Techtalk t4 2015

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Term 4, 2015

TECHtalk

We l c o m e t o t h e TA S / Te c h n o l o g i e s e-N ew sl ett er The TECHTalk e-Newsletter is designed to support teachers of all TAS/Technology subjects Years 7—12.

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Inside this issue STEM Action Schools Australian Curriculum Update Hunter Secondary Head Teacher Meeting Ag Forum Agriculture and Food week TAS Leadership Network Industrial Arts Machine Tools Contract Professional Associations

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Term 4, 2015 This is the final TechTalk for the year and it has plenty of news and information about what is happening in TAS. Have a good look at the STEM Action School project EOI on page 3 as it will need your attention immediately if you want to be considered.

The endorsement of the Technologies Curriculum has been an interesting development but please look at the article on page 4 for an explanation of where we stand on the Australian Curriculum. I have also included some information about the professional associations that serve our different subjects. Please consider joining as a faculty or individual in order to access the opportunities they provide.

Agriculture education is very topical at the moment as the recommendations of the Review of Agricultural Education and Training in NSW by Professor Jim Pratley are being implemented across the state. In this issue I have featured one of the activities undertaken with the Agriculture Lighthouse Schools and the four Agricultural High Schools. From 2016 every school in NSW will need to implement an Agriculture and Food week to ‘celebrate and appreciate the role that agriculture and food make to the health, wealth and wellbeing of society’. I have included a page with some information and a link to the website. Watch this space for more resources and opportunities.

Other news is that I was successful in being appointed as the TAS Advisor 7-12 for the next three year contract period so I am looking forward to working with you to keep technology education in NSW moving forwards.

Dan Rytmeister TAS Advisor, Years 7-12

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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STEM Action Schools Secondary Education invites schools to submit an expression of interest for identification as a STEM Action School for the 2016-2017 school years. The expression of interest will be advertised in SchoolBiz this Friday 20th November 2015.

The aim of this project is to identify, support and link together a range of schools to share effective STEM pedagogy, illustrate innovative practice for student engagement in STEM, and demonstrate effective leadership, professional learning, student career path planning and industry partnerships.

Each successful school will be provided with a seeding grant of up to $10 000 for each of 2016 and 2017 to support sharing of effective practice in STEM education. The seeding grant will be negotiated based on school size, location and other factors.

If your school is interested in applying for this project consult with your principal and complete the attached Expression of Interest Document for STEM Action Schools Project, closing date for submission: COB Monday 7 December 2015.

We look forward to reading your application for the Stem Action School Project.

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Australian Curriculum Update I have had a number of enquiries about where we are with the Australian Curriculum and what we should be doing at the moment regarding its implementation.

The short answer is do nothing but teach the existing BOSTES syllabus.

Under the Education Act In NSW we must teach to a NSW developed syllabus and, although the Australian Curriculum was endorsed on 18 September, 2015, we must wait until the BOSTES releases a syllabus before we can address the new curriculum.

When this Newsletter was published, the BOSTES had not announced whether they will be reviewing the existing syllabus documents to reflect the Australian Curriculum. If the BOSTES does make the decision to review the existing syllabus, there will be a full process of syllabus development as detailed in the Syllabus development handbook and ALL will be consulted. http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabuses/syllabusdevelopment/pdf_doc/syllabus-development-handbook.pdf Based on the processes already used by the other subject areas, I would not expect any new syllabus to be ready to deliver before 2018.

What can you do in the meantime?

If the BOSTES does review the current syllabus, make sure you participate in any consultation process to ensure you get to have your say.

Join your relevant professional association and engage in the process.

Learn a bit about coding and computational thinking. The one thing that is specified in the Australian Curriculum that is not mandated in the current Technology Mandatory Syllabus is computational thinking and coding.

Watch this space for opportunities for professional learning in 2016.

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Hunter Secondary Head Teachers Meeting

State Office curriculum advisors supported the Hunter Secondary Head Teachers Meeting on the 14 October. After the keynote speaker, the TAS Head Teachers broke off and I ran a session on ‘what is happening in TAS’. This covered a range of topics and generated some useful discussion. The network spent the last session doing a hands on activity in a ‘littlebits maker space’ led by Peggy Mangovski of West Wallsend High School.

Start a TAS teacher network in your area.

If you run an event with a number of teachers from different schools in your area, then I can come to you to run an information session or a workshop.

This year I have attended after hours workshops for faculty groups in Agriculture and STEM.

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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AG Forum 2015 The Agriculture Lighthouse Schools and the Agricultural High Schools came together for a forum on Friday 6 November and Saturday 7 November to share practice and engage in some professional learning.

