Day 2 – Tue 22 Sep 2026

8:00

Registration

Tea and Coffee available

All attendees to sign in for 2nd day and wear lanyard at all times.

Registration and Exhibitors

8:40

Welcome and Housekeeping

Keynotes

8:50

Keynote – Rob McTaggart

Finding Our Way: AI, Agency and the Future of Learning

As AI becomes increasingly capable, the challenge for education goes well beyond learning how to prompt a chatbot or use the latest tool. What does AI literacy actually look like when students need to judge what to trust, recognise when they are being influenced, make decisions in the face of uncertainty, and work out when technology is helping them think, create and learn — and when it might be doing too much of that work for them?

Drawing on stories, books, technology and experiences from across education, Rob McTaggart explores the capabilities young people will need to navigate pathways we cannot neatly predict: curiosity, discernment, creativity, adaptability, technical understanding and, above all, agency.

The keynote will also bring some of these ideas to life through practical demonstrations of what is now possible with AI PCs, including generative AI and local AI workloads running directly on the device. Rather than technology for technology’s sake, these examples open up a bigger question for educators: as the capacity of our tools grows, how do we make sure the capability of the people using them grows with it?

Bio: Rob McTaggart is the Education Lead for Australia and New Zealand at Intel Corporation, where he works with schools, education systems and industry partners to explore how emerging technologies can transform teaching and learning. Prior to joining Intel, Rob spent several years with the NSW Department of Education, leading innovation initiatives and serving as Product Manager for the STEM Learning Library, a platform that supported more than 1.2 million visits from educators and students across New South Wales. He was recognised as NSW Digital Leader of the Year for his contribution to digital innovation in education and is also the co-founder of Slam Education, an organisation dedicated to improving teaching and learning outcomes through technology and innovation. A sought-after speaker and education advocate, Rob is passionate about helping educators prepare students for an increasingly digital and AI-powered future.

Keynotes

9:40

Keynote – Rachel Purdy

Exploring the ThinkUKnow Resources and Emerging Online Safety Trends

This presentation explores how the Australian Federal Police’s ThinkUKnow program develops evidence-based educational resources in response to emerging online safety trends identified through reports to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE). Informed by real case studies and current research, these age-appropriate resources support prevention and response education for children and young people. Aligned with Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum and developed with input from experts in law enforcement, child development, and education, the presentation will examine the research, partnerships, and processes that inform their design and delivery.

Bio: Rachel Purdy is a Senior Prevention Officer within the Australian Federal Police’s Online Child Safety team. With a background in early childhood and primary education, she works alongside other subject matter experts to develop education materials for children, parents, carers and teachers with the aim to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

Keynotes

10:30 – 10:55

Morning Tea & Trade Show

Make sure you visit and chat with exhibitors to discover their products and resources.

Try out the Mindflight7 Experience

See registration to enter Little Sun prize draw.

Registration and Exhibitors

11:00

Designing Micro:bit Lessons for Girls in Years 7–8

Presenter: Catherine Newington

This presentation explores a two-term partnership with an all-girls school to create and deliver two Micro:bit units for Year 7 and 8 students. We will unpack the design process from initial planning through to classroom implementation, highlighting curriculum connections, pedagogical decisions, and student engagement strategies. Through honest reflection, we will discuss what worked particularly well and identify opportunities for improvement in future iterations. Attendees will receive all lesson plans, presentations, and teaching resources, enabling them to confidently implement or adapt the units in their own classrooms.

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection

Bio: Catherine Newington is the Leader of the Schools Program at the Australian Computer Society (ACS). She leads national initiatives that support schools in implementing the Digital Technologies curriculum. Catherine works with educators across Australia to build confidence in teaching Digital Technologies Curriculum. With more than 20 years of experience in education, she is passionate about creating practical, curriculum-aligned resources and professional learning opportunities that empower teachers and engage students. Catherine also lectures at Monash University, supporting pre-service teachers to develop confidence and pedagogical approaches for teaching technology in the classroom.

Room: 1

11:00

THE QUT IT Accelerator: Uplifting IT in high schools through university connected resources

Presenter: Prof. Alistair Barros and Dr Ranesh Naha

Keeping high school IT curricula current is challenging due to the rapid evolution of the discipline. Recent years have seen massive disruptions in IT through AI, while once-niche areas like cybersecurity are now foundational to digital literacy. Exposing university-level IT teaching to high schools can bridge this gap. This strategy supports high schools to access to state-of-the-art materials developed by leading researchers, which complements and helps evolve standard school curricula. It can bridge the gap between standard areas of IT taught in high schools (like software coding) with emerging fields (like generative and agentic AI) and crucial industry practices (such as process automation and enterprise computing). Finally, universities can leverage their extensive professional networks to better connect high schools with industry leaders.

