We were enormously heartened to read the first draft of Australia’s new Digital Technologies Curriculum, which puts a new, strong focus on computational thinking in Australian schools right from foundational levels. In our experience, an introduction to computational thinking in early years provides the strongest possible pathway for students to engage with and excel in computer science, and benefit from the careers it enables. The young people who grow up with this new curriculum—our first ‘innovation generation’—will have the some of the world’s most sought-after and highly-valued skills, and will help Australia shift from the consumers of technology, to creators of technology.
That said, there’s no doubt that it will take a lot of work from our busy teachers to build these concepts into their lesson plans. That’s why we’re hosting a summit on “Integrating technologies into the curriculum” at Google Sydney, on November 7 and 8, to bring together teachers and administrators to share ideas and best practices and get a dose of inspiration from some of the best STEM education minds around.
There will be keynotes from:
- Maggie Johnson - Google's Global Director of Education & University Relations
- Dr Chris Tisdell, UNSW lecturer in mathematics, creator of the YouTube channel Understand Mathematics, and author of free textbook Engineering Mathematics
We'll also run some hands-on sessions for teachers and host unconference sessions to discuss ways we can creatively scale teaching techniques and materials across Australia. By bringing together a diverse group of passionate educators we hope to unlock the potential that the new curriculum holds and work together on creative ways we can scale it for the classroom.
We’re inviting teachers with a passion for STEM and computer science from across Australia to apply for a fully-funded trip to participate in the summit in Sydney. Complete this application form, and tell us about your classroom techniques, learning outcomes, and inspirational moments. 25 teachers will be awarded a funded place at the event. And if you’re an education administrator and you’d like to attend, please fill out the expression of interest form here.
We recognise the implementation challenges that may emerge from the changes to the Digital Technologies curriculum, and we’re committed to continuing our support of Australian teachers. In addition to growing existing programs like CS4HS, and partnerships with organisations like FIRST Lego League and Robogals, we’re working on more ways to help teachers across the country work computational thinking and computer science into their classrooms - stay posted.
Posted by Sally-Ann Williams, Engineering Community & Outreach Manager, Google Australia
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