Categories
ed tech future Google internet Mental health mobile phones popular culture robots and drones sociology

ICT news, top tools and tech trends

We need to talk about kids and smartphones

US statistics and a variety of expert opinion..…. but are increasing rates of teenage depression and suicide linked to smartphone use and social media? Since the advent of smartphones in 2007, mental health issues have increased dramatically and anecdotal evidence from Australian schools seems to support this hypothesis. Even if smartphones aren’t the cause of mental health issues, they can fuel teenage angst. With phone use, young people are constantly distracted, less sensitive to the emotions of others, feel disinhibited about saying things and see whitewashed lives that seem perfect. Staring at screens also limits social interaction and its benefits.

http://time.com/4974863/kids-smartphones-depression/

 

Top 200 tools for learning 2017

Compiled by Jane Hart in the 11th annual survey of 2 174 learning professionals from 52 countries. Includes top 100 tools for personal and professional learning, workplace learning and education.

All 3 lists, including new tools with info: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/

Top 100 tools for education: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/rankings/

  1. Google Docs/Drive 2. Word 3. PowerPoint 4. YouTube 5. Google Search 6. Excel 7. Wikipedia 8. Prezi 9. Twitter 10. Kahoot. Interesting to see WhatsApp at #13 – great for backchannelling, projecting via web, collecting material, sharing resources, no text limitation. Canva, the very simple and effective graphic design tool, is at #19. http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/canva/

WhatsApp: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/whatsapp/

Analysis: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/analysis/

 

Top 10 technology trends 2018

From research firm Gartner – foremost are artificial intelligence and machine learning, used in many areas. Intelligent apps that use AI have the potential to transform the nature of work. Other intelligent ‘things’ such as autonomous vehicles and drones will see rapid growth. Conversational platforms (eg.Siri) will be the main goal for user interaction. Virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are of high interest but need much more development. Blockchain technologies, a core component of the digital currency BitCoin, are still in their infancy, but will have a huge impact on the future of the internet.

https://www.crn.com.au/gallery/here-are-the-top-10-technology-trends-of-2018-according-to-gartner-474796/page1?eid=61&edate=20171007&utm_source=20171007&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=crnweekly_newsletter

 

Blockchain

Blockchain is a kind of ‘vast, global, distributed ledger running on millions of computers and available to everybody, and where every kind of asset from money to music can be stored, moved, transacted, exchanged and managed all without powerful intermediaries’ (Don Tapscott). Blockchain technologies enable ‘exchange of value without intermediaries acting as arbiters of money or information’. They will enable excluded people to enter the global economy, protect privacy, allow people to monetise their own information and ensure creators are compensated for their intellectual property. Uses of blockchain include cryptocurrencies, online voting, insurance, Internet of Things, medical records, smart contracts, music industry and copyright payments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain

http://au.pcmag.com/amazon-web-services/46389/feature/blockchain-the-invisible-technology-thats-changing-the-world

 

Robots to mark NAPLAN?

From 2018, NAPLAN writing tasks will be marked by an automated essay scoring system and then double-marked by a teacher. Fully automated testing and marking will be introduced by 2020. Some experts believe it is impossible for a robot to score the subjective aspects of writing. Perelman (ex MIT) notes that algorithms tend to reward ‘verbose gibberish’ and give higher marks to essays with complex words and sentences. ‘Assessment of creativity, poetry, irony or other more artistic uses of writing is beyond such systems.’ Rabinowitz (from ACARA) believes automated essay scoring for NAPLAN tasks ‘works as well as human markers.’ Robots vs humans…it’s happening.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-12/us-academics-warn-against-automated-naplan-english-testing/9039408

 

School Library Journal Tech Trends 2017

Free webcasts, available live or on demand. 1. Build a makerspace 2. 60 tools in 60-ish minutes 3. Take the plunge: STREAM (add reading).

https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&referrer=&eventid=1488038&sessionid=1&key=5AEEB5CADFA4BAD227B0D13CB1C29AE8&regTag=155881&sourcepage=register

 

18 good Chromebook apps for education

Kahoot, Socrative, Canva, PiktoChart, Haiku Deck, Tiki-Toki….

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/10/18-good-educational-chromebook-apps-to.html

Categories
Mental health sociology

Anxiety the most common mental health condition in Australia

Today is World Mental Health Day.

 

From Beyondblue (Julia Gillard is now the Chair):

“Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety. In Australia, it is estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.”

One in 14 young Australians aged 4-17 experienced an anxiety disorder in 2015.