The event started with an introduction from Professor Jim Pratley who led the Review into Agricultural Education and Training in NSW and a keynote address from Mick Keogh, Executive Director of Australian Farm Institute.

Both presenters were highly engaging and reinforced the need to develop innovative agricultural practice in our students.

The Agriculture Lighthouse schools have been established to provide examples of effective practice and support Agriculture education through mentoring. If you would like a fresh approach to Agriculture in your school or information about a particular enterprise, give myself or Sally Bannerman a call and we can link you up with the right teacher.

Call Dan Rytmeister 9266 8514 Or Sally Bannerman 9244 5520

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Agriculture and Food Week

Agriculture and Food Week is a recommendation of the Review into Agricultural Education and Training in NSW. The aim of Agriculture and Food Week is to celebrate and appreciate the roles agriculture and food make to the health, wealth and wellbeing of society.

The site has been designed to stimulate teaching and learning ideas that can engage students and help them develop an interest in the origins of food.

Embedding these ideas into integrated learning activities may provide opportunities for practical and authentic life-long learning for students.

Both the primary and secondary sections contain drop down menus for each of the learning areas.

Teachers are encouraged to make comment about the existing stimulus ideas and contribute their own ideas. It is envisaged that this site will further develop to become a comprehensive collection of teaching and learning strategies over time.

http://www.learning.schools.nsw.edu.au/foodagweek/

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Join the TAS Leadership Network Teacher EOI still open!

EO ST I I L O PE L N

The TAS Leadership Network has been launched with a two-day induction for TAS leaders.

In the TAS learning area there are specific knowledge and skill sets required for each of the TAS material/skills backgrounds. The TAS Leadership Network has been established to support Department of Education TAS teachers through mentoring and advice.

The project focuses on safety and compliance, programming, assessment and pedagogy specifically related to TAS subjects.

The Teacher EOI is still open.

This is a great opportunity for teachers to access support that is specifically related to their TAS learning area.

Teacher participation: Scheduled virtual meetings will be conducted no more than twice per term and ongoing online collaboration will support communication and professional discussion. There is no cost to the school or the teacher for inclusion in this project.

Group leaders are all experienced teachers in their TAS subjects and will coordinate and mentor their groups.

How to apply:  discuss with your supervisor

and principal  complete the EOI online.

Teacher EOI https://goo.gl/IYodZI

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Industrial Arts Machine Tools contract released Two copies of the Industrial Arts Machine Tools Contract has been sent to every high school in NSW. Safety is a critical aspect of TAS subjects and procedures must be revisited regularly. Please ensure you consult this document before purchasing equipment and follow the procedures provided. Following these procedures will protect both you and your students.

“Principals are advised that use of this contract is mandated and is specifically excluded from alternative methods of procurement including the Local Schools, Local Decisions Policy purchasing arrangements. This is to prevent substitution with equipment that does not meet DoE safety requirements and prevent purchases from alternate suppliers. Schools must not purchase any machine tools other than those available on Contract DECAM13-15.”

Soft copies of the document are available from the Asset Management Website:

https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/assetmanagement/ safecomp/machine_tools.htm

© State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

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Professional Associations In this edition of the TechTalk newsletter I am taking the unusual action of promoting the professional associations that represent Technology teachers.

With the new curriculum likely to be written soon it is important that you get to have your say. The professional association play an important part in this process and a strong membership gives them the capacity to contribute to the consultation with some authority.

Our professional associations often provide professional learning opportunities and regular conferences that allow us to share our knowledge and experience with like-minded teachers.

The following pages display flyers from each of the associations that were able to provide this information. Please consider membership.

HEIA Home Economics Institute of Australia http://www.heia.com.au/ ICTENSW Information Communication Technology Educators of New South Wales http://ictensw.org.au/ IIATE Institute of Industrial Arts and Technology Education http://www.iiate.asn.au/ NSWAAT New South Wales Association of Agriculture Teachers http://nswaat.org.au/ TEA Technology Educators Association http://www.teansw.com.au/

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015

ICT Educators NSW

www.ictensw.org.au ACCREDITED WORKSHOPS • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • RESOURCES • COMPUTING STUDIES ICT Educators NSW is a professional organisation supporting quality teaching with digital technologies in New South Wales schools. ICTENSW represents all teachers’ interests to state and federal governments. It speaks out on matters of curriculum and equity, and promotes best practice in the use of learning technologies. We run workshops through the term and hold an Annual Conference in March

Save the Date

2016 CONFERENCE ACU North Sydney

11 - 13 March

Conference Strands • Digital Technologies – Primary and Secondary • Senior Secondary Computing - IPT / SDD / ITVET and Ind Tech Multi • STEM • MakerSpace • Digital Leadership Why should you attend?

