This is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further . So here it is:

A tool educators are using more often –

Video conferencing. The ability to extend a classroom’s boundary to incorporate another on the other side of the world was, not only unfathomable, but completely unaffordable even 5 years ago. Now a classroom in Geraldton is taught a new language from a teacher in China via video link. The program called My Chinese Teacher is one of 10,000+ classrooms that can now afford to set up commercial conferencing hardware such as theBiamp Devio and then use any software – Skype, Zoom, Hangouts, etc. and expand the classroom beyond the confines of its four walls.

Additional funding WA schools are jumping on –

The School Device Program 2018 available until 8th June 2018 allows WA schools access to additional funding to support all WA students undertaking NAPLAN online by 2019. This funding gives schools the opportunity to improve integration of ICT/AV equipment in classrooms between $1,000 to $30,000 per school. Two options of audio visual solutions that can be purchased using this funding.

Most shared education article –

WA Schools To Teach Meditation…As Part of New Mindfulness Curriculum.

A device for releasing stress & enhancing mindfulness –

HeartMath’s Inner Balance sensor displays a user’s heart rhythm allowing the user to become more mindful of his/her emotional states, and being able to generate favourable ones on demand in the future with 6-9 weeks of practice.

Most successful approach for group coordination (and addressing racial division between students) –

The Jigsaw Classroom. A learning technique developed in early 1970s with many case studies of improved test performance, reduced absenteeism, and greater liking for school attributed to this technique. Each lesson is split into 5-6 chunks, a student is assigned to research one of these chunks with others in the class assigned the same task, and when research is complete – they return to the group and teach the others. The key is structured interdependence where each student’s success depends on both his/her own contribution and those of his/her partners. A step by step guide and tips on implementation here.

P.S. A video response to a frequently asked question –

What’s a more valuable investment – an interactive projector or an interactive screen?

This is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further over the next couple of weeks. So here it is:

Most commented education article –

The Sydney Morning Herald’s – “A day in the life of a Sydney high school teacher.” With the quote:

 “On Tuesday, I worked nine hours with a 15-minute break. And on Tuesday, I read that teachers need to do more work.”

Seemingly in response to a previous Sydney Morning Herald article – “Teachers need fewer holidays, more hours.”

2018’s Perth student success story –

iRony. An 8-minute hand drawn animation about the intrusion of social media into people’s lives. Written, directed, and animated by 18 year old Perth boy Radheya Jegatheva – the short film has won 74 awards, been selected for 168 film festivals, and is part of the qualifying competitions for the Academy Awards. A great example of supporting a student on a path less trodden – this short film was made possible because of his dad’s support, who initially pushed Radheya to study commerce, to realise that would be a mistake.

Most viewed video experiment on Instagram –

This Right Pointing Arrow video created by Physics Fun showcases an arrow that always points right even when you turn it 180 degrees. However is actually symmetrical when viewed from above, and even more perplexing, always points to the left when seen in a mirror.

List of popular FREE incursions for students –

The logistics of transporting an entire class to an off-site location can be very difficult, there are providers that will come to you and provide a valuable learning experiment for students. The most popular include:

• Water Corporation,
• Red Cross,
• Department of Fire & Emergency Services,
• RAC,
• Western Power, and,
• CSIRO, Bunnings, Woodside, and many more.

Helpful tips for teachers struggling with insomnia –

Episode 267 of the Tim Ferriss Show, one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world on self improvement and performance. A snippet of the 267th episode seems to resonate with a large percentage of educators who struggle with insomnia. It provides some actionable tips like the Marpac Dohm, keeping room temperature cold as possible roughly 18 degrees, going to bed at a reasonable hour i.e. by 11pm, and supplements such asLithium Orotate (very small dose) that can alleviate the problem.

This is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further over the next couple of weeks. So here it is:

The Instagram accounts educators are following

The favourites – Target Teachers run by two educators who share items they’ve found at Target, and then present ways on how to use them in class, and Teachers Pay Teachers, as the name indicates, a marketplace where teachers pay other teachers for resources, lesson plans, and ideas.

• For humour on the day to day life of a teacher and related memes – Bored Teachers, Teacher Things, and Teaching Humour.
• For DIY ideas, printables, illustrations, and general classroom creativity – Apples & ABCs, Classroom_DIY, and From The Pond.
• For Math teachers – Math Giraffe.
• For Science teachers – Kesler Science.
• For English teachers (and just a generally fascinating page) – Subway Book Review where strangers on the subway are asked to review the book they are reading.
• For Arts and Craft teachers – Crafty.