 

Beyondblue are now running the Know when anxiety is talking campaign. Excellent info about anxiety; checklist; signs and symptoms; management: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/10/09/world-mental-health-day-julia-gillard-and-beyondblues-mission-to-help-anxious-australians-get-well_a_23237128/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts

 

From Black Dog Institute:

20% of Australians will have a mental illness in any year. In Australia, youth 18-24 years old have the highest prevalence of mental illness, with the onset of mental illness typically around mid to late adolescence.

https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/default-source/factsheets/facts_figures.pdf?sfvrsn=10

 

Interesting articles about anxiety from Generation Next: http://www.generationnext.com.au/?s=anxiety

 

10 anxiety management strategies: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/treatments-for-anxiety/anxiety-management-strategies

 

Finding help: https://www.ruok.org.au/findhelp

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/national-help-lines-and-websites

 

Understanding anxiety in young people – Prof. Jennie Hudson (Macquarie Uni): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbEAoDrT5fo

 

Clicks and likes contributing to a teen anxiety crisis

An increasing dependency on activities associated with the brain’s excitement-pleasure circuitry contributes to rising levels of anxiety and depression in teenagers today.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/clicks-and-likes-contributing-to-a-teen-anxiety-crisis-20170726-gxjhcs.html

 

Young, stressed and depressed

Standardised tests, social media and cyberbullying all contribute to stress for young people.

https://www.australiascience.tv/young-stressed-and-depressed/

Categories
future Games and gaming Mental health pedagogy popular culture sociology

Work, Society, Youth and Education

Some interesting social info…..

 

The New Work Smarts: thriving in the New Work Order

This report from the Foundation for Young Australians notes that the way we work is increasingly affected by three key economic drivers – automation, globalisation and flexibility. The research analysed 20 billion hours of work completed by 12 million Australian workers each year to predict the skills and capabilities that will matter most in 2030. “It is predicted that we will, on average, spend 30% more time per week learning skills on the job; spend double the time at work solving problems, spend 41% more time on critical thinking and judgment, and 77% more time using science and mathematics skills; utilise verbal communication and interpersonal skills for 7 hours a week each (up 17 per cent); and develop an entrepreneurial mindset due to having less management (down 26 per cent), less organisational coordination (down 16 per cent) and less teaching (down 10 per cent).”

https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FYA_TheNewWorkSmarts_July2017.pdf

https://www.fya.org.au/

Interesting articles: https://www.fya.org.au/category/all-articles/

 

If Australia was a street of 100 households

Interesting stats from the census. 20% baby boomers; 22% Gen Y; 11% Gen Alpha (from 2010). 47% both Aust. born; 34% none Aust. born; 11% one Aust. born. Average house price 11x average full-time earnings.

https://mccrindle.worldsecuresystems.com/blog/2017/07/Australia-Street-2017-McCrindle-DIGITAL.pdf

Australia’s population map and generational profile: https://mccrindle.myportfolio.com/pop-map

Other interesting visuals and infographics from McCrindle social research group: https://mccrindle.myportfolio.com/

 

Generation Next

Generation Next has excellent resources to protect and enhance the mental health of young people. Subscribe to the newsletter.

http://www.generationnext.com.au/

Blog – many interesting articles including: Want to rebound from failure?; When to push a child; Working memory boosters for kids.

http://www.generationnext.com.au/inform/blog/

 

Generation Next YouTube channel:

Videos include: How to support teens in distress; How can we support someone with a gaming addiction? Encouraging boys to be respectful and caring; How resilient are young people today?

https://www.youtube.com/c/GenerationNextCommunity

 

The potential of pro-social media

Generation Next video by Dan Haesler. Social media is not all bad news. What strategies can be used to enhance digital literacy, understanding of the world and even job prospects?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5tPHZVfQKE

 

Schools need to slow down

Australian schools are caught up in the cult of speed, driven by NAPLAN reporting and the evidence of improvement. ‘Slow schooling’ is needed to support learning for all. Teachers and school leaders need time to work together to find effective and creative ways of educating hard-to-reach learners, considering carefully the individual interests and aspirations of students. There should be no pressure for quick responses.  https://theconversation.com/for-long-term-improvements-schools-need-to-slow-down-83222

 

Business of addiction: how the games industry is learning from casinos

Video gaming on mobile devices has led to a massive expansion of the games industry. The industry uses psychologists, neuroscientists and marketing experts to turn customers into addicts. The ‘free to play’ (FTP) model allows the majority of players to play for free, while a few players will become addicted and spend huge amounts on extra content. The latest trend is the creation of ‘whales’ – people so addicted to games that they spend their life savings buying in-game content.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-13/video-game-addiction-how-the-industry-is-learning-from-casinos/8941114

 

Categories
books films popular culture science fiction

Good films

Some good upcoming films, many based on novels…..

 

Goodbye Christopher Robin

Directed by Simon Curtis. Stars Domhnall Gleeson as A.A. Milne and Margot Robbie as Daphne Milne. Explores the life of A.A. Milne and his relationship with his son. Milne suffers post traumatic stress after WW1 and writing the Pooh stories for his son helps him cope. However, international success comes at a cost to his family. Opens 23 Nov.

http://ew.com/movies/2017/08/10/domhnall-gleeson-goodbye-christopher-robin/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1653665/

 

Wonder

Based on the book by R.J. Palacio. Directed by Stephen Chbosky. Stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay. A young boy with a facial deformity deals with friendships, prejudice, love and life. Opens 30 Nov.

