About this Strand

This year QSITE's State Conference will also include an open-ended conference strand. While key themes and questions will be provided as an initial scaffold, the content and learning will be co-constructed by the participants. It is planned that the unconference strand will be structured within the 4 key areas of:

• The Learners  
  What are our learners like? How do our students learn in formal and informal contexts?What does it mean to be a contemporary/21 C learner?
• The Tools   
  What tools can assist learning? How can I use them? What does this mean for me and my context?  
• The Pedagogy   
  Do we need to shift pedagogy/change practice? How? Why? What works?How does this play out in the classroom? What are the implications? 
• The Vision, The Guidelines, and The Future   
  What do we value about ICTs in learning? What do we 'have to' do? (curriculum developments and requirements) What do you want for your students, your practice, your school etc in the future?   

A wiki has been established at http://qsiteunconf2009.wikispaces.com/ for attendees to nominate for aspects of these conversations and to collaboratively plan the ways that the experience may unfold..

Drop-in and discuss

Participants that are wanting to explore particular issues or ideas (eg. continued discussions about the points raised in a keynote) or have an impromtu lesson in a particular tool will be encouraged to drop-in to the unconference space. Support and instructions for this process will be provided at the event.

Supported by Web 2.0 Tools

The conference, in particular this strand, will also encourage an active 'back channel' where attendees are encouraged to share thier thoughts and ideas online throughout all of the conference activities.The back channel will be supported through tools suct as twitter, coveritlive and ustream. 

Items within the conference may also be captured and live streamed to facilitate sharing and interaction beyond those directly involved at the conference.

QSITE and its members already have active presence in a variety of online networks. Joining these may assist you in preparing for practicipating during the conference.

QSITEr's Ning 

QSITE Facebook group

QSITE diigo group

LinkedIn group for QSITE Members

Follow QSITE on Twitter (and use the tag #qsite09 to discuss the conference)

More about these tools...

If you would like to assist with any aspect of this strand, please contact Amanda Rablin via email or twitter.

Draft Conference Program

Wednesday 30th September

Workshops – half day and full day.

Full day (9am – 3.30 pm)

Half day (9am – 12.00pm) OR (12.30pm – 3.30pm)

Thursday 1st October

9.00 am     Welcome 

9.20 am     Keynote Speaker – Mark Pesce 

10.20 am    Morning Tea                 

10.50 am    Session 1 

11.50 pm    Session 2 

12.50 pm    Lunch and Trade Display

1.35 pm     Session 3 

2.35 pm     Session 4

3.35 pm     Drinks and Trade Show 

7.00 pm     Dinner, QSITE Idol – Qwizdom

Friday 2nd October

9.00 am     Welcome 

9.20 am     Keynote Speaker – Richard Eden

10.20 am    Morning Tea

10.50 am    Session 5

11.50 pm    Session 6

12.50 pm    Lunch and Trade Display

1.35 pm     Session 7 

2.35 pm     Session 8

3.35 pm     Closing Activities

Once the program has been finalised a PDF version will be available for download.

Keynote Presentations

Mark Pesce

Inventor, Writer, Educator and Futurist

Mark Pesce has been exploring the forefront of emerging developments in science, technology and media for a quarter of a century and is known internationally as the inventor of VRML. From the latest trends on the Internet, to current developments in neuroeconomics, to the future of design in an energy-conscious world, Pesce is first and foremost a storyteller. The author of five books and numerous articles, Pesce has also been a panelist on the hit ABC show THE NEW INVENTORS for the last three seasons. In 2006 Pesce founded FutureSt, a Sydney media and technology consultancy which works with clients such as Telstra, Lonely Planet and SanDisk to refine products and strategies to meet their consumer and technology needs.

