”

“Making effective use of digital tools available in the school and support other teachers to confidently incorporate digital technology in their everyday teaching.”

“There has been much interest and debate at our school over the impact of AI technology like ChatGPT, especially concerns around the authenticity of student work. Already there has been a range of opinion from complete catastrophe to extreme excitement at the potential the technology offers.”

“Cybersafety and as always interactive and engaging tools for students.”

“Cybersecurity is one of our biggest challenges, our school would like to make our network as safe as possible and to educate our students as much as we can for outside of school and for when they move onto college.”

“AI and negative impacts on academic honesty.”

“Use of AI in the classroom. How can we embrace this tool that is changing the face of education?”

“ChatGPT and its role in assessment practice in secondary schools.”

What are the biggest challenges?

It was probably no surprise that lack of ‘time’ and ‘money’ appeared most. But other topics that featured widely in people’s responses were teacher upskilling, cybersecurity and equitable access.

“Ensuring that all students have equitable access to modern and fit-for-purpose e-learning tools both a school and at home.”

Another challenge facing teachers is simply identifying the right tools for the job and separating the digital wheat from the chaff.

“Continuing to find ways to enable teachers to be confident and capable users of technology, so thatdigital learning becomes seamlessly incorporated into everyday learning.”

“Choosing which tools to focus on when there are so many to choose from and using those tools well, not just for the sake of it.”

“The budget! The lack of budget for the e-learning/digital tech is very small and isn’t flexible enough.”

“Getting teachers on board and actively living and breathing the Digital Technologies Curriculum as an integrated part of their day-to-day teaching.”

“We’re working through what’s good and will work effectively in the class, and what’s just ‘pretty’.”

“Currently, upskilling staff. We have the knowledge and motivation in our team but haven’t got a solid solution how to upskill staff within our school.”

“Avoiding the wave of new gizmos and gadgets that flash by with lots of enthusiasm and little substance.”

“Getting teachers to understand the benefits of using digital technology in their classrooms - not just using it to let students publish their work.”

Telling us what you thought of the event

“The gap in digital skills among teachers. Some are highly fluent with a disposition towards trying new things, others seldom engage with digital tools and a small number are resistant altogether.”

“Being able to maintain focus and not fall down a digital rabbit hole and also to be able to weed out fact from fake.”

When the event was done and dusted, we asked for delegates’ feedback (everyone who did, went into the draw to win a drone). We wanted people to be honest and we received a range of views and opinions. A few new things had been tried this year, so it was great to get everyone’s thoughts.

On the whole, it seems that delegates were pleased with how the days went, enjoying the atmosphere, speaking with sponsors, and taking away with them insights, inspiration and new information.

“It was a great day with excellent experts and workshops available, and good exhibits as well. Really enjoyed the range of options and expertise on offer.”

“The workshops I chose were great and so were the other speakers. It was good to hear someone talk about generative AI as I’ve read a little but it’s so confusing. They gave some simpler ways to think about it.”

“Excellent presenters. Good range of exhibits, lovely freebies, well organised.”

“The ability to talk with vendors and use their resources to check them out before we make purchasing decisions. It can be difficult to get this opportunity outside of a very expensive conference so it was great to have multiple vendors in one place that we could talk to and test out their resources.”

“It had everything I was hoping for, and I came away with a couple of gems I could immediately share with staff.”.

Where are we going next year?

Find out on page 19.

And the not so good

Of course, some things didn’t go quite so well for everyone, either on the day or in our planning. We’ll be taking stock of these comments, so we can improve and continue to bring you the best event possible.

“I felt like there were fewer vendors than in the past.”

“Often these expos are rushed, and I did feel that to be able to get to all the stands I had to skip a demo. I also feel that demos weren’t very interesting as to be either too basic or either rushing through various digital tools to be used.”

How was the half day format?

“I didn’t like it that we couldn’t hear well and some of the presentations had small print. That was a huge disappointment.”

“There’s a really good feel to the event but I wasn’t inspired by the lead speakers, or perhaps am just a bit ‘been there, done that’ on some topics, which is hard for you to do anything about.”

“Lots of information, but not enough time.”

“We were frustrated that we couldn’t hear all of the presenters.”

“Not being able to get around all the sponsors – I was talking too long to each.”

In 2022, with the restrictions and limitations of COVID, we introduced half-day events, so we could bring delegates through in smaller groups. It worked fairly well, and we decided to try half-day events again this year. We ran two, which allowed us to visit an extra location, making it four in total, instead of three. The thinking behind this was that it would take the event to more places and made it accessible to more people – but still keep and offer the overall Xpo feel and experience. The feedback was mixed, the jury out. Some of you like the shorter days, some of you don’t.

“I felt it was a bit rushed. Perhaps after the last speaker there could have been more time for exploring the booths and networking.”

“I didn’t feel like I got enough time to process the workshops and/or the stands as the timing was quite tight. It would have been great to be able to ask more questions and get deeper into ideas.”

Ideas, information and inspiration

“I think it would have been better in a full day! More time to process and interact, and more time to engage with workshop presenters.”

“The half day format was great. Just enough time to listen to speakers and look at expo items.”

“Loved the half day format. Short but intense was great.”

“I like the half day format. With two hours travel both ways it makes it a doable day trip.”

Lastly, we asked what people took away with them from the day. What had they learned? What were they thinking?

“Just when you think you get a handle on technology something else comes along and the learning begins again!”

“Cybersecurity and the need to be vigilant is something I will take back to my school.”

“AI and the need need to stay up to date with the rapid pace of change – and how it can be used for education.”

“There were many impressions made. Overall, I was inspired to explore some of the products for the school. I am looking into the digital classroom as a transformational area and how to inspire non-digiteachers to take up some skills.”

“The opportunities of AI in the classroom, the amazing range of tools that Google has to offer, the challenges of security for schools, and the ability of us as teachers to use digital tools in ways we haven’t thought of.”

“I came away feeling inspired to learn more and, I have to say, that’s a hard thing for anyone to gift to me as I’m in my 34th year of teaching, moved out of leadership and into Y7-8 Tech and almost left the profession. Am I getting a new lease on teaching life?”

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and experiences with us. We’re busy planning for next year. We will use your feedback to help make our decisions and bring you best even we can.

Compiled by the INTERFACE Team

Auckland Trusts Arena, Henderson

Friday 31 May

What

Lincoln

Lincoln Event Centre

Thursday 23 May

Rotorua Novotel Lakeside

Tuesday 28 May

IMAGES

Choose from more than 20,000 stock photos and images at Burst ( burst. shopify.com). Created by Shopify, the site’s impressive library offers highresolution and royalty-free images free for almost any use. Search by keyword or browse the categories, like animals, fashion, fitness, and seasons.

AROUND THE WORLD

Explore places worldwide with GeoNames (geonames.org). The database contains more than 25 million geographical names and 11 million unique features. Search by keyword or browse by section, such as countries, postal codes and country statistics

HISTORY

Elcano (lab.rtve.es/elcano/en/) is an engaging interactive describing the voyage of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who’s credited with masterminding the first circumnavigation of the world. Follow the route around the globe and explore what life was like on board one of his ships.

All photos on Kaboompics ( kaboompics. com) can be used and modified for free. As well as keyword and category searches, you can filter and choose images by colour. Behind every photo is also an entire photoshoot to peruse. Plus join the site’s club and get access to free mock-ups and stock videos.

The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (nesdis. noaa.gov) – or NESDIS for short –provides access to global environmental data and information from satellites and other sources. Use the imagery and interactive maps for learning about changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts.

Created by Harvard University, The Giza Project (giza.fas.harvard.edu) gives access to a large collection of information, media, and research materials about the Pyramids and related sites on Egypt’s Giza Plateau. Guided tours and stories feature artifacts, maps, photographs, and more.

Life of Pix (lifeofpix.com) offers a selection of high-resolution photos, with no copyright restrictions for personal and educational use. New images are added regularly and are organised in galleries. Create your own portfolio to manage and personalise images, and follow your favourite photographers.

For up-to-date economic and social data about countries go to IMF Country Information (imf.org/en/Countries)

Compiled by the International Monetary Fund, review the latest analysis, statistics and reports on 190 countries, which are listed

Learn history visually with History Maps (history-maps.com). Choose a category – like ‘History of Japan’, ‘Inca Empire’ or ‘Anglo-Saxons’ – and click through for maps, videos and information. There’s also a timeline game, a ‘Today in History’ section, and a ‘Ask Herodotus’, where you can ask questions about history.