Participant requirements: no special requirements

Bio: Prof. Alistair Barros is Head of School and Discipline Leader of Enterprise Computing at QUT School of Information Systems. He has a PhD from the University of Queensland and his career spans both academia and major industry roles, including Global Research Leader at SAP AG. His research focuses on the automation, distribution, and optimization of enterprise applications in cloud-to-edge computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) settings. His research and commercial projects have involved service industries like banking and the public sector as well as complex cyber-physical domains, including construction, manufacturing, and smart power grids.

Bio: Dr Ranesh Naha is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Systems at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He currently serves as senior lecturer at QUT. He is also the Academic Lead (International and Engagement) and Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) First Year Coordinator. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Information Technology. Dr Naha has extensive experience supervising undergraduate, honours, master’s, and doctoral students and leading multidisciplinary research collaborations. Through his research leadership, engagement, and collaborations, he continues to bridge the gap between theoretical innovation and practical deployment of intelligent distributed systems.

Room: 2

11:00

Experience AI (Session 2): Process and Accountability

Note: This is a two-hour workshop.

Presenter: Suzanne Carter 

Experience AI is an educational program that offers cutting-edge resources on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for teachers and students from Years 5 to 10. Help students learn how to understand, question and evaluate AI. This second of a two- part series looks at “How is AI built and is it safe to release?”
Building on session 1, we move from basic concepts to the practical application of the AI project lifecycle. This session is designed to equip teachers with technical knowledge and classroom ready resources to support students to understand, question and evaluate AI systems. All resources are aligned with Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies and Mathematics as well as Digital Literacy capability. Participants will:
• explore the six critical stages of a project lifecycle from defining a problem to testing a model
• practise framing real-world problems through user stories
• explore confidence thresholds and model cards
• apply FATPS principles including privacy and security implications
Participants receive a certification of completion for 6 hours aligned to AISL Standards when sessions 1 and 2 are completed.

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection

Bio: Sue Carter has worked in NT Education for 40 years. Her extensive experience includes early years and primary school teaching, PE specialist, teacher librarian and technologies specialist. Sue has always had a passion for technology in the classroom and has worked in various office-based positions managing NT wide projects.
In 2016, Sue took up a role as Project Officer in Digital Technologies for CSER – Computer Science Education Research team of the Adelaide University and in 2021 in the Maths in Schools project. She has presented practical workshops at conferences across Queensland and Northern Territory and delivered national online presentations.

Room: 3

12:00

Unpacking Cyber Security: MFA, Privacy and Digital Footprints Explained

Presenter: Catherine Newington

This hands-on workshop explores key cyber privacy and security concepts from the secondary Digital Technologies curriculum, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), system vulnerabilities, digital footprints, and the Australian Privacy Principles. Through engaging activities, participants will experience how to make complex ideas about data protection, identity security and privacy law accessible to students. This presentation is designed not only as a professional learning experience, but also as a set of ready-to-use teaching materials that can be directly adapted for classroom delivery.

Participant requirements: No special requirements

Bio: Catherine Newington is the Leader of the Schools Program at the Australian Computer Society (ACS). She leads national initiatives that support schools in implementing the Digital Technologies curriculum. Catherine works with educators across Australia to build confidence in teaching Digital Technologies Curriculum. With more than 20 years of experience in education, she is passionate about creating practical, curriculum-aligned resources and professional learning opportunities that empower teachers and engage students. Catherine also lectures at Monash University, supporting pre-service teachers to develop confidence and pedagogical approaches for teaching technology in the classroom.

Room: 1

12:00

Vibe coding in Digital Solutions

Presenter: Richard Kelly

For a Digital Solutions IA2, we might ask students to generate a database from a dataset and a front end for the user to interact with the database. This rudimentary prototype component of a digital solution can be vibe coded using AI in a few minutes. This workshop will demonstrate the use of Claude to vibe code solutions far above the abilities of my students, and my own, and discuss how we are dealing with the use of AI in coding. Do you allow the use of AI in Digital Solutions? Does your school have a policy? Does the QCAA? Are we teaching valuable skills to our students in Digital Solutions or are we preparing them for a world where humans no longer code? Did I even write this description of the workshop or did I prompt an AI agent and walk away?

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection;  free access to Claude AI

Bio: Richard Kelly has been teaching IPT and Digital Solutions for 25 years in Education Queensland schools. He is Head of Department Digital, Industrial and Aerospace Technologies at Toowoomba State High School and the QSITE Toowoomba chapter chair. Richard has a passion for coding and has used PHP and MySQL with his students for decades. Richard was awarded QSITE Emerging Leader of the Year in 2007, QSITE Outstanding Leader of the Year in 2019 and Australian Council for Computers in Education / Australian Computer Society Leader of the Year in 2021.