Dr Richard Eden

Deputy Director-General, Corporate Services, Education Queensland 

Richard is responsible for leadership in policy, investment and strategic direction for both learning and management environments as well as business transformation and educational reform made possible via automation. Since 2002, Dr Eden has been the planner, architect and deliverer of the Queensland Government's Smart Classrooms strategy. The Smart Classrooms initiative includes:

• the enterprise ICT platform across 1300 state schools in Queensland
• standardising business processes and providing common software solutions for student management, finance
• management and school management across 65,000 teachers and administrators working in those schools
• developing and providing the digital learning materials and learning management environments for modern eLearning
• ensuring the workforce is competent in digital pedagogy
• providing flexible learning spaces, both physical and virtual.

Prior to this, Richard was the Chief Information Officer responsible for the State's land ownership, water, soil, vegetation and climate data for over a decade. Richard has consulted widely across many industry sectors on automation potential, strategies and implementation, including in Asia with the Harvard Institute for International Development.

For Questions contact Alex Delaforce or John Oxley

ICT Products

Sample sessions are displayed below.

1. Interactive White Boards

Have you ever said to yourself?
Ø What is that big white board in the classroom?
Ø How could it improve the learning experience and outcomes of my students?
Ø How easy is it to use?
Ø How do I get started?
This session will help you take that first step into the world of Interactive Whiteboards and the software used to deliver lessons on them.
You will given the skills and ideas as well as inspiration to turn on the IWB and get some interactive and fun lessons in front of your students in a simple yet effective way.
Bring along your laptop and create a lesson you can use or just sit back and immerse yourself in the exciting world of interactive whiteboards.
This session is for people who are just starting out and what to get on the IWB train.
Get ready to be excited and inspired……………. 

2. ActivInspire

Most interactive whiteboard presentations focus on the 'tools', showing you all the whiz bang features of a particular software package or whiteboard - "Death by Tools' Not in this workshop!!
We'll look at how you can use your existing resources, find great lessons that others have already spent time developing (and how to make them your own). What other web based resources are teachers raving about that work so well with the IWB?
We will explore some of the ways using ActivInspire's new features can make lesson preparation faster and simpler, and more stimulating and interactive for both teachers and students. You will have the opportunity to play and share ideas. This workshop is suitable for anyone new to ActivInspire.

3.  1:1 Laptop Programs

Laptops programs are part of an international move towards personalised learning, increasing independence and self-initiated learning in stutents beyond the walls of the classroom.
Dynamic 1-to-1 is comprehensive solution that addresses the significant technology challenges associated with any 1-to-1 Learning program. It starts with an assessment of your readiness to proceed to the “Technology” stage and from there assists with Strategic planning, device selection, funding, parent and community communication, transaction processing, device support, compliance, management and a whole lot more.
With over 18 years of experience in the supply and implementation of Technology Solutions into Queensland Schools, including a number of successful 1-1 programs, David Wain from SYNERGY will explain how Dynamic 1-1 has evolved and is helping Schools realise their 1-1 program goals.

For questions or to add your presentation contact Lyn Allsop

ICT in the Early Phase

Some sample sessions from this strand are shown below:

1. Digital Learners in the Early Childhood Classroom: using Microsoft Office, the Internet, Virtual Classrooms, Blogging, Podcasting, Photostory3 and Interactive Whiteboards with 5 & 6 year olds to enhance learning.

Jodie has vast experience in utilising Information Communication Technologies not only in Early Childhood classrooms to engage children and improve student outcomes, but also in middle school classes. She holds the following formal qualifications: Bachelor of Education: Early Childhood, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, ICT Pedagogical License and ICT Certificate. Jodie is a recognised leader in relation to ICTs in her school district, regularly running professional development courses on Virtual Classrooms, Using Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom, and Early Phase Robotics: Using Bee-bots. She is currently undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Education (ICT) through Queensland University of Technology. Jodie has come from the role of classroom teacher (Preparatory Year) and is currently Head of Mentoring and Digital Pedagogy Coach at Morayfield East State School. She has been teaching in the field of Early Childhood for the past 16 years, not only as a classroom teacher, but also as a field trainer and regional manager. 

2. Using the iPod Touch in the Early Years Classroom

 Jenny Ashby has been the ICT specialist at Epsom Primary on the outskirts of Bendigo for 10 years. She has been instrumental in making sure the school uses innovative new technologies with the introduction of laptops and wireless networks back in 2000. Jenny has initiated projects including the use of iPod Nanos and the Nike Sensor sport kits for fitness (ICT Chase), podcasting local history(Living History) and 2008 & 2009 the iPodTouch Project. In 2005 Jenny was awarded her Masters Degree in Education (Information technology) from Deakin University. She has presented at Victorian State conferences ICTEV and VITTA 2007 & 2008 as well as at ITSC in Sydney in December 2007. 2009 presentations have so far been at VITTA and ACHPER. Jenny has also presented using elluminate online conferencing for the Knowedgebank, DEECD and at the DEECD Innovator's Showcase 2009, Crown Casino Mlelbourne. Using ICT in the classroom is Jenny's passion and being able to share her experiences with others is one of the greatest rewards. She produces a podcast called, "BEAUT" (not as often as she would like) "LM Bytes" a podcast with her Regional Director Ron Lake and the third podcast "RUConnected?" with Lois Smethurst a like minded colleague and travel buddy. In the day time I am a Prep/1 teacher until lunchtime (Literacy and numeracy)and then I take ICT with the whole school for the rest of the day. 2009 sees Jenny taking a break from many years of reading recovery

3. Play, Wonder and Learn - A look at fantastic ICTs for use in the Early Phase of Learning
 

For questions or to add your presentation contact  Amanda Marrinan

ICT in the Middle Phase

Sample sessions are displayed below.

1. Exploiting Technological Affordances In Middle Years Technology

Although new technology should never be allowed to determine pedagogy in the middle years of schooling, new technical systems offer
affordances that teachers can exploit. Two forms in particular: mediated communication and collaboratively constructed virtual spaces, offer some possibilities because they can be linked to firm pedagogical foundations. Mediated communication offers access to social and task-oriented networks that enable new forms of experiential learning. As well, online collaborative construction can help students learn in ways similar to communities of practice. The potential, however, is offset by the difficulty in effectively designing learning environments which must sit alongside traditional place-based classrooms. This workshop will cover a range of pedagogic designs for middle year schooling that exploit some of the new technological affordances. These will range from short-term, tactical ideas (e.g. online collaborative quizzes) to long-term strategic plans (e.g. simultaneously building technical skills in different subject areas). Some pedagogic problems can be addressed with inexpensive technologies (e.g. a web browser and a free Web 2.0 application), while others require substantial commitment of time and resources (e.g. developing a grounded professional development for middle school teachers). Examples will be used to illustrate the underlying pedagogic design principles and to stimulate discussion and debate with participants.

2. Integrating Pivot and Flash

The step from the simplicity of the animation in 'Pivot' to the complexity of 'Flash' is often seen as a stumbling block in the teaching of animation
to students. This workshop will show how students can integrate these two programs to get a pleasing end result.

3. iPods as a collaborative tool in school

How are iPod Touch and iPhones being used in schools across Australia and the World by teachers and students? Take a look at how they are being used and can be used to enhance the learning that takes place in and outside of the classroom through the use of some amazing free apps and Web 2.0 technologies.

4. Appropriate Selection of ICT and Digital Pedagogies to Enhance Higher Order Thinking Within the Whole Learning Process

 Wendy Fasso using the selection of a forefronted assessment task to distil out the processes and knowledge that underpin the task. From there unit design can be commenced, and by focussing on the information and thinking processes (aligned with the Essential Learnings – Knowledge and Understanding and Ways of Working) that support the development of the task, appropriate selection of ICT and digital pedagogies to enhance higher order thinking within the whole learning process can be undertaken.