Kide Science (kidescience.com) is a library of play and story-based lesson plans and PD materials for teachers of young learners. Resources include a hands-on component and are highly visual, including pictures of materials and intriguingly wordless videos of the experiments. The free plan unlocks a new lesson each week.

Learn about some of our planet’s most pressing environmental challenges to ecosystems at bioGraphic (biographic. com). Explore articles, images, videos and other resources across several categories, including wildlife, systems, people, places, discoveries, and solutions.

AUTHORS

She might have completed just six works during her lifetime but there’s tonnes to learn at Jane Austen (janeausten.org) Find out about her life, death, and major events in between. There’s a timeline, links to ebooks, discussions, letters, and quotes, information about her museum, and even a Regency Period fashion section.

Frontiers for Young Minds (kids. frontiersin.org) is a collaborative, online science journal where kids review articles alongside adult scientists, with the aim of converting complex scientific topics into kid-friendly language. Check out the latest content or browse by article topic and collections.

For engaging video clips on topics such as DNA and evolution, try Learn.Genetics (learn.genetics.utah.edu). The site also has articles, activities, simulations, and animations. A companion site Teach. Genetics (teach.genetics.utah.edu) offers advice and lesson plans for educators.

If you’re hungry for all things Eric Carle, check out The Official Eric Carle Website (eric-carle.com). Here you’ll find a media gallery with photos, videos and audio recordings, a biography, book list, activity sheets, and a Q&A with Eric. There’s also a description of his creative process with painted tissues.

Xplorlabs (xplorlabs.org) is an educational platform designed to encourage students to ‘solve through science’. From e-waste extraction to fire forensics, there’s an engaging range of online interactive activities, videos, instructional experiences, and hands-on classroom investigations and challenges.

How easy is it to tell gender? Find out at BioMotion Lab’s Guess the Sex (biomotionlab.ca/Experiments/ BMLmdsex/). Begin by filling out a simple form, then hit ‘start’, view the animation, and guess the gender by the movement. After several goes you can end and view your score. It’s only a male/female choice but the motion is interesting.

From giant peaches to chocolate, a friendly giant to Matilda, learn about them all and more at Roald Dahl (roalddahl.com). There’s background about the author, news about the stories, and information about the Dahl Family’s charity work, as well as lesson plans to download based on several of his books.

COOL GIZMOS

Create step-by-step, interactive ‘walkthroughs’ in minutes with Tango (tango.us). As you create, the site automatically documents any process. Simply click through your steps and it will format screenshots, write descriptions, and create a shareable link to your new guide.

Slideator (slideator.com) can record, manage and share video presentations and tutorials. The desktop recorder allows you to narrate and annotate your slides offline, and synchronise a variety of visual media, including camera and whiteboard, as well as combine video with scrollable slide thumbnails.

MUSIC

Tap a rhythm to match a Beethoven piano sonata with Beethoven Beats (bit.ly/lvbbeats). You have four seconds to tap out a rhythm. The site will find a piece of music written by the German composer that best matches it – and plays it, along with providing information about the composition and a link to explore more.

Create a range of charts and graphs with Graphy (graphy.app). Add your data and then select the type (bar, line, pie chart, donut, etc.). Customise the image with a choice of colours, backgrounds, theme, and details. When you’re happy, share the result or download as a png file.

Easily run an online poll with Swallow Poll (app.swallowpoll.com). Enter your question and an additional description if needed, add the answer options and choose whether multiple answers are allowed and voting results are shown, and a link to the poll will be created. You can require names of participants.

It’s simple to make music with Strofe (strofe.com/create). Select a mood for your track – spooky, sad, chilled, happy or spirited. Customise the style and tempo, like pop, hip-hop or jazz, or let the site pick for you. Then ‘create’. You can edit and tweak what the site comes up with, then save and share.

Edit images online with Image Candy (imgcandy.com). It’s easy to use and offers all the editing tool functions you’d expect – convert, resize, compress, crop, remove background, add text and watermark, flip, and so on. Upload image, edit as required, and save or share.