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/wonder/40483/wonder-the-brand-new-trailer

 

Namatjira project

Documentary tracing the quest of the family of indigenous artist Albert Namatjira to have the copyright of his works returned to them. The Northern Territory public trustee sold the copyright to a private art collector in 1983 for $8,500. The Namatjira Project is also an initiative that seeks to highlight the continued appropriation of indigenous culture. Opens 7 Sept.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-07/fight-for-copyright-continues-from-namatjiras-family/8881474

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/film-festivals/miff-2017-premiere-charts-familys-battle-to-reclaim-albert-namatjiras-legacy-20170724-gxha3o.html

https://www.namatjiradocumentary.org/

 

It

Based on the novel by Stephen King. A terrifying being terrorises a group of bullied children in a small town in Maine. Opens 7 Sept.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/6/16257788/it-movie-review-stephen-king-andy-muschietti-pennywise-the-clown

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/

 

Wonderstruck

Based on the book by Brian Selznick. Directed by Todd Haynes. Stars Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams. Set in 1927 and 1977. Two children run away from home – one to find their idol, and the other to solve a mystery about his father. Half of the film is silent as the main character is deaf. “Alive with the magic of pictures and the mysteries of silence, this is an uncommonly grownup film about children, communication, connection and memory.” (David Rooney). Opens 14 Dec.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/wonderstruck-review-cannes-2017-1004568

 

Blade runner 2049

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, co-produced by Ridley Scott. Stars Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling. Set 50 years after the events of the first film. A new blade runner unearths a long-buried secret that could plunge society into chaos and sets out on a quest to find a former blade runner, missing for 30 years. Opens 5 Oct.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/blade-runner-2-news-rumors/

 

Rebel in the rye

Biopic of the life of J.D. Salinger. Directed by Danny Strong. Stars Nicholas Hoult and Kevin Spacey. After the horror of WW2, a young Salinger embarks on his writing career under the mentorship of his professor at Columbia University. In real life, Salinger fought during D-Day and was at the liberation of Dachau concentration camp. He always carried notebooks and wrote about Holden even during WW2. Opens Oct.

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a52565/rebel-in-the-rye-review-jd-salinger/

 

Loving Vincent

World’s first fully hand-painted feature film – an animated drama about the life and mysterious death of Vincent Van Gogh. The film uses a new oil painting for each shot, with movement added from one frame to the next by a painter’s brush. Each of the film’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as Van Gogh. Stars Saoirse Ronan and Chris O’Dowd. Opens 2 Nov.

http://lovingvincent.com/

http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/loving-vincent-review-van-gogh-1202469734/

 

The man who invented Christmas

Biopic  adapted from the book by Les Standiford. Directed by Bharat Nalluri. Stars Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer (Scrooge). A young Charles Dickens sets out to write and self-publish A Christmas Carol, after suffering the failure of his last 3 books. Opens 30 Nov.

http://screenrant.com/man-who-invented-christmas-trailer-poster/

 

Murder on the Orient Express

Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Poirot, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench. Poirot investigates the murder of a wealthy American on the train. Opens 9 Nov.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/

 

The greatest showman

Directed by Australian Michael Gracey. Stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron. Musical about the life of the original showman P.T. Barnum and how he founded Barnum & Bailey’s Circus. “It started as a movie about the power of imagination and will and never giving up on your dreams. It grew into a deeper idea that what makes you different makes you special.” (Hugh Jackman). Can’t wait – a musical with Hugh J Opens 26 Dec.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796/

https://www.vogue.com/article/the-greatest-showman-hugh-jackman-september-issue-2017

 

Other fun upcoming films include Captain Underpants : the first epic movie (14 Sept) and The emoji movie (14 Sept) – emojis go on a mission to save the hidden world within our phones. Jumanji: welcome to the jungle, sequel to the 1995 film, opens 26 Dec and also in December Star Wars Episode VIII: the last Jedi. Will Kylo Ren make a reappearance??

 

Categories
books libraries literature popular culture

Happy Book Week 19 – 26 Aug 2017! Theme: Escape to everywhere.

To celebrate, we have had some fun activities on offer. Students can solve the puzzles in the ‘Escape from the library’ game; enter our Signpost quiz (what book is the destination on the sign from?); take part in our ‘Escape to everywhere’ quiz with escape-themed questions or enter the visual art competition.

 

Book Week 19-25 August. Theme – Escape to everywhere.

Each year the Children’s Book Council of Australia chooses the best Australian children’s books in various categories – early childhood; younger readers;  picture books; older readers and information books. The ‘older readers’ books are suitable for high school and college. https://cbca.org.au/

Winners: https://cbca.org.au/winners-2017

Shortlist: https://cbca.org.au/short-list-2017 and Notables: https://cbca.org.au/notables-2017

 

Better Reading Australia

Some great reads can be found in the Better Reading Australia’s Top 100 list. The votes are in – new list for 2017 out soon.

http://www.betterreading.com.au/book_list/australias-top-100-for-2016/

Reading suggestions and weekly best-sellers: http://www.betterreading.com.au/

Themed book lists and book suggestions: http://www.betterreading.com.au/book_list/

Top 50 Kids’ Books 2017: http://www.betterreading.com.au/book_list/better-reading-presents-australias-top-50-kids-books/

Reading helps develop empathy: http://www.betterreading.com.au/kids-ya/the-power-of-reading-how-books-help-develop-childrens-empathy-and-boost-their-emotional-development/