5. Practical Ideas for integrating Digital Media in the Classroom

For questions or to add your presentation contact Paula Thomas

ICT Leadership

Below are some sample sessions from this stream:

1. The end of the Information age?

our responsibility, long term viability and sustainability

2. Multiple levels of communities of practice to enable teachers to transform their pedagogical beliefs and practices

This session will provide an overview of the research to date on a project which is focused on changing the ways teachers use ICT in their practice. The project is a collaborative between Griffith University and four Catholic Schools in the Brisbane Archdioceses. Data will be presented on children’s use of Educational Technologies in the home and current teacher beliefs that inform practice in regard to ICT in learning. The model of professional development that has been designed to transform these teachers’ practice will be presented for feedback and discussion.

3. Leading the eLearning Vision for your School

This session will share strategies that enable curriculum leaders to lead personalised professional learning to support and enhance teachers’ confidence and competence in digital pedagogy. The South Coast Digital Pedagogy Leaders Community program commenced in 2009 and aimed to form a regional community of practice where members collaborated to share and develop highly effective strategies to support localized needs and priorities, identified by participating schools. Program goals included developing capacity at a more localized level, enhancing leadership, enabling learning for all through personalising learning opportunities and meeting the individual needs of schools and staff.

4. 1-to-1 laptop program. How we (Urangan SHS) are doing it

The National Secondary Schools Computer Fund (NSSCF) has provided many schools with the opportunity to run 1-to-1 take home laptop programs for selected students using laptops purchased with money from the Federal Government. There are many things to think about in implementing such a program. At Urangan State High School, we have had over 90 such laptops going home each night since Term 1. How did we do it? What went wrong? What went right?
Dave is the IT HOD at Urangan. He will share the experience and some tips with you for getting a succesful program at your school. This session is about what we did. You can take what you like from it and adapt it for your own purposes.

5. Establishing links with global partners through social networks

In this session I will present a range of online communication tools that enable teachers and administrators to engage with like minded professionals all over the world. Free open source applications, such as Twitter, Skype and Diigo, remove barriers to communication such as cost and complexity of use. The goal of this session is to establish links with new global partners through these social networks. Participants will share how these online tools have been adapted to suit me and how they can open a world of professional dialogue for their staff from the comfort of their arm chairs. A list of resources will be provided to use on returning to school.

6. Who would have thought that kids could do that? ICT potential for the Primary School classroom

7. I want it today, so I can deliver it tomorrow

8. Educate and mobile app development

9. Informal leaders transforming digital pedagogy in schools

10. Re-definition of community of practice

For questions or to add your presentation contact Jason Zagami

School Infrastructure

Below are some sample sessions from this stream:

1. You can get there from here: Delivering on the promise of a low cost, open source, Digital Education Revolution.

Joining the Digital Education Revolution (DER) has been criticised as unsustainable but after careful consideration St Margaret Mary's College, Townsville determined to apply for DER funding and was successful. The decision was based on an ambitious and radical approach. We have enabled our Digital Education Revolution by developing a College wide wireless netbook deployment as well as replacing our standard lab model with Open Source systems.
The goal was to support staff and students in “always available” access to ICT centred learning, leveraging Open Source technologies to reduce IT expenditure and guarantee sustainability.

We outline the journey and detail the complete solution in which all our community are partners and learning is in a truly revolutionary, managed, Open Source environment.

2. Daemon Tools and "controlling exe files on USBs and the like with TrustNoExe".

This session is in two parts. Both have been tested in the EQ MOE environment.

So you have this cool music teaching program but it needs the CD in the drive all the time. No, don't make thirty copies of the CD. Use Daemon Tools to share your CD across the network. Here are all the fine details about making it work smoothly.

Your teachers bitterly resent the way that students just run games from their USB flash drives, or from their home drive. Can you stop them? Hear about all the (often expensive) options that do not work and, in detail, the free option that does (mostly) work.

3. Discussion and demonstration of the use of Open Source software in schools

The concept of Open Source was largely sparked from Educators. Users don't have to move to Linux to take advantage of it as much of it runs on Windows. Is easy to install and has an active community of people making it better.