Walling (walling.app) is a visual, flexible virtual space to manage information. Collect, organise, store and share all your ideas, tasks, notes, links, images, files, and other information on an online page, called a ‘wall’. You can also use it to present work and resources or collaborate on a project.

Groove Pizza (apps.musedlab.org/ groovepizza/) is a drum sequencer app that offers the chance to experiment with drum sounds, rhythms and tempo. Choose one of the ‘Specials’ and ‘Shapes’ to begin with a premade pattern then alter various features to create a new drum sound experience.

Copyleaks’ AI Content Detector (ai-content-detector) is easy to use. Just paste content in the box provide, and, within a few seconds, it’ll give a probability score of content being generated by AI or a human. Signing up for a free account opens additional functionality, like languages and extra scans.

EDUCATIONAL GAMES

How many cities can you name? Test students’ geography knowledge with City Quiz (cityquiz.io). Choose from 14 different quiz locations, including North America, Africa and Worldwide. Enter a place name. If it’s correctly situated in the specified area, the game will show its location on the map.

Doodlocracy (doodlocracy.com) is a Pictionary-like game. There are three options. ‘Daily’ lets you pick a description to draw and in ‘Free Draw’ you get to choose. ‘Classic’ lets you set up your own game. From the player’s simple doodle, the game’s AI renders it into an artistic image.

Not to be confused with GPTZero, ZeroGPT (zerogpt.com) is fast and handily highlights any text suspected of being AI-generated. Paste the content – or upload a file – and click on the ‘Detect Text’ button. It works in several languages and offers a human or AI opinion for content, with a percentage that’s AI.

Hone your flying skills with The Accessible Flight Simulator (geo-fs.com). It’s a free, web-based, multiplayer flying app. Full instructions are provided. Simply hit ‘Fly!’ and away you go, using the keyboard or mouse. There’s a dashboard with controls, sound effects, flight plans, and pretty good graphics.

iThrive Sim: Follow the Facts (ithrivegames.org/ithrive-sim/ follow-the-facts/) is a role-playing simulation scenario. Students play as journalists reporting on breaking news. To reach the truth, they must find credible sources and collaborate to get the story out with accuracy and without bias.

The main purpose of Undetectable AI (undetectable.ai) is editing AI-flagged content into a writing style that’s more like human-created text. However, its stand-alone AI detection system is free and accurate, and also shows how multiple AI detectors rate the piece of text.

smokeSCREEN (smokescreengame.org) tackles a range of challenges that young teens face, with a focus on youth decisionmaking about smoking and vaping. The game includes strategies for preventing and stopping smoking. Players are the ‘new kid’ in school and asked to make friends and build a support network.

Taboo.AI (taboo-ai.vercel.app) shows a word and challenges players to write a question or prompt that will get the AI-powered game to come up with that word in its answer. Take the daily challenge or pick a topic – like extreme weather, solar system or tech giants –and get started. There’s a web and app version.

Do young learners prefer a robot or human teacher?

Researchers tested pre-schoolers to see whether robots could be better teachers than real people. The Canadian study used both a human speaker and a robot to see if they deemed similarity more important than competency when choosing which source to trust and learn from.

Human or robot? According to a study at Concordia University in Montreal the preference for who does the teaching largely depends on a learner’s age.

The research compared two groups of preschoolers: one of three-year-olds, the other of five-year-olds. The children participated in Zoom meetings featuring a video of a young woman and a small robot with humanoid characteristics (head, face, torso, arms and legs) called Nao sitting side by side. Between them were familiar objects that the robot would label correctly while the human would label them incorrectly, like referring to a car as a book, a ball as a shoe and a cup as a dog.

Unfamiliar items

Next, the two groups of children were presented with unfamiliar items: the top of a turkey baster, a roll of twine and a silicone muffin container. Both the robot and the human used different nonsense terms like ‘mido’, ‘toma’ and ‘fep’ to label the objects. The children were then asked what the object was called, endorsing either the label offered by the robot or by the human.

While the three-year-olds showed no preference, the five-year-olds were much more likely to state the term provided by the robot than the human.

Choosing competency

“We can see that by age five, children are choosing to learn from a competent teacher over someone who is more familiar to them, even if the competent teacher is a robot,” said the paper’s lead author, Anna-Elisabeth Baumann.