Most viewed education video on Facebook

The Simplest Way to Explain Math to Kids. Using Lego, this animated video explains fractions in a way that younger students can easily understand (and even enjoy).

Visitor sign-in system WA schools love

Passtab. Using an iPad to eliminate the archaic visitor sign-in notebook, Passtab allows schools to customise the sign-in process, automatically notify staff when their visitor arrives, isolate staff/visitors on site during an emergency, and from the numerous visitor management solutions out there – this is one designed specifically for Australian schools, and the most affordable (~$30/month). For those of you subscribed to this newsletter, send us an email and we’ll get you 6-months free.

Most shared education articles

Elon Musk to the Young and Ambitious: Skills Matter More Than Degrees where Musk states “…the fact that greatness and gold-plated degrees don’t always go together seems hard to argue with.”
and,
ATAR should be simplified or even abolished where Australias’ chief scientist states “…abolish the ATAR in favour of the US system whereby individual universities manage their own entrance schemes.”

Our favourite find: An amazing shared reading programmed by a Perth teacher

Silly Sounds and Scribbles is a free resource with shared reading rhymes and poems to help students (ages 5 to 10) enjoy reading. Created by Perth based teacher, writer-illustrator, and designer Sean E Avery, each 15 minute lesson is a poem with rhythm, rhyme, and repetition designed to make reading enjoyable. There are even follow up questions provided for each lesson so all the hard work is done for you. Detailed information on how it works is here to make it that much easier to implement.

P.S. Here’s a secret deal to see who actually reads to the end of a newsletter

The first 3 schools to click here and send us an email will receive our school-wide maintenance plan worth $750 for free. Which includes a calibration, clean, cable checks and service of all projectors, screens, boards, and classroom tech (up to 20 rooms at your school) at no cost.

This is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further next couple of weeks. So here they are:

Unusual website improving student focus, and creativity –

The world is filled with products and innovations designed to increase distraction and multi-tasking, this unique and unusual website titled The Most Dangerous Writing App helps reverse that, even if temporarily. With the premise that you set a certain time limit (or word count) and you must continue writing for that period of time, if you don’t it deletes everything you’ve written…forever. Quote from a teacher “I also gave them a pep talk on pushing through the sticky first 60 seconds. You could literally hear the moment that their brains started to flow.”

Positive initiative improving female participation in STEM –

She Flies uses drone training as the launching pad (pun!) to engage more women and young girls into the world of STEM. Using drones to help girls soar in STEM is the mission statement of Dr Karen Joyce and Dr Catherine Ball’s program and their online learningcentre has resources that teachers can use in the classroom to drive this further.

Most debated education article –

Evidence Shows Students Still Learn More Effectively From Print Textbooks Than Screens.

A book educators are loving –

WHEN by Daniel Pink. A book about timing reveals insights like – if you want students to perform better at a test set them the test in the morning, if you want to ask for a raise make sure it isn’t at 2:55pm, the most important meal of the day is lunch not breakfast. Not written with educators in mind as the target audience, however educators being the type that gravitate towards routine, structure, and cutting-edge data, this book has resonated with them. Numerous positive reviews by teachers who have applied the information and even shared it with their students. Drive, also by Daniel Pink is another educators’ favourite on how to motivate others.

Most shared education article on Facebook: Melbourne school’s experimental teaching concept – 

Grouping students by ability instead of age. A secondary school in MelbourneTemplestowe College has implemented an experimental approach of giving students free reign over course load and level they believe that suits them after they’ve completed their study of four core units in Year 7. Year 8 onwards they are free to assign themselves as they like. And as anticipated, this isn’t being given the thumbs up by all experts, yet the school’s Principal is strong in his belief to rebel against the system.

This is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further. So here they are:

Google’s innovation that teachers are loving

Be Internet Awesome is a Google developed website that turns internet safety for young kids into a fun adventure-based game. The game titled Interland is a great resource for educators and parents to teach students how to share, spot fake, secure secrets, and explore the online world with confidence.

An exciting new resource we found to explore the world

Barefoot World Atlas lets students explore the world, culture, and countries from an iPad. Barefoot world has taken the scale of an Atlas and turned it into an interactive 3D globe.

#1 Classroom Interactive Screen

Since January this year we’ve put the key interactive screen brands head to head in a gruelling test. Including eBoard, Prowise, Commbox, Promethean, Samsung and BenQ to decide which one is the most worthwhile investment for a primary school. Basing it on functionality, teaching software, ease of use, reliability, and teacher recommendations.Promethean ActivPanel 70″ winner of 2017’s Tech Edvocate award took our #1 spot. Aside from lacking in a range of accessories, it won on every category. Click here and we can help arrange a demo for your school.

Most shared education video on Facebook

Eddie Woo – Australia’s most famous teacher. Named Australia’s Local Hero 2018 by Malcolm Turnbeull, and announced by Bill Gates as a finalist for top 10 teachers in the world. Because of the popularity of his YouTube channel Wootube teaching mathematics, Eddie Woo a maths teacher in Sydney has become a global sensation.

Most recommended talk on handling students with challenging behaviours

A 1 hour 20 minute talk by Dr Stuart Ablon on Collaborative Problem Solving summarising the causes of such behaviour and providing actionable behaviour management systems to better handle the challenging situations. Highly recommended watch for all teachers.

If you missed the first or second or third edition of this newsletter, this is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further. So here they are:

Most liked education article : NAPLAN not good enough for us

The Making of a Teacher : Why Naplan is Not Good Enough For Us. A masterfully composed piece, rightly so coming from Sydney’s Richard Gill one of Australia’s most admired conductors and music educators (150K+ views on his Ted Talk). Richard lays out the reasons why NAPLAN testing, even though implemented with the greatest of intentions to improve results, may be doing just the opposite. This quote sums it up:

“It seems to me we go to school for two reasons and two reasons only: to learn how to learn together, and to learn how to think for ourselves. NAPLAN encourages neither of those precepts…Literacy and numeracy are NOT disciplines or subjects. They are states or conditions at which one arrives as a result of being well educated.”

Most polarising Facebook video and article

Young school students in Norway are part of this social experiment video showcasing the pay gap and financial inequality between genders. And this article by John David Blake, head of education at Policy Exchange argues that teachers should be provided scripted lessons and external resources and be stopped from designing their own lessons.

A 5 week course to become a STEM expert

Simplifying the ever-increasing complex landscape of STEM based learning. The National STEM Learning Centre run by world-class educators in UK have developed three online STEM teaching programs to provide high quality support to educators around the world. This 5-week FREE course Differentiating for Learning in STEM Teaching is the recommended starting point, with in-class footage to learn all about customised teaching in relation to STEM. Additionally – here’s 5 things parents can also do.

What educators are absolutely loving

These comics drawn by a primary school teacher Colm Cuffe in Ireland capturing the humour in the life of a teacher. Last year this teacher decided to merge his two passions of teaching and cartooning – posting regularly on Facebook too.

Simplest time investment for the greatest return

Google search tricks. A tool educators and students already use all day, however a tool that barely anyone has invested the time to learn, or understand its capability. Here are 20 tips to unleash the potential of Google search. Guaranteed most of you didn’t even know this was possible.

Some inspiration for the rest of the week

If you missed the first edition of this newsletter, this is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find the most practical information, and tools that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further. So here they are:

Banning mobile phones in schools is a polarising issue

Educators are debating (not in the calmest fashion) France imposing a ban on mobile phones in schools. Starting September 2018 mobile phones will not only be disallowed in classrooms, but also during breaks. Not everyone agrees with this of course, and it marks an interesting moment where one of the most impactful technologies of the last decade is now impacting a change to the system itself.

Which Facebook video teachers are sharing

Teach Like Finland #BeRemarkable. A Facebook video which tries to uncover how Finland managed to claim the #1 global education rank after being somewhere well down the bottom a few years earlier. Some surprising finds if you haven’t seen it already.

A cost-effective mental therapy for overactive educators

To control the over-thinking, over-stressed, over-analysing mind of the educator, there is a growing trend of journalling becoming a daily practice (and also being taught to students). Journalling, the practice of getting the madness inside the mind on paper and out of the way, allowing creativity, productivity, and clarity to prevail. There is a great post by Ryan Holiday that outlines how to implement this practice, and why some of the wisest and brilliant people of all time did so.

Our unique discovery for the week: a newspaper for kids

Crinkling news is the only national newspaper for young Australians. Just like mums, dads, teachers, and the like, kids want to know what’s going on in the world. After decades working for major newspapers Saffron Howden and Remi Bianchi decided to launch Crinkling News just for that purpose.

Most popular teaching resource to help students learn more about space

NASA’s award winning NASA Space Place is full of pre-made videos, activities, animations, games, and ready to go space-related material designed to be one click away on an interactive projector or interactive screen. Answering some of the most common questions that students have, and answering them in a fun and engaging manner.