This session consists of 4 parts:
  Using Linux terminals within MOE2 at Dalby State High School
  Using VMWARE on Linux and VM Appliances like ESVA and Dansguardian at Iona (Demo)
  Using Shorewall Firewall, openVPN, Nagios at MBC (Demo)
  A forum to address points on how to overcome inertia within systems to using Open Source solutions.

4. A 'nuts and bolts' Linux session

For Questions or to add your presentation contact Clive Gordon

Learning Technologies and e-Learning

Below are some sample sessions from this stream:

1. eLearning Pedagogies and Digital Content

2. The implication of technology on the way students construct knowledge via the multimodal platforms available to them in and out of school

3. The use of Blogs, Wikis and Forums in the secondary school environment to encourage higher order thinking and collaborative learning

4. The Library as a Digital Restaurant

5. Second Life, Exit Reality, Open Sim and virtual worlds for learning

6. Make your own Exit Reality 3D space (hands-on session)

7. Online Classes and Virtual Schooling (hands-on session). Possible commercial content.

Creating and providing online lessons for students not attending school on a regular basis. Lessons pre-recorded, and recorded live for revision, extension and use of student and adults. All students around Australia and overseas have free access to the lessons. Certification can be gained for attendance and participation and added to school records. Educating indigenous in the privacy of their homes or Community Centres to ‘catch up’ on missing education areas with a focus on Literacy –Reading, Writing and Listening. Lessons also useful for students in hospitals, those in jail or detention centres and those traveling http://activeenglishspeaking.com

8. kidZanimation

Using the PowerPoint program, students in the Early Years Classrooms create their own clip art and use these to produce animated cartoons, sometimes with dialogue and sound effects. This project is especially valuable for visual learners.
Using the PowerPoint program, students in the Early Years Classrooms create their own clip art and use these to produce animated cartoons, sometimes with dialogue and sound effects. This project is especially valuable for visual learners.
You will be amazed by the animations you will see, which have been created by Year Two and Year Four students. In this session participants will create their own.
The session assumes a simple knowledge of PowerPoint (but it is not essential).

9. Flexible Learning Toolboxes

Exposing the classroom application of a whole range of free online and other tools for collaboration and presentation in a Sharepoint CMS (Course Management System)

In my teaching of the International Baccalaureate subject ITGS I have had the chance to utilise a whole range of tools for collaboration and presentation. Most of these are embedded in a workspace provided by our primary Sharepoint CMS (Content or Course Management System).

I’ll begin with some fundamentals on CMS systems but quickly move to examples of the use of a whole range of Web 2.0 and other tools. Most of these will be online tools that are free to users and available to all. Some examples include Delicious Link rolls for bookmarks, Bubbl.us concept maps, Google maps, GoogleDoc presentations, Pixton – Web comics, WallWisher sticky note application, Etherpad, Photostory and sitepal avatars. I’ll endeavour to outline basic functionality as well as obvious pedagogy for all tools. Student examples will be shown in most cases.

10. The Classroom Applications of a CMS with embedded web tools

Exposing the classroom application of a whole range of free online and other tools for collaboration and presentation in a Sharepoint CMS (Course Management System)

In my teaching of the International Baccalaureate subject ITGS I have had the chance to utilise a whole range of tools for collaboration and presentation. Most of these are embedded in a workspace provided by our primary Sharepoint CMS (Content or Course Management System).

I’ll begin with some fundamentals on CMS systems but quickly move to examples of the use of a whole range of Web 2.0 and other tools. Most of these will be online tools that are free to users and available to all. Some examples include Delicious Link rolls for bookmarks, Bubbl.us concept maps, Google maps, GoogleDoc presentations, Pixton – Web comics, WallWisher sticky note application, Etherpad, Photostory and sitepal avatars. I’ll endeavour to outline basic functionality as well as obvious pedagogy for all tools. Student examples will be shown in most cases.

11. Virtually there: the library at your fingertips

This is an invitation to put on your "library user" hat and examine a range of basic digital tools that can ensure ubiquitous, equitable and timely access to resources for the classroom. This is a simple guide to getting started with "iGoogle" to aggregate your essential digital tools and pays tribute to your school based library services and the support they can offer in delivering customised digital content.