The experiments were repeated with new groups, replacing the humanoid Nao with a small truck-shaped robot called Cozmo. The results resembled those observed with the human-like robot, suggesting that the robot’s morphology does not affect the children’s selective trust strategies.

We can see that by age five, children are choosing to learn from a competent teacher, even if that is a robot.

Along with the labelling task, a naive biology task was administered. The children were asked if biological organs or mechanical gears formed the internal parts of unfamiliar animals and robots. The three-year-olds appeared confused, assigning both biological and mechanical internal parts to the robots. However, the five-year-olds were much more likely to indicate that only mechanical parts belonged inside the robots.

“This data tells us that the children will choose to learn from a robot even though they know it is not like them,” said Baumann. “They know that the robot is mechanical.”

Talk, think and feel

While there has been a substantial amount of literature on the benefits of using robots as teaching aides for

children, the researchers note that most studies focus on a single robot informant or two robots pitted against each other. This study uses both a human speaker and a robot to see if children deem social affiliation and similarity more important than competency when choosing which source to trust and learn from.

“Older preschoolers know that robots have mechanical insides, but they still anthropomorphise them. Like adults, these children attribute certain humanlike qualities to robots, such as the ability to talk, think and feel,” added coresearcher Elizabeth Goldman.

“It is important to emphasise that we see robots as tools to study how children can learn from both human and non-human agents. As technology use increases, and as children interact with technological devices more, it is important for us to understand how technology can be a tool to help facilitate their learning.”

Source: Cognition and Language Development Lab, Concordia University

ROBOT RESEARCHERS: ANNAELISABETH BAUMANN (LEFT) WITH ELIZABETH GOLDMAN, ALONG WITH NAO AND COZMO.

We have some awesome prizes up for grabs this issue.

MINISTRY OF INSPIRATION STEAMS KIT

If you’re teaching about electronics, the STEAMS kit could be the perfect classroom accessory. This portable box of 14 hands-on, one-hour technology lessons provides an engaging series of STEAMS projects involving light, sound and movement that encourage tamariki to develop electronic and programming understanding. It starts with simple electronic concepts that then lead students into controlling those electronics through programming with an Arduino pattern-based platform.

You can read more about the kit in ‘The journey to inspire an education in electronics’ on pages 14 and 15. If you’d like one for yourself, we have a STEAMS kit up for grabs. Simply enter on our website.

Entries close Monday 30 October.

1to WIN!

CORD

COVER

RACEWAY AND CABLE MANAGEMENT KIT

2to WIN!

Got wires and cables everywhere? Minimise the mess and streamline your workspace with a Cord Cover Raceway and Cable Management Kit. Featuring 10 raceways, along with elbows, fittings, tape, anchors and screws for quick and easy application. The covers have a quality PVC construction that can be cut to the required length, along with a minimalist, white finish to suit most work and home environments.

We have two kits to give away. For a neater, more organised and safer working area, enter the draw and be in to win one of them.

Entries close Monday 30 October.

AI BOOK, ROBOT VACUUM CLEANER AND PREZZY CARD

We want to know what you’re thinking about artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Is it a help or a hindrance? Smart thinking or cheating? In our AI in Education Survey, we’re asking school educators to tell us about their experiences so far and what they’d like to see happening.

As a thank you for taking part, you’ll go into the draw to win a bag of INTERFACE goodies, including a copy of 50 Strategies for Integrating AI Into the Classroom, a Mini Desktop Robot Vacuum Cleaner (AI-powered, of course!), and a $100 Prezzy card.

If you’d like to take part and share your thoughts, please go to interfaceonline.co.nz/aisurvey

Entries close end of Term 3 (Friday 22 September).

CODE MASTER: PROGRAMMING LOGIC GAME

Try a different take on coding by learning the basics without a computer. In Code Master: Programming Logic Game, travel to an exotic world in search of power crystals. Along the way, players use programming logic to navigate the map. But think carefully as, in each level, only one specific sequence of actions will lead to success. As well as teaching the principles behind programming, players also build planning, sequential reasoning and problem-solving skills.

We have one Code Master: Programming Logic Game to give away. Enter online.

Entries close Monday 30 October.

To enter any of the competitions just go to our website.