 

Dymocks Top 101 2017

  1. All the light we cannot see 2. The book thief 3. The girl on the train 4. Harry Potter series 5. The light between oceans

https://www.dymocks.com.au/top-101

New releases and bestsellers: https://www.dymocks.com.au/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrO_MBRBxEiwAYJnDLDfzZFhAM-toicJoUPGaO9b4wj2dE2f1slJ9iSBKoeKB-gFRYds63hoCMS8QAvD_BwE

 

Goodreads Choice Awards 2016

The only major book awards decided by readers – over 3.55 million votes. Fiction winner: Truly madly deeply by Liane Moriarty. Sci fi winner: Morning star by Pierce Brown. Mystery & thriller winner: End of watch by Stephen King.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fiction-books-2016

 

Goodreads

World’s largest site for book recommendations, quizzes, quotes – owned by Amazon.

Books with different kinds of escapes: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/escape

Escaping from difficult situations: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/15465.Escape_Books

 

Indie Book Awards 2017

Awarded by Australian independent booksellers. Winner: The dry by Jane Harper. Young adult winner: Words in deep blue by Cath Crowley. Children’s winner: Circle by Jeannie Baker.

https://www.indiebookawards.com.au/

 

Australian Independent Bookseller

New releases, weekly top 10, literary awards news. The 91-story treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton is top this week.

http://www.indies.com.au/indie-book-awards#sthash.TCqx1sDo.dpbs

 

Tsundoku anyone?

The condition of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in your home without reading them….From the Japanese ‘tsunde’ (to stack things) ‘oku’ (to leave for a while) and ‘dokusho’ (to read).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/theres-a-japanese-word-for-people-who-buy-more-books-than-they-can-actually-read_us_58f79b7ae4b029063d364226

 

Artificial Intelligence creates romance book titles!

20 000 Harlequin Romance novel titles were given to a neural network, a type of artificial intelligence that learns the structure of text. The AI created its own titles and authors, including: The savage bride; Surgery seduction; Impossible Santa wife; Under the cowboy and the bestselling Sob over the boss…

https://medium.com/towards-data-science/romance-novels-generated-by-artificial-intelligence-1b31d9c872b2

 

Minimalist book covers

https://au.pinterest.com/nwelindt/minimalist-book-covers/

 

Book covers for 1984 the novel

https://bookriot.com/2017/03/03/1984-in-covers/

 

10 words for book lovers

Hamartia: refers to a fatal flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero. Or maybe you are a librocubicultarist – someone who reads in bed.

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/08/unusual-words-for-book-lovers/

 

Why did they choose that as the book title?

Moments in popular books where book titles are mentioned.

http://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/quotations/book-titles-appear-book/19471

 

25 fun bookish quizzes

Is it a line from The great Gatsby…or is it a Jay-Z lyric? What classical character are you? Match the author with the ailment.

http://bookriot.com/2013/04/10/25-fun-bookish-quizzes/

 

What can you learn from a book?

Biologists at Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries have investigated the 12th century book the Gospel of Luke and discovered holes from 900 year old bookworms, microbes from people who coughed on the book and the various animal skins used in the parchment – 8.5 calves, 10.5 sheep and half a goat. They want to build a parchment DNA library, using ancient DNA from various sources.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/goats-bookworms-monk-s-kiss-biologists-reveal-hidden-history-ancient-gospels

 

Why we love the smell of old books

Many people think old books smell like chocolate, followed by coffee. However, old libraries smell ‘woody’, ‘smoky’, ‘earthy’….

http://www.stylist.co.uk/books/old-book-smell-why-love-science-study-chocolate-coffee-scent

 

Interesting literature facts for trivia lovers

https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinlarosa/20-literary-facts-to-impress-your-friends-with?utm_term=.frO83w87L4#.qnkMQJMjkL

 

Canberra Writers’ Festival 25-27 August

http://www.canberrawritersfestival.com.au/

 

OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks

All ACT government staff and students have access to a great collection of over 5000 ebooks and audiobooks  – for primary, high school, college and adults, accessible on all devices. Find them in Oliver, the library catalogue, available in the Backpack. Search for titles, authors and subjects in Oliver (ebooks have a tablet icon), click on it and then click Borrow OverDrive ebook. For personal devices, allow pop-ups in your browser and download the OverDrive app: http://app.overdrive.com . Have a browse – there’s lots of great titles to be discovered!

Categories
Databases and journals news Science resources

National Science Week 12-20 August 2017

Interesting resources for National Science Week 12-20 August…..