Join this limited workshop group as a true beginner (15 participants) and harness the time to get yourself “subscribed, started and aggregated” to iGoogle, Google Reader and delicious. You will be well on your way to having your “customised library” at your fingertips.

12. QWIZDOM - commercial content

The modern day student expects information to be at their fingertips. They interact, source information and socialise through instantaneous mediums such as mobile phones, mp3 players, YouTube, msn and video-gaming. Today's students use technology to not only entertain themselves and their peers but also to learn. How can we as teachers cater for our students need for immediate response, interaction and technology in the classroom while still improving their learning outcomes? Student Response Systems are an interactive solution designed to engage all students within a classroom (extensively used by the University of Auckland) This is your chance to experience being part of this kind of teaching environment, we will ensure 100% of our audience is involved in this session and show you in a very 'hands on' manner how beacon schools are utilising response technology in their own lessons.

*Warning- this session will be light-hearted and fun!

13. Authoring digital pedagogies and edutainment games by students – The 21st century learning technologies for the contemporary students

Educational games have obsessed a significant place in instruction and learning. However, not all the educational games are able to engage the students in learning due to differences in the geographical, cultural and linguistic barriers. Edutainment games tailored for the local environment can provide constructivist, conversational and investigative learning experiences both in the ICT and other curriculum subjects. This paper will be presented on how the authoring of digital pedagogies and edutainment games could contribute to the development of contemporary learning technologies for the 21st century.

14. Learning Management System and/or 21st Century Learning

For questions or to add your presentation for the Learning Technologies/e-Learning contact Kym Coleman

ICT in the Curriculum – Stories from the Classroom 

Below are some sample sessions from this great stream:

1. Scratch Introduction and Application Throughout the School

The presentation about Scratch will highlight its history, website, attributes, uses in the classroom, example projects and links to the Key Learning Areas. You can't match Scratch for fun and creativity.

2. Examples of Teacher ePortfolios in ICT Accreditation

Nadine White, Alison Lunnon and Kristen Garrett, pre-service teachers specialising in ICT and Pedagogy at Griffith University, will share their innovative use of Scratch, Blogs and stopmotion animation in their practicums as knowledge construction tools. Professional eportfolios with evidence for the Digital Pedagogy Licence will be displayed

3. Supporting teachers and curriculum with eXperts

4. Digital Storytelling How To

Digital Storytelling works to enhance any and all strands and levels of curriculum. Some examples include - documentaries, how-to tutorials, short stories, history accounts, poetry displays and mathematics reports. This session will give you the basic 'How To' to plan and execute a successful digital storytelling project.

5. Web 2.0 in the year 4 to 7 classroom

6. Using Forums in Humanities and SOSE - examples of different forum methods and guidelines for success

7. Games Enhancing Educational Practice

Practical ideas and ways to incorporate games into teaching practice (various KLAs) in the middle school is the session’s focus.

Game templates can be used to revise content in numerous areas quickly and effectively.
Learning objects are powerful concise ways to engage students meaningfully.
Scratch is great free programming software that can be used to capture the imagination of students (awareness and basics).
An example of games in practice will be briefly overviewed - how lower secondary ICT students have developed educational games with Scratch (programming software – freeware).
Resources available for classroom modification and use at the conclusion of the session.

 8. Authoring digital pedagogies and edutainment games by students a classroom success story from a Queensland State High School

Educational games have obsessed a significant place in instruction and learning. However, not all the educational games are able to engage the students in learning due to differences in the geographical, cultural and linguistic barriers. Students can be engaged in authoring edutainment games tailored for the local environment that can provide constructivist, conversational and investigative learning experiences both in the ICT and other curriculum subjects. This paper will be presented on how the authoring of digital pedagogies and edutainment games has contributed to the student learning in one of the Queensland State High Schools

9. Supporting Teachers and Curriculum with eXperts

For questions or to add your presentation contact Alex Delaforce