magazine.T4L Issue 14

ISSUE 14

TERM 1 I 2021

Back to basics Save time Get organised Boost efficiency Action accessibility features

Build your tech confidence in 2021!

Welcome This year, our focus is on bringing you tips to save time and

Mark Greentree

build your tech confidence. This issue is all about boosting

Director,

your digital documents. Is it time for a brush-up on Word,

Technology 4 Learning,

Pages or Docs? We’ll fill you in on the latest features of each.

NSW Department of

Our tips are guaranteed to give you more time back in the

Education

day to teach, prepare and collaborate.

T4L Loves

Here are some stories inspiring us right now

Content source: the Sydney Morning Herald

Content source: Microsoft

Content source: TIME

Student innovator Christine

Demystify the computational

Meet Gitanjali Rao, fifteen-year-old

Douglas makes gaming better

power behind AI with these

scientist, innovator and TIME’s Kid

for visually-impaired players 

demos from Microsoft .

of the Year .

and Microsoft takes notice.

The Virtual Staffroom Got a spare half an hour? The Virtual Staffroom podcast is back with thought-provoking special guests sharing their perspectives on tech.

Listen now or subscribe on your favourite platform .

Meet ARIA-award winning

Hear from Professor Pasi

teacher Sarah Donnelley

Sahlberg on students and play

Reach for the stars with astrophysicist Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith

Please note: Tools, devices, software, links and educational practices reviewed within this publication are not an indication of endorsement by the NSW DoE and cannot be used as such.

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Innovation inspiration

Curriculum links: primary and secondary/Visual Arts/ CAPA/STEM plus more

Jess’s top tips for setting up a virtual exhibition Hang the exhibit as if it were being viewed in a gallery space Make sure the artworks are neatly displayed and labelled clearly

Could you create a virtual exhibition?

Enhance the exhibits with text, videos and student audio narration (can be done with the stem.T4L kits) Consider the technologies you have access to

Last year, teachers created online assemblies, musical performances and graduation ceremonies. We meet Jess McCarthy, Head Teacher, Teaching and Learning at Mosman High School in Sydney who created a virtual art exhibition for her Stage 6 students.

Stepping into a virtual art world Jess McCarthy decided to create a virtual art exhibition for her Stage 6 Visual Arts students. ‘I knew the technology was there, and I had the stem.T4L immersive VR kits at the time, so I was trying to think about a way to use what we had to devise a solution,’ Jess says.

Creating a virtual exhibition using the stem.T4L immersive VR kit or 360° camera kit What’s the process?

1. Plan an outline for your experience and work out what information, graphics or videos need to be captured 2. Using a 360° camera, take photos or videos of objects and spaces 3. Stitch them together using SITU 360 to provide a virtual experience ‘VR is a developing area within the visual arts and having access to this technology is allowing us to consider possibilities we haven’t tried before,’ says Jess.

Learn more Check out the T4L Virtual Expo  for a taste of virtual exhibits Check out the virtual celebration toolkit  to see other school samples of virtual exhibitions Watch Jess’s EduTECH Voice of Schools session  Book a stem.T4L Immersive VR kit  for your students Check out the stem.T4L handheld VR kit too  – great for a primary setting

➚ Take a look at the immersive VR kit – secondary   ➚ Take a look at the 360° camera kit 

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Road test

Make the most out of Word, Docs or Pages and get more time back in your day

Digital documents This term, why don’t you: dictate a lesson plan or excursion note turn documents into multimodal experiences improve the accessibility of your documents boost your writing and clarity.

HOT TIP

How do I access Word, Docs or Pages? ( Q

Word is available on your browser or as an app

( Q

Docs is available on your browser or as an app

( Q

Pages

Available on all devices

Available on all devices

Available on iPad and Mac

The ‘>>’ symbol simply means ‘go to’ FEATURE

BENEFIT Improve your writing and save time with the online editor – enhance spelling, grammar, clarity and more. >> Home >> Editor Boost accessibility in the classroom watch this quick starter video here (1 min) . >> View >> Immersive Reader Zhoosh your word documents - insert

Microsoft Word

icons and pictures from Word’s extensive database. Add extra interactivity and detail with 3D images, web page

How do I use it?

clippings and more.

The Word desktop app is free to download on up to

>> Insert

5 BYOD Windows devices per teacher account – and can also be used online in your browser or in the free mobile/tablet app - get the desktop app:

➚ Staff portal  >> Learning Tools >> Office 365 >> Install Office Open Word online in the browser, simply visit:

➚ Staff portal  >> Learning Tools >> Office 365 >> Word or ‘W’.

Use your userID@det.nsw.edu.au email address to sign

Turn your Word docs into accessible documents – this feature nudges you for alternative text, captions and more. >> Review >> Check Accessibility Save time on the typing by directly dictating your work onto a Word doc.

Watch our Top Tech Tips video (1 min) . >> Home >> Dictate

in, if prompted, or to sign in to desktop and mobile/ tablet apps.

Content source: Microsoft

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NB: some features cannot be explored on all devices or in the browser

Get the most out of Google Drive

Google Docs How do I use it?

Every staff member has access to the G Suite toolset which includes Google Docs:

◁ Staff Portal >> Learning Tools >> G Suite >> Docs

Use your userID@education.nsw.gov.au (Google ID) to sign in to mobile apps, or if prompted online.

The features below are available on the browser version and you will need to be signed in.