 

National Science Week 12-20 August

Lots of events around the country.

https://www.scienceweek.net.au/

 

Australia’s biggest smartphone survey

Part of Science Week. It’s been 30 years since the first mobile call was made in Australia and 84% of us now own a smartphone, changing handsets every 3 years. We are the 4th biggest nation of smartphone users, using our phones around 30 times a day. How are smartphones changing our lives? Are they affecting our relationships? Can we live without them?

http://smartphonesurvey.net.au/

 

Wellcome Image Awards 2017

“Informative, striking and technically excellent images that communicate significant aspects of healthcare and biomedical science”.

http://www.wellcomeimageawards.org/2017/

Nature journal – best science images 2016: http://www.nature.com/news/2016-in-pictures-the-best-science-images-of-the-year-1.21156

Livescience – 100 best science images 2016: https://www.livescience.com/57301-best-science-photos-of-the-year.html

 

Australia’s Science Channel

Excellent information – news, articles, videos, podcasts and events. Topics: Culture; Innovate & tech; Our planet; Scinema (science films); Space; The body; Thought leaders; Careers.

http://www.australiascience.tv/

 

CSIRO blog

Lots of interesting news and information about research projects. Includes: Rise of the intelligent machines; Is Usain Bolt the greatest athlete ever? Do we trust robo-advice?

https://blog.csiro.au/

https://blog.csiro.au/rise-of-the-intelligent-machines/

 

Best and worst science news sites

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) supports evidence-based science and medicine and derides the ‘outrageous sensationalism’ often found in science journalism. Their interesting infographic ranks well-known science reporting sources on ‘fundamental trustworthiness’ and how ‘compelling’ they are as sources of information. The 2 best sources are the journals Nature and Science. Other top-rated journals: New Scientist, Live Science, The Economist, Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Atlantic. Lower ratings: Scientific American, Science News, Popular Science, New York Times, Huffington Post, Fox News.

http://www.acsh.org/news/2017/03/05/infographic-best-and-worst-science-news-sites-10948

 

Latest science news

Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/

ABC Science(includes Dr Karl): http://www.abc.net.au/science/

Science Daily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top/science/

BBC Science & Environment: http://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment

Science News: https://www.sciencenews.org/

 

PLOS One and Scientific Reports open access journals

PLOS One is a peer-reviewed online open access science journal published since 2006 by the Public Library of Science, and formerly the world’s largest journal. In 2017, open access online journal Scientific Reports became the world’s largest journal – published by Nature Publishing Group. Thousands of articles are freely available from both journals.

https://www.plos.org/

https://www.nature.com/srep/

https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2017/04/06/scientific-reports-overtakes-plos-one-as-largest-megajournal/

 

ABC Splash science resources

Good resources added continually. Digibooks, videos, audio, games, articles, links… Filter for primary and secondary resources.

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/resources/-/science

 

ABC Splash science games

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/resources/-/science/all/interactive

 

Categories
coding ed tech Facebook future Games and gaming geography and global resources Google Indigenous resources internet iPads mobile phones pedagogy popular culture robots and drones Science resources sociology TV Wikipedia YouTube

ICT and STEM news

STEM learning

Special edition of STEM articles from Teacher magazine. Includes virtual classrooms for Year 10s, STEM and gender and best practice for primary STEM.

Demystifying the AC Digital Technologies Curriculum P-6

Webinar with Dr Linda McIver; 19 June and 31 July 3.45-5pm.

http://email.acer.edu.au/t/ViewEmail/r/60882C5177B09AF02540EF23F30FEDED/F4AF64F35C0EDFC438A555EB6E97B45B

STEM learning: international best practice: Queensland science teacher Sarah Chapman gathered evidence from around the world. Essential elements include real world experiences, expertise from industry links, mentorships and cross-curricular integration.

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/stem-learning-international-best-practice

Full report: https://cew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Engaging-the-future-of-STEM.pdf

 

Australian Online Landscape Review (latest: April 2017)

Quarterly report produced by IAB/Nielsen. Top 10 brands: 1.Google 2.Facebook 3.YouTube 4.MSN/Outlook/Bing/Skype 5.Apple 6.eBay 7.Microsoft 8.Wikipedia 9.Instagram 10.Yahoo7.

Top 10 brands for streaming: 1.YouTube 2.Facebook 3.VEVO (music) 4.Vimeo (videos) 5.news.com.au 6.smh.com.au 7.MSN/Outlook/Bing/Skype 8.nine.com.au 9.Yahoo7 10. ABC Online

Smartphones are used more than desktops, which are used more than tablets.

file:///H:/Downloads/Digital%20Landscape%20Report_April%202017.pdf

 

Australians’ viewing habits

There are more screens (6.4 in each home) and most are internet-capable. Viewing is spread across devices but TV remains by far the most-watched screen. 86% of video viewing is on TVs – free-to-air or subscription; live or played back. TVs are also used for other tasks – gaming, DVDs, internet, music streaming, YouTube videos etc

http://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/news/2017/how-australians-viewing-habits-have-changed-over-the-past-five-years.html

http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/Q4%202016%20AMSR_release.pdf

 

Australia’s internet speeds

According to the most recent Akamai State of the Internet report we are now 51st in the world for home broadband internet speeds (10.1 Mbps). However, we are well above the global average of 7 Mbps even with a large area to cover. Fastest is South Korea (26.1Mbps) 2. Norway 3. Sweden 4.Hong Kong 5.Switzerland. We are leading the Asia-Pacific region in mobile connectivity speeds (13.8 Mbps).

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/03/australias-internet-speeds-are-a-global-embarrassment/

 

Why do adults think video games are bad?

