Welcome to EdSmart’s education news round-up, your curated view of what’s happening in education & EdTech across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.
Safe-for-Teens ChatGPT on the horizon?
OpenAI has partnered with Common Sense Media, a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring technology is accessible and safe for children, to promote responsible and safe usage of artificial intelligence (AI) among teenagers.
Their collaborative effort focuses on developing guidelines and educational resources to help teens, parents, and educators navigate the AI landscape responsibly. Together, they aim to empower the next generation with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions in this rapidly evolving technological era.
The biggest trends in education for 2024
It’s the beginning of a new academic year in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand schools. Accordingly, this article by Matthew Lynch, writing for The Edvocate, explores what issues are likely to impact significantly on teaching, learning and education around the world.
From personalised learning to global classroom collaborations, Lynch’s thought-provoking piece lists 11 of what he considers the most influential trends across the next 12 months.
How physical computing builds children’s understanding of technology
Physical computing—the process of combining software and hardware to build interactive physical systems that sense and respond to the real world —is described by University of Cambridge’s Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre as “an exciting way for young people to learn about computer systems and programming”. With this in mind, researchers in the UK are commencing a long-term study of the impacts of physical computing in schools.
The study’s leader, Dr Sue Sentance and her team of researchers, will be looking at how engaging with physical computing supports the development “of children’s creativity and digital capital, and their views of — and confidence in — their own technological capabilities”.
Calling to mind director Michael Apted’s groundbreaking (and much-loved) Up series – which began in 1964 – the study plans to follow a group of students aged between seven and 10 years of age with exposure to physical computing through the next five years of their schooling.
US ‘Superintendents of the Year’ give voice to the biggest challenges for schools
The American Association of School Administrators, also known as the School Superintendents Association, gathered in Washington DC in mid-January to name their National Superintendent of the Year.
Caitlynn Peetz from Education Week hosted a panel discussion with 2023’s finalists, and sought their insights on a range of topics including what they believed the biggest challenges schools face in the coming calendar year. They also put forward their views on the effectiveness of President Joe Biden’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund—more commonly known as ESSER — a US$190 billion funding round to enable catch-up learning post-COVID for students.
How to tell someone it’s time to leave the classroom?
Burnout is a common topic in the 21st century workplace, and schools are not immune. This thought leadership piece by Matthew Ebert—also from Education Week—is an unflinching reflection on why difficult conversations between peers, colleagues and leaders shouldn’t be put in the too-hard-basket.
Overcoming burnout as a teacher
Continuing the discussion around burnout and creating a positive culture among school teachers, Sue Webb, a Queensland-based teacher with over 30 years experience at the blackboards, shares her workplace burnout story with Sarah Duggan from Education HQ.
First noticing the warning signs in 2016, Sue’s inspiring story charts how she overcame some crippling mental health issues to regain her love for teaching.
Collaboration, personal learning, data privacy and digital literacy: AI in schools
The implementation of AI and its role in learning is a hot topic – burning hot. Camellia Dang, the Vice Principal of Vinschool in Vietnam, outlines to attendees of the recent EDUtech Asia 2023 Conference how she believes AI has the power to deliver better outcomes for students and schools.
The benefits of Montessori learning
Gavin McCormack is the co-founder of UpSchool, an online learning platform for making education accessible and meaningful for students all around the world. He’s also a leading Montessori teacher.
For many educators and parents, Montessori is a teaching method most people associate with K-6 students but, in this entertaining and informative one-on-one interview for School Leaders Project, Gavin explains what Montessori means and how it benefits students across the entire K-12 learning spectrum.
Annual Digistorm K-12 Admissions Report hot off the press
In January 2024, Australian Edtech company and EdSmart integration partner Digistorm released research data into the state of school admissions for 2023. The research highlights data from over 100 schools across Australia, and covers admission and marketing trends as a way to help schools grow for today and for the future.
HolonIQ’s 2023 Global Education Outlook now available
Global education consultancy HolonIQ has released their annual education and technology outlook. The report is a comprehensive and data-driven collection of insights and developing trends in early childhood, K-12 and post-secondary education; teaching, learning and assessment; EdTech investment; human and social development; and strategic shifts in education.
As well as the global state of education, the report also includes analysis of education by region, including Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Read HolonIQ’s Global Education Outlook report
A little bit of inspiration for new teachers
While the academic year is just starting in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, January marked the half-way point of the academic calendar in North America. Saxon Brown is in his first year of teaching in a Maryland High School in the US and, as the headline of this article explains, Brown loves his job.
If this is your first term as a teacher, congratulations! We thought we’d share this story to inspire you in your early teaching career.
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