Get the most out of Google Drive Set yourself up for the year and spend a few minutes setting up your file management system now and save time down the track.

Google Drive gold

1

Watch this quick video on setting up your

2

Check out our easy to use resources on

3

Visit the T4L one-stop Google shop for all

4

Sync your Google Drive 

5

Share documents easily 

>> Tools >> Voice typing

6

Don’t forget to use folders to organise

Output function allows you to publish

Google drive (4:04 min) 

Search a range of content to drop into your Doc, just click and drag >> Tools >> Explore >> opens a window

Google Drive 

at right

Voice Typing (Chrome browser only) - Discover Docs built in Accessibility features and use your voice to type. It’s as simple as clicking a button and you can get content down on the page in no time.

Docs to the web, or export in Word or

your Google Drive resources (and more) 

your work

PDF format.

Did you know you can upload files and >> File >> Publish to Web >> File >> Download as...

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folders from your computer to Google Drive? Just click on the plus and select files or folders. Watch a how-to video here 

Listen to the Google experts sharing their

8 Content source: Google

best hacks on Thank Goodness It’s Almost Friday (TGIAF!)  - a T4L webinar recorded in December 2020 5

Road test Digital documents Apple Pages How do I use it?

If you have iPads or Macs, you have access to Pages. Look for the icon or swipe down from the centre of the screen (iPad) to search for the app.

FEATURE

Choose a Template

BENEFIT

You can create reports, picture books and more using Pages.

There are plenty of templates for students to start projects at the beginning of the year including posters, books, resumes, newsletters and more >> Open Pages >> Choose a template >> +Basic/Reports/Books/Letters/Resumes/Flyers & Posters...

Make your Pages

Drop in photos, videos, take a live shot off your iPad camera, record your own audio, and

document

much more from this selection available in the + dropdown menu at top right of your new

multimodal!

Pages document >> Open a new Pages doc >> + Photo/Video/Image

Get more out of

Learn more about gestures and multitasking on your iPad – watch this Top Tech Tip video 

your iPad Accessibility features

Learn more about accessibility features on the iPad - watch this short video (look under Accessibility/Apple) 

Publishing and

Export a Pages document as a MS Word doc or PDF to make your content accessible on

sharing Pages files

non-Apple devices. Hint: look for the elipsis (…) at the top right of screen and select from Word, PDF, EPUB and more

Get creative

Try T4L’s free online writing program Everyone’s an Author  - available on iPad and Mac. Download the Pages learning journals with 10 chapters covering different aspects of writing and creativity

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Content source: Apple

Do your ‘bit’ with micro:bit!

Get students solving real-world problems digital learning

+

social purpose

=

real-world problem-solving

entry: 8-14 years of age and Prizes up for grabs across two age groups of 2021 15-18 years old! The Challenge closes 4 June

Could your students prototype solutions to realworld problems? Students can do their bit for the planet by entering the global micro:bit challenge using a real or virtual micro:bit.

Students have been set the challenge to problemsolve two UN Global Goals using their digital skills.

UN Global Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being How could your students innovate to improve health and well-being locally or globally?

◁ Build a pedometer to track activity  ◁ Build a smile sender to share happiness 

UN Global Goal 13: Climate Action What could your students invent to promote climate action in your school or across the world?

◁ Create light-up fishing nets to keep creatures safe 

◁ Develop an creature tracker to define habitats 

Learn more ➚ Learn more about the do your bit challenge  and get inspired

➚ Get started using the virtual micro:bit online simulator 

➚ Read our Road Test in Issue 3  on the micro:bit for more on this incredible coding tool

➚ Share your micro:bit activities with us at #t4lallstars

➚ Keen to get your students working with real micro:bits? Find them inside the stem.T4L PC robotics kit – book your kit now  

➚ Find more activities and guides to the micro:bit in the stem.T4L Learning Library 

➚ Read the full competition guidelines and enter on the official website  7

CLASSROOM IDEAS FOR TERM 1

Creative writing

Class incursions

Working on creative writing with one of your Stage 1-4

Bring the world of STEM right into your classroom with

classes? Have you seen Everyone’s an Author? There are 10

STEMaSESH interactive sessions featuring fascinating

great interactive student journals to download. Featuring

experts from the world of STEM! These on-demand

10 of your favourite Aussie authors tackling an aspect of

sessions are perfect for a STEM lesson for Stages 3-4.

writing, each journal contains an author video, Pages

Check out our past excursions on drone racing and LEGO

explainer videos 5 lesson experiences and ideas and tips

building with the Brickman, and stay tuned for more in

for additional activities. Available in Pages and PDF. Suits

Term 1.

iPad use for full interactivity.

Check out the program now 

Watch a STEMaSESH now 

Filmmaking

T4L Kids

Are your students making films this year? Check out the

T4L Kids is a great resource for the STEM classroom or for

5-module Student Filmmaker Course which will turn

independent student work. Each issue provides students

your students into mini-Spielbergs. Each module runs

with challenges to engage them meaningfully with

between 30-45min and includes a student task. Covering

technology. Students undertake a design challenge, are

all screen-recording tools including Quicktime for Mac,

given sample ideas and step-by-step processes to guide

PowerPoint, iOS screen recorder and WeVideo, the course

them. Students can then share their work with teachers!

will empower your students to create, edit and produce

A fantastic, creative resource for the classroom.

powerful and engaging films.

Start filming now  8

Check out T4L Kids now 