Event Report

On Sunday 16 June, Emanuel School hosted our first DigiTech Deep Dive: a conference for Primary School educators. Having been awarded a Google Computer Science Educator grant, we welcomed over 60 participants from NSW Government, Independent and Catholic Schools. James Curran, one of the writers of the Digital Technologies curriculum, opened the day by unpacking the concepts behind the NSW syllabus. Gary Stager, international leading expert in computer science, robotics and learning by doing, spoke about the purpose of school in the context of new opportunities for physical computing. Educators engaged in a full day of hands-on workshops using Micro:bit and Hummingbird Bits facilitated by Gary Stager. The day closed with a range of exceptional educators sharing how they are embedding Digital Technologies into learning experiences in K-2 and 3-6 contexts. This included the following practitioners: Hugo Adrian, Shane Bryne, Emma Buzo, Emma Clemens, Maria Emmi, Ian Fairhurst, Liam Flanagan, Matthew Scadding and Rolene Silver.

The feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. From the data collected, most educators reported growth in confidence with, and skill level in embedding, emerging digital technologies into their classroom practice. A great indicator of impact of professional learning is how readily educators turn their learning into practice in the classroom. One educator remarked, "It was the best professional learning I have been to. We are now designing experiences for our students using the micro:bit". Other educators stated, "I really enjoyed listening to the guest speakers in the morning and am excited about the prospects of learning more by unpacking the curriculum and possibly learning more about ideas on what and how to engage our students with Digital Technologies " and "thank you for providing this great learning opportunity at no cost. Sometimes it is hard to get to professional development due to administrative requirements - forms and payment - so this made it much more accessible. I really appreciate all the hard work that went into making this possible." Another educator reflected on the importance of sharing practice, "it was fantastic to learn from other teachers - they were so open and willing to share. It is a positive experience to be around passionate educators who love learning, Thank you for organising".

We were excited to be able to run this conference after having our proposal accepted as a recipient of a 2019 Google Computer Science Educator PD Grant. We were also fortunate to have extra sponsorship from ASI and the Coder Academy. Central West Leadership Academy partnered with us to offer a live stream of the event at Charles Sturt University, Dubbo Campus. Digital Technologies Hub assisted us in promoting the event. Emanuel School staff successfully organised the event from planning, set-up and actualisation.

We look forward to establishing a cross-sector network of educators who are interested in excited to further progress the learning experiences in Digital Technologies for all NSW students.

Emanuel School Organising committee: Natanya Milner, Holly Dillon, Eytan Messiah, Katie Brody, Emma Clemens, Zoran Taleski, Adam Masjay, Michelle Favero and Sophie Poisel