The excellent news site The Conversation is running a series for children – Curious Kids, where children send in questions they would like an expert to answer. Recent research suggests that playing online games that involve puzzle-solving increases scores in maths, science and reading, whereas using social networking reduces academic achievement.

http://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-adults-think-video-games-are-bad-76699

http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5586/1742

 

The science for and against video gaming

They can make your brain grow and they make you more self-aware and happier; but they can make you less empathetic and more violent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/is-video-gaming-bad-for-you-the-science-for-and-against/

 

People could be genetically predisposed to social media use

One to two-thirds of variance in social media use is attributable to genetic traits; unique and shared environmental factors account for the remainder of variance.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/ica-pcb050217.php

 

NASA EarthKAM

“A classroom with the ultimate view” – students enrol in missions on the International Space Station and request images of specific locations on Earth. The program was set up by astronaut Sally Ride in  1995, initially on space shuttle flights. 8000 schools from 78 countries have now participated with over 500 000 students creating a library of 94 000 images.

https://www.earthkam.org/

Search the image gallery: https://www.earthkam.org/ek-images

https://cosmosmagazine.com/geoscience/capturing-the-earth-as-art

 

Google Maps street-view of Uluru

Just launched after 2 years of consultation with traditional owners. The interactive map includes audio stories from the Anangu owners about the significance of Uluru, traditional law and creation stories. Many sacred sections of the rock were not photographed. Viewers can zoom into crevices, walk along trails and view ancient art. Google plans to map other Australian cultural sites, including Kakadu.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-08/google-street-view-allows-visitors-to-experience-uluru/8599050

 

Live interactions with robots increase their perceived human likeness

We need to get used to a future where robots will be part of our everyday lives, but rarely do we see robots face to face. A recent study found that people who watched live interactions with a robot were more likely to consider the robot to have more human-like qualities. Robots presented in virtual reality also scored high in human likeness. Watching a robot on a 2D screen scored lowest. “Many people will have their first encounter with a service robot over the next decade. Service robots are designed to communicate with humans in humanlike ways and assist them in various aspects of their daily routine. Potential areas of application range from hospitals and nursing homes to hotels and the users’ households” (Schreiner).

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/ica-liw051017.php

 

The 2017 emoji list: emoji version 5.0

All those cute little emoji have to be approved by the Unicode consortium and will be launched this month. There are 69 new images; 24 have 5 additional skin tones and 10 are non-gendered. New emoji include a genie, an older person, a breastfeeding mum and broccoli. There are now a total of 239 approved emoji.

http://blog.emojipedia.org/final-2017-emoji-list/

Categories
Indigenous resources sociology

National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week

Some resources for all ages for National Reconciliation Week, which starts tomorrow, and NAIDOC Week in July..….

 

National Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June and NAIDOC Week 2 July – 9 July

Reconciliation is about building better relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, for the benefit of all Australians. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum which voted to change how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were referred to in the Constitution, so that laws could be made for them. It is also 25 years since the High Court’s Mabo decision which granted land rights to Torres Strait Islander Eddie Mabo and supported native title. This year’s theme is Let’s take the next steps. The NAIDOC Week theme is Our languages matter, which celebrates the role of indigenous languages  in cultural identity, history and spirituality.

http://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw/

http://www.naidoc.org.au/

AIATSIS map of indigenous Australia (languages and groups): http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/map/default.htm

 

Reconciliation Australia also links to:

Share Our Pride –  clearly presented information into the history, lives and cultures of Australia’s First People.

Recognise – the people’s movement to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution and to ensure that it is free from racial discrimination.

http://www.shareourpride.org.au/

http://www.recognise.org.au/

 

Some useful videos for National Reconciliation Week:

What is National Reconciliation Week? (NITV 4 min. video and slides): http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/explainer/what-national-reconciliation-week

Who we are (8 min.): Follows the lives of 6 exceptional young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who share their stories about their families and communities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxPWd_0z3Ng

Journalist Stan Grant’s powerful speech about indigenous history in Australia (8 min.):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA3UsF8yyho

 

Right wrongs – new resource

This excellent resource from the ABC, AIATSIS and NSLA has just been released. Short videos and information explore developments since the 1967 referendum which changed how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were referred to in the constitution. Sections include: Controlled but not counted; Fighting for change; An extraordinary vote; The legacy; Where to now?

http://www.abc.net.au/rightwrongs/?WT.tsrc=Email&WT.mc_id=Innovation_Innovation-Splash|Secondary_email|20170524

 

ABC Splash

Lots of resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, including videos about indigenous languages. Also includes the Sorry Day digibook and 1967 referendum digibook.

