TECHtalk T4 2012

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Welcome to Term 4 TECHTalk - our e-newsletter to support teachers of Science and Technology K— 6 and all Technology subjects 7 — 12.

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

TECHtalk

W e l c o m e t o t h e Te r m 4 Te c h n o l o g i e s e-Newsletter!

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Inside this issue 

Spacewise

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Board of Studies updates—RoSA

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Resources, opportunities, information

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Conferences and upcoming events

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Competitions

Contact us...

Tanya Coli Senior Curriculum Support Officer, Technologies K-12 T: (02) 9886 7652 tanya.coli@det.nsw.edu.au

Sandra McKee Senior Curriculum Support Officer, Technologies K-12 T: (02) 9886 7163 sandra.mckee4@det.nsw.edu.au

Rach Kirsten Group Leader Science, Technology and The Arts T: (02) 9886 7140 rach.kirsten@det.nsw.edu.au

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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NEW resource now available on TaLe

Do your students enjoy collaborative, meaningful design projects with real world connections?

Spacewise could be just what you are looking for

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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An online student - centred resource to support the Built Environment is now available.

Spacewise: an interactive on-line learning resource for students now on TaLe. This new resource takes students on a journey through the design process, immersing them in the exploration of their local community and immediate environment.

It provides opportunities for both creativity and problem solving through students’ active engagement in skills based activities.

Spacewise allows teachers to adapt experiences to suit the needs of their students. It promotes collaborative design and teamwork. It introduces students to the design process, encouraging them to apply knowledge, skills and understanding which transfers into real life situations.

It includes a sample teaching and learning sequence and allows teachers to address a variety of outcomes from the Technology (Mandatory) Syllabus (Board of Studies, NSW), supporting built environment education.

Go to TaLe and see how you can implement this exciting resource in Term 4.

We invite you to provide some feedback on the accessibility of resources, format and teaching sequence.

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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Early stage 1—stage 5 Kitchen and food gardens are an increasingly popular way for schools to promote environmental and sustainability learning and connect students with healthy food and lifestyles.

The Kitchen Gardens site brings together a comprehensive number of websites, links and support materials to begin or expand an existing kitchen garden at your school.

ROADSIDE BILLBOARD CHALLENGE Stages 2 and 3...get your entries in To raise awareness of our treasured wildlife, students in stages 2 and 3 are challenged to design a roadside billboard with the aim to educate the community to look out for wildlife on our roads.

NRMA are proud partners of Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in helping Australian nocturnal animals. Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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Australian Curriculum update Stay abreast of latest developments of the new syllabuses (incorporating the Australian Curriculum) In NSW.

The four first phase syllabuses: English K-10, mathematics K-10, science K-10 (incorporating science and technology K-6) and history have been officially launched.

Read the media release from the office of Adrian Piccoli MP—Minister for Education.

Stay informed by visiting to the Board of Studies website for the latest information and releases.

Keep a lookout for HSC exhibitions of outstanding Major Projects from a variety of subjects.

DesignTECH - Design and Technology—DesignTECH opens at the Powerhouse Museum on 15 February 2013 and closes on 12 May 2013.

InTech— Industrial Technology (Timber products and furniture, automotive, electronics, graphics, metal and engineering, and multimedia.

Texstyle—Textiles and design Showcase— where you will find the latest information about each of the annual HSC showcases and exhibitions.

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST We are developing a Technologies 7-12 Faculty eBook.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.“ William Butler Yeats

Thank you to those who have already responded and made contributions.

If you would like to contribute ideas or materials that work for you in your faculty, or you would like to be involved in on-going discussions, please e-mail Sandra McKee. Keep up to date with the changes to the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) credential that will be available to students who leave school prior to receiving their HSC. Visit the Board of Studies for information on the RoSA.

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Youth Eco Summit (YES) 2012 Stage 2 to Stage 6 To be held on 17th or 18th October 2012 Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park.

See more about YES 2011 YES 2012 will include:

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Student / school showcases

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Workshops, expos and displays

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Study & career pathway options

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Live video conferencing

Further information please contact Vicky Whitehead P: 02 9715 8737

CONFERENCE 2012 National TERC Conference The 7th Biennial International Conference on Technology Education Research exploring Best practice in Technology, Design and Engineering Education will be held from: 5-8 December 2012, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast What constitutes good learning in Technology education is the central theme for TERC 2012.

Find out what pedagogical content knowledge is suitable for particular technology education content.

Contact Howard Middleton for general enquiries or phone (07) 3735 5724

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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New Science Shows at the Powerhouse New Primary School Programs for Term 4 are now available. Download the full program or visit the Powerhouse Museum website.

Design Emergency Design Emergency is Object’s innovative education program, striving to create a generation of design thinkers.

Watch a short video about the program.

Education program preview Join the Powerhouse Museum’s staff for an exclusive evening event for teachers, to preview the Museum’s 2013 Education program.

But hurry!!

RSVP essential before 19 October Email janson.hews@phm.gov.au

KDC Grainy Kids Design Challenge A revised online version of the previous Kid’s Design Challenge: Go4Grains.

To be released in 2013, this challenge encourages stage 3 and stage 4 students to design and produce a grain and/or legume based food product that can be sold in the school canteen.

Watch this space for more information. See the previous challenge.

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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KDC-NRMA Technopush challenge The KDC-NRMA Technopush Challenge is an exciting and overwhelmingly successful program where students in stages 3 and 4, in conjunction with their local communities, work together to design and construct a pushcart to specifications.

View past challenges and prepare for 2013’s challenge.

SciTech for students Go to the student area of curriculum support and find links to a variety of opportunities for students which include: Scope Scientriffic Australian academy of science Nova Back to basics CSIRO

Safety in technology The making technology learning safer pages provide a gateway for teachers to access information about safety in the school and classroom.

Information includes: Managing Anaphylaxis Student activities about safety Advice for technology teachers FAQs NSW DEC safety resources Other resources

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre

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The non-DEC products and events listed in this eNewsletter are to be used at the reader’s discretion. The inclusion of product and event information is not an endorsement by the DEC.

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2012 NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre