Edited by Keith Redman

Topics covered in this edition include:

• First Digi Kids Snapshot now available on the ANSN website
• Snapshot of Working with Refugees now on the website
• John Bladen Scholarship
• Digi Kids training in Adelaide
• Digi Kids Melbourne West Hub – second phase of training
• 2-day Digi Kids workshop in Perth, 7 and 8 July
• Bee Bot Workshop coming up in Queensland
• Dimensions of Learning (DoL) workshop
• Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub starts in WA
• Habits of Mind (HoM) Hub
• Deb Vietri joins ANSN to work on IWBs with Kate Cooper and Andrea Federico
• Reminders of ANSN activities

First Digi Kids Snapshot now available on the ANSN website

A series of Snapshots is being developed around the experience and practice of teachers in the Digi Kids program. The first in the series looks at Lynda Page’s work on Integrating Technology in the Early Years Classroom.  A teacher for more than 20 years, Lynda (below, left) works at Coolum Beach State School, in Queensland. She has been a keen participant in the Digi Kids program, which is co-ordinated by Hanan Harrison (below centre). In developing the Snapshot, she worked with Keith Redman (below right), Editor of E-News and this Snapshot series.


The new Snapshot describes how, during 2007, Lynda worked with Early Years children to develop individual Home Readers – where each of the 4 and 5 year-olds took a series of digital photos at home and then incorporated them in a laminated book, together with text that they provided and later used as reading material. This work led further, to the development of E-Books, where the children again took photos but built them into Powerpoint presentations about events, classroom activities and excursions. To download the Snapshot and read more of Lynda’s remarkable story, click here.

To learn more about the Digi Kids project or to find out how you might become involved, contact Hanan Harrison on 0407 464 472 or by email at hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au.

If you are interested in developing a Snapshot of your own practice, relating to work in an ANSN project, email an expression of interest to keith.redman@ansn.edu.au.

Snapshot of Working with Refugees now on the website

Also new on the ANSN website is a Snapshot entitled Working with Refugees, which introduces the Teaching to Make a Difference project – an action research project that grew out of the Sudanese Learning and Literacy Alliance (SLLA) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS). The project is funded in part by the UWS Office of Research Services and in part by the UWS Regional Council.


This Snapshot outlines the background of African students now in schools in Australia and discusses the need for teachers and schools to find ways to capitalise and build on the strengths of these students, to assist them in building the new (and sometimes unfamiliar) skills that they will need if they are to settle successfully in Australia. It then provides an overview of what the project is setting out to achieve, and includes case studies and suggested strategies, as well as details of the resources that are being made available. To view or download this Snapshot, click here.

Announcing the John Bladen Scholarship

John Bladen was the Chair of the National Co-ordinating Committee of the Australian National Schools Network for ten years as well as being Chair of the Board of Directors.

In light of his long history with the ANSN, the board has decided to make him the ANSN’s first life member and award an annual scholarship of $1000 in his name.

The scholarship offers teachers an opportunity to make study tours to schools using innovative thinking and new ideas. A scholarship of $1000 is available to help you to meet teachers making schools better for students and teachers.

For more details and application guidelines click here.

Digi Kids training in Adelaide

Hanan Harrison reports that in June a group of enthusiastic Early Childhood teachers gathered at St Pius X School in Adelaide, for their initial 2 days of Digi Kids training (see below). The group explored ways to integrate technologies into the Early Years curriculum, making links with specific areas such as numeracy and literacy. The teachers also looked at how learning from technology-based activities can go beyond academic outcomes, providing opportunities to reinforce social and emotional skills.


Participants shared ideas and addressed a range of practical issues, such as computer location and student access. Many reported that the students usually work individually on the computer, which tends to be set up in a corner of the classroom so other students will not be distracted. This raised questions about how to achieve greater integration of the technology. Where would the computer best be situated? Would it be more effective for student learning if they were in teams, or at least pairs, when using the computer? One simple strategy was to place a bench seat or two or three chairs at/around the computer, rather than a single chair, to encourage student dialogue and discussion. To explore more ideas and tips for linking early childhood and technology, click here, and view the KidSmart Snapshots on our website.

The Adelaide group also used Bee Bots (simple robotics for early childhood students), kindly supplied by Educational Experience. Participants explored ways to utilise the Bee Bots as an open ended resource across the curriculum – for example in imaginative story telling, in recounting familiar text and in number recognition.  The group was also given the challenge to develop a dance routine with their Bee Bots (above right), which they performed for students at the school.

Digi Kids Melbourne West Hub – second phase of training

The Digi Kids Melbourne West Hub met recently for Days 3 and 4 of their training. Their focus was to explore how technology can be integrated to improve literacy outcomes for emergent readers. Participants took on the challenge to create and design a number of digital stories, using software including Powerpoint to create interactive e-books, which personalise the author’s stories by adding their voices and sound effects as a soundtrack. This feature can be used to aid reading, to ask questions, or to give out clues for the upcoming pages.

Participants also created their first claymation, using Movie Maker. They saw for themselves how this can help develop multiliteracies. They also discovered how the associated processes – designing with story boards, and editing and re-scripting the final movie, for example – focus on the essential traditional skills required for emergent readers. To find out more, email hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au

2-day Digi Kids workshop in Perth, 7 and 8 July

ANSN and Edith Cowan University will present a 2-day Digi Kids workshop in Perth on 7 and 8 July. As described in the news items above (for the Adelaide and Melbourne Digi Kids sessions) this workshop will address the integration of technology in the primary school curriculum, using a play-based model. It will focus on hands-on activities, based around ideas and experience that came out of the KidSmart project and are now being developed further through Digi Kids. The Perth workshop will be held in Building 16 at Edith Cowan University, 2 Bradford Street. If you are very quick, it may not be too late to register – send an email now to hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au for details and a registration form. Alternatively, phone Hanan on 0407 464 472.

Bee Bot Workshop coming up in Queensland

A one-day Bee Bots workshop will be held on the Sunshine Coast on 22 July. To download a flyer, with the details and a fax-back registration form, click here. Further workshops are being scheduled for Melbourne and Sydney in the near future. For more information, email hanan.harrison@ansn.edu.au

Dimensions of Learning (DoL) workshop

On 4 June, Tina Doe presented a DoL workshop at the Little Bendigo Primary School in Ballarat, Victoria (see below, with Tina leading a session).


The principal, Karolina Kuzmich, wrote to the local media to publicise the event, explaining how the Dimensions of Learning fit with the school’s curriculum, which is designed to provide students with an understanding of their own learning processes, knowing how to learn and evaluate their achievements. She talked about how the children create, implement and evaluate their own learning goals ... and how they really enjoy this way of learning. The workshop, which included staff from Magpie Primary School as well as Little Bendigo (see below), was designed for teachers to develop their skills and understanding of how children learn, and to design programs that enable children to analyse how they acquire and use knowledge.


Karolina commented: “If children know how to learn, know how to analyse and apply what they have learnt then they are well on the road to becoming ‘Passionate intrinsic life long learners’. They will be able to use the skills that they are developing now throughout their life to continue to learn and develop in a whole range of situations, particularly as adults in the workforce.”

Feedback from the workshop has been very good, with the principal noting signs of student progress and empowerment, as their teachers apply their learning from the workshop. If your school or group of schools is interested in having Tina design and deliver a DoL workshop to match your needs, email tina.doe@ansn.edu.au

Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub starts in WA

Helen Davey reports that The WA IWB Hub has met for the first time in Rockingham. The participants bring varied levels of expertise, developed with a range of different IWBs, which makes for interesting dynamics and learning within the group. Nyree Kirby and Matthew James, from the local IWB research project were guests on the night and shared the story of their own learning process with whiteboards. Rosie McAlpine from Concept Audiovisual offered additional tech advice and support on the night. For details of how you might become involved in the WA Hub, email helen.davey@ansn.edu.au

Habits of Mind (HoM) Hub

HoM Hub members are looking forward to their Day 3 and 4 workshops, which will combine two powerful ideas: the Habits of Mind and the Wiggins and McTighe model of Backward Design. James Anderson has asked participants to bring material, plans, activities and artefacts that they have produced or collected since their previous meeting. The first session on Day 3 will be an opportunity to share and discuss this work. Most of the time during the two days will then be given to curriculum design and writing. The outcomes will be reported in future editions of ANSN E-News.

Deb Vietri joins ANSN to work on IWBs with Kate Cooper and Andrea Federico

Deborah (Deb) Vietri recently started working with Kate, Andrea and the IWB Hub members. Deb is a primary teacher with 25 years experience and has taught all grades. Now an independent consultant, she is also the author of the Essentials series (see below) – collections of units of work for the integrated curriculum, for use in Lower, Middle and Upper Primary. Each unit is accompanied by a student workbook on CD.


Deb launched the series at a Pearson Professional Learning workshop, held in Melbourne on 24 June. Congratulations to Deb on her publications, and welcome to ANSN.

Reminders of ANSN activities

The following activities have been reported in detail in previous editions of E-News.

Cognitive Coaching℠ – A series of professional learning days in July
ANSN and the Center for Cognitive Coaching℠ will present "Learning to Coach, Coaching to Learn – A series of Professional Learning Days" as follows:

    * Monday 28 July – The Art of Group Coaching
    * Tuesday 29 July – Cognitive Coaching for Educational Leaders
    * Thursday 31 July – Cognitive Coaching in the Classroom and Beyond

For further details and registration, click here.

An introduction to Protocols – September workshop

ANSN is offering a 2-day “Introduction to Protocols”, on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 September, at St Albans South PS, Lister St, St Albans, in the western suburbs of Melbourne. For further details, click here. If you are interested in participating/bringing a team of teachers, please email your expression of interest to andrea.federico@ansn.edu.au

Special events with Art Costa in November

On 12-14 November, Professor Art Costa will be in Melbourne for a 3-day workshop, “Mindfulness by Design: Leading School Change with Habits of Mind in Mind”. For further details and to register, click here. He will also co-present one-day workshops in Sydney and Brisbane, under the title “Next Steps with Habits of Mind”.  For further details of the Sydney and Brisbane sessions, click here.

Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Hub – Expressions of Interest for 2009

Andrea Federico and Kate Cooper will run invitational sessions during Term 3, for schools interested in taking part in IWB Hubs in Victoria during 2009. If you would like to be notified of these sessions, email andrea.federico@ansn.edu.au

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