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/topic/494038/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures

 

ABC Indigenous

Access the latest Indigenous stories and features from ABC Radio, News & Current Affairs, TV and iview.

http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/default.htm

 

Counted (ABC TV and iview 26/5/17, 7.30pm)

Stan Grant takes us on his own personal journey & speaks to the heroes of the 1967 referendum & their grandchildren.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/counted/

 

First Nations Convention

300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders are gathering at Uluru this week to discuss how to achieve constitutional recognition for indigenous Australians. It appears likely that there will be a consensus on the need for meaningful reform such as a prohibition on racial discrimination, an elected body with a role in laws affecting indigenous peoples and support for a treaty.

http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2017/05/23/why-300-indigenous-leaders-are-meeting-uluru-week

 

NITV – National Indigenous Television

Informs, educates and entertains its indigenous and non-indigenous audiences. Great documentaries, news, personal accounts and perspectives.

http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/

Explore topics and link to videos: Social issues, Cultures, Arts, Social Justice… http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/topics

NITV programs include:

NITV programs on demand: http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/channels/nitv

Movies on NITV: http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movies/nitv-movies

The point: Current affairs and news for all Australians, with indigenous perspectives. Hosts include Karla Grant and Rae Johnston, acclaimed tech and pop culture journalist.  http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/the-point

Custodians: 5 minute profiles of Aboriginal traditional  owners, showcasing their country. http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/search/custodians

Our stories: Emerging filmmakers from regional and remote areas share stories of their life, history, culture and communities. http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/our-stories

Bushwhacked: 2 young guys explore remote corners of Australia in search of weird and wacky creatures. http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/jarjums

The Dreaming: Animated stories explained by elders. http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/677413443508/the-dreaming-series-1-ep-24

Little J and Big Cuz: Provides a young indigenous audience with ‘relatable’ characters and offers an insight into traditional Aboriginal culture, country and language. Includes online educational games. http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/little-j-and-big-cuz

First contact: Ray Martin takes 6 well-known Australians on a journey where they explore present-day Aboriginal society. http://www.sbs.com.au/programs/first-contact http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/815835715711/first-contact

20 inspiring black women who have changed Australia: http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2015/03/06/20-inspiring-black-women-who-have-changed-australia

Indigenous languages at risk: 10 minute podcast. Australia’s indigenous languages could be completely wiped out by 2050 according to experts. The number of traditional languages has dropped from 250 to 120 over the last two hundred years.

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/khmer/en/content/indigenous-languages-risk

Indigenous works from Google Art Project: http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016/05/31/googles-art-project-brings-indigenous-talent-digital-world

 

SBS On Demand

A changing selection of films, documentaries and newsclips. Search for “indigenous” programs.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/

 

Creative Spirits

“Learn about contemporary Aboriginal culture without agenda”. Many resources in many areas including history, arts, people, economy, law and justice, politics and media, spirituality. “Creative Spirits is an amazing collection of history and an inspiring representation of Aboriginal culture”—Michele Hetherington, Aboriginal woman from NSW.

www.creativespirits.info/

Teacher and student resources: books, movies, music, TV and radio, infographics…

http://www.creativespirits.info/resources/#axzz4AIKgaYmP

 

Black Screen

Part of the National Film and Sound Archive – lends DVDs of contemporary indigenous films to individuals and organisations for use at screening events.

http://www.nfsa.gov.au/blackscreen/

 

Books

Knowledge of life: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia (2015) – Kaye Price (ed.) Investigates history, reconciliation, law, art, enterprise, health, education, literature, sport and human rights. The authors of each chapter are indigenous and experts in their field. Each chapter begins with biographical information about the author.

State of Reconciliation in Australia Report (2016) – Highlights what has been achieved under the 5 dimensions of reconciliation: race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity and historical acceptance and makes recommendations for the progress of reconciliation. https://www.reconciliation.org.au/the-state-of-reconciliation-in-australia-report/

Talking to my country (2016) – Stan Grant. “An extraordinarily powerful and personal meditation on race, culture and national identity…. what it means to be Australian; the sorrow, shame, anger and hardship of being an Aboriginal man and what racism really means in this country”.

Excellent book list: http://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Recommended-reading_2016-NRW-update_FINAL.pdf

Excellent film and TV list: http://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Recommended-viewing_2016-NRW-update_FINAL.pdf

Categories
books ebooks ed tech future literature pedagogy

Teen reading habits and 21st century skills

Some interesting reads from Teacher magazine and elsewhere…..

 

Teacher magazine

Excellent online ACER publication with interesting articles and quick reads – Evidence + Insight + Action.

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/

 

Infographic: Teen reading habits

Early findings from a study by Deakin and Murdoch Universities, exploring the recreational reading habits of Australian teenagers. 70% read at least weekly for pleasure; 50% read for at least 15 minutes daily; 63% preferred paper books or disliked reading on digital devices; 12% preferred ebooks.