• Network with peers, leaders and decision makers • Access leading experts • Participate in seminars and interactive workshops presented by key thinkers and leaders in their fields • Gain BOSTES accredited professional development points

MORE INFORMATION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN COMING WEEKS @ http://www.iiate.asn.au/

Become a member of the NSW Association of Agriculture Teachers Inc! Membership of the NSW Association of Agriculture Teachers gives you access to a Professional Association which aims to promote the role of Agricultural training in the development of Australia, and support those teachers who are teaching the courses in schools in NSW, both Public and Private.

It provides a regular publication (BAAT) which contains many items of practical interest to Agriculture teachers.

The association also has a very active Facebook page and an Edmodo group, where a great deal of networking and sharing resources occurs. A great reason to become a member today!

A tip: Get your school to fund the membership!

The association will contact you when urgent matters arise such as curriculum change and restructuring, legislative requirements, resource issues, etc.

Membership allows you to participate in a Biennial State Conference and attend the National Conference.

Allows you to become part of a collegial group who support each other through sharing of ideas and expertise.

The association website has a members only area with curriculum links, syllabus support material for Agriculture (Senior and Junior) as well as Primary Industries VET courses. The association also has a social network webpage on Facebook for sharing ideas and resources.

The cost for 2015 and 2016 has been set at $60.00 pa or $120 for 2 years.

The membership year is from 1st January to 31st December.

Full membership is open to those teachers who are teaching agriculture OR any person with an interest in Agricultural education.

Student membership is available to trainee teachers and students at half the annual fee.

Fees may be paid annually or for the two years between conferences. (odd years)

Please find the membership application on the next page.

The NSW Association of Agriculture Teachers is NOT registered to collect GST

ABN: 81 639 285 642 TITLE

NAME

SCHOOL POSTAL ADDRESS Postcode EMAIL PHONE

FAX

MOBILE

DATE

MEMBERSHIP

School

Individual

Payment Method

Email this Membership form to: treasurer.nswaat@gmail.com and make cheques payable to NSWAAT

Post cheque to:

OR

Treasurer NSWAAT Graham Quintal 16 Finlay Ave BEECROFT NSW 2119

Pay via Direct Deposit: Account Name: NSW Association of Agriculture Teachers BSB: 082 939 Account Number: 639 757 522 Reference: Your Initial, Surname and "Memb".

MEMBERSHIP FEE: $60 / annum ($30 for students / trainees) MEMBERSHIP REQUESTED

No of Years PAYMENT $

* Membership is based on a calendar year.

Office Use Only Date Received

Receipt #

Receipt Sent

The NSW Association of Agriculture Teachers is NOT registered to collect GST

End of year equals reports, timetable allocations, tidying your desk and classroom before the holidays!

Supporting and advocating for technology educators

It also means renewing memberships. Why….

You ask? Should you renew your membership with TEA?

QTC registered PL - We will continue to work with PTC to ensure that professional learning will be QTC endorsed (this will become even more important as we approach 2018 when we all need to maintain accreditation). Membership entitles access to all TEA Events and covers insurance at these events.

Meeting the needs of our diverse members - This year we ran our first collaborative and highly successful Teacher Day at the Hotel School in Sydney. We are introducing new venues to allow greater access to our members. Other events were held at Oatley Senior Campus and ACU in Strathfield. Next year we are branching out to the south west, starting in Canley Vale.

Supporting our regional members -There are amazing professional development opportunities being led by outstanding educators in many regional areas. In 2016 the TEA will focus on consolidating regional groups as sub-committees of TEA. WE are looking at clear and transparent processes that will ensure sustainability of the TEA, as well as continuing to provide high quality professional learning for all of our members.

Involvement in your professional organisation – Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities (Australian Professional Standard for Teachers #7).

Communication - Newsletters -Four glossy high quality printed newsletters! In this digital age we are still mindful of balancing print and digital methods of communication. The design of new and improved communication channels has been a priority for the TEA. We are pleased to announce the launch of our updated website ……….

→

Website: www.teansw.com

→

PO Box 222 Oatlands NSW 2117

→

membership@teansw.com

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We would love you to join us on our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/technologies.curriculum

TAS/Technologies curriculum contact: Dan Rytmeister TAS Advisor Years 7-12 Secondary Education Learning and Leadership Level 3, 1 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, 2010, NSW T: (02) 9266 8514

dan.rytmeister@det.nsw.edu.au If you would like to be added to our TAS/Technology communication network please send me your details.

If you do not want to receive future communications please remove me from communication network If you have feedback or suggestions for professional development or future articles please send me an email.

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

Š State of New South Wales, Department of Education 2015