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/infographic-teen-reading-habits

 

Global education: 21st century skills

Charles Fadel, 21st Century Skills pioneer, delivered the 2017 Australian Learning Lecture – The New Success on 11 May. Young people are likely to have 17 jobs over 5 different careers in their lifetime. Skills needed: broad and deep education, versatility, entrepreneurship, robotics, wellness, creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, mindfulness, curiosity, courage, resilience, ethics, leadership, reflection, lifelong learning, growth mindsets. Fadel believes 4 dimensions of education are necessary: modernised knowledge, skills, character and meta learning. His 2015 book with Bernie Trilling: Four-dimensional education: the competencies learners need to succeed.

https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/global-education-21st-century-skills?utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_medium=bulletin&utm_content=May%2016%202017

 

Preparing young people for the future of work

“Australia’s education system is not preparing students for twenty-first century success. Young Australians are studying for longer than ever before but are disengaged and struggling to find permanent jobs. Young people entering technology-rich, global, competitive job markets need different skill sets to what our education system has traditionally valued. Schools need to broaden learning objectives. The most crucial capabilities for the future include critical thinking, creativity, curiosity and communication skills. It is time Australia made changes to prioritise teaching, assessing and reporting capabilities” (Torii and O’Connell).

http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/preparing-young-people-for-the-future-of-work/

 

Education Endowment  Foundation literature reviews

The EEF has conducted literature reviews on Digital Technology, Careers education, Literacy at the transition, English as an Additional Language, Education and neuroscience, Arts education, and Non-cognitive skills.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/resources/publications/

 

Evidence for Learning

This independent Australian site helps to build, share and use evidence to improve learning in all schools. Find out about new Australian education approaches and  Australian and global evidence summaries of 34 education approaches. Sign up for the newsletter.

http://evidenceforlearning.org.au/

 

Spaced Learning

Evidence from neuroscience and psychology suggests information is more easily learnt and recalled when it is repeated multiple times and separated by periods of unrelated activity. Neuroscience literature supports the use of shorter spaces between learning (around 10 minutes) and cognitive psychology literature supports longer spaces (around 24 hours). The study found that the most effective approach to spaced learning combined both 24 hour and 10 minute spacing between curriculum content.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/our-work/projects/spaced-learning/

 

Switched off students

Student disengagement is a major hidden issue – 40% of Australian students are regularly unproductive, bored and struggling to keep up with their peers. More students are fiddling with their phones, making snide comments and turning up late than are swearing at teachers or threatening classmates. Reasons include boredom, work too hard or not challenging enough, poor quality teaching and problems at home. An education system overhaul is required to deal with this. Recommendations include higher expectations for students; stronger teacher-student relationships based on mutual respect; encouraging active learning; encouragement; praise and not using ‘old-fashioned discipline’.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/05/almost-half-of-australian-school-students-bored-or-struggling-says-grattan-institute

Categories
ed tech Facebook Google internet maths resources news popular culture sociology websites

Wootube maths tutorials and ICT news

Eddy Woo and Wootube maths tutorials

Head Teacher Mathematics at Cherrybrook High in Sydney, young and enthusiastic Mr Woo has been uploading his maths lesson videos to YouTube since 2012. He has attracted 4 million views and many grateful students. He featured on Australian Story this week – Channelling Mr Woo (iView until 24 May).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-01/teacher-eddie-woo-changing-the-face-of-maths/8472522

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/australian-story/NC1701Q012S00

https://misterwootube.com/

 

Google moves to demote fake news

Following increasing incidents of fake news and other flaws, Google is updating its algorithms and demoting misleading and offensive content in its search results. Algorithms will prioritise more “authoritative” content eg. affiliation with a university or verified news site and the quality of sites that link to the site in question. Users can now use a feedback button to report offensive and false results, including offensive autocomplete results that appear as you type in the search box.

https://www.recode.net/2017/4/25/15415428/google-updating-search-flagging-fake-news

 

China is creating an online encyclopedia

Known as the ‘Chinese Encyclopedia’, the national encyclopedia will go online in 2018. Twenty thousand scholars from universities and research institutes will contribute articles in more than 100 disciplines with 300,000 entries of 1 000 words each. These will showcase China’s science and technology developments, promote historical and cultural heritage and strengthen the core values of socialism.  The goal isn’t to mimic Wikipedia, which is blocked in China (though internet giant Baidu has its own online encyclopedia). “We have the biggest, most high-quality author team in the world. Our goal is not to catch up, but overtake” (Yang Muzhi, editor). China has the world’s largest internet population (720 million users) and some of the world’s most restrictive internet laws. The ‘Great Firewall of China’ is the world’s most most sophisticated censorship tool, blocking ‘unsavoury’ parts of the internet.

https://news.vice.com/story/china-is-recruiting-20000-people-to-write-its-own-wikipedia

 

Facebook ramps up its response to violent videos

Facebook will hire 3000 more people  to review violent videos and other posts (4 500 employees already identify questionable material for removal). Since introducing the live video feature Facebook Live in April 2016, many unacceptable videos have been uploaded. Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook wants to respond quickly when someone needs help or when an unacceptable post needs taking down.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/facebook-hire-3000-review-videos-crime-suicide-47178911

 

Amazon is coming….look busy

‘The everything store – fast, vast and low-priced’ – it will shake up Australian retail. Amazon is the fastest company in history to hit $US100 billion in annual sales and leading businesses such as Harvey Norman, Myer and JB Hi-Fi could lose half their earnings to Amazon. Amazon will offer “extreme convenience” and goods could be delivered within an hour of ordering online. Amazon Marketplace, for third-party retailers, will launch this year. Amazon is currently searching for a huge logistics facility.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/fast-vast-and-lowpriced-amazon-to-shake-up-australian-retail/news-story/026ace527679086657bc156735863dc8