Room: 2

12:00

Experience AI (Session 2): Process and Accountability (continued)

Note: This is a two-hour workshop that commences at 11.00am

Presenter: Suzanne Carter 

Experience AI is an educational program that offers cutting-edge resources on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for teachers and students from Years 5 to 10. Help students learn how to understand, question and evaluate AI. This second of a two- part series looks at “How is AI built and is it safe to release?”
Building on session 1, we move from basic concepts to the practical application of the AI project lifecycle. This session is designed to equip teachers with technical knowledge and classroom ready resources to support students to understand, question and evaluate AI systems. All resources are aligned with Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies and Mathematics as well as Digital Literacy capability. Participants will:
• explore the six critical stages of a project lifecycle from defining a problem to testing a model
• practise framing real-world problems through user stories
• explore confidence thresholds and model cards
• apply FATPS principles including privacy and security implications
Participants receive a certification of completion for 6 hours aligned to AISL Standards when sessions 1 and 2 are completed.

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection

Bio: Sue Carter has worked in NT Education for 40 years. Her extensive experience includes early years and primary school teaching, PE specialist, teacher librarian and technologies specialist. Sue has always had a passion for technology in the classroom and has worked in various office-based positions managing NT wide projects.
In 2016, Sue took up a role as Project Officer in Digital Technologies for CSER – Computer Science Education Research team of the Adelaide University and in 2021 in the Maths in Schools project. She has presented practical workshops at conferences across Queensland and Northern Territory and delivered national online presentations.

Room: 3

1:00 – 1:40

Lunch & Trade Show

Make sure you visit and chat with exhibitors to discover their products and resources.

Try out the Mindflight7 Experience

See registration to enter Little Sun prize draw.

Registration and Exhibitors

1:45

Implementing a Digital Technologies Curriculum for Years 7–8

Presenter: Tina Swindells

This presentation will showcase how to design and implement a Digital Technologies curriculum for Years 7–8 that is practical, accessible, and resource-friendly. The focus is on creating a curriculum that:
• Does not rely on specialist hardware or software
• Is achievable without the need for the elusive “unicorn” – an experienced Digital Technologies teacher
• Aligns with the Australian Curriculum (ACARA) Version 9.
You will be guided through:
• A comprehensive two-year band plan
• A clear and adaptable unit structure, and
• Recommendations for free and easily accessible online software
This approach is designed to support schools with limited resources or without specialist Digital Technologies teachers, ensuring all students can engage meaningfully with the curriculum.

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection; access to the ACARA website and Makecode

Bio: Tina Swindells is an educator and IT professional with a diverse and extensive background. She holds a Bachelor of Information Technology, majoring in System Services, and gained 20 years of experience working across all areas of the IT industry, in Australia and internationally. After returning from international projects, Tina earned a Graduate Diploma of Education, specialising in Digital Technologies and Mathematics. Over the past 12 years, she has been teaching in schools across the Metro North and North Coast Regions.
A passionate advocate for curriculum development, Tina has taught Digital Technologies Years 7–10 and Digital Solutions. Her commitment to professional growth and collaboration is shown through her involvement in QSITE North Coast professional development days, where she has shared her knowledge and supported other educators in the field. Based on the Sunshine Coast for family, I have taught at various schools from Strathpine to Noosa.

Room: 1

1:45

Reducing Teacher Burnout via Comparative Judgment and a Feedback App

Presenter: Daniel Leary 

Grading formative and summative writing assessments is a leading driver of teacher burnout, yet immediate feedback is vital for student growth. This 1-hour, hands-on workshop introduces an alternative marking solution to traditional, labour-intensive, and often subjective rubrics by utilising an “organic” version of comparative judgement. It challenges traditional thinking by showing educators how to work smarter, not harder. By leveraging machines to eliminate repetitive administrative tasks, this approach reduces the feedback burden while ensuring more accurate moderation across schools and year groups.

Participants will interact with a custom web app – developed in part through my role as a JCU Founder-in-Residence – that links a school’s marking rubric directly to a localised writing cline (growth continuum). The tool instantly identifies targets within a student’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), providing the timely feedback needed to “bump up” their writing to the next level. Instead of marking in isolation, teachers will learn how to moderate assessments collectively as a team, using the process to spark rich pedagogical dialogue and develop their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). This true “Human + Machine” workflow slashes marking time while elevating feedback quality, allowing educators to retain absolute pedagogical control.

Participant requirements: No special requirements

Bio: Dan Leary is an accomplished educator with nearly 20 years of global experience in leadership and curriculum development. Currently serving as Primary Curriculum Coordinator at Freshwater Christian College and a Founder-in-Residence at James Cook University, Dan specialises in driving whole-school writing growth through comparative judgement and data-informed feedback. Recognising the need for improved feedback loops, he founded WriteZone, an application designed to provide students with timely, actionable next steps in their writing development. Holding a Master of Education (Learning & Leadership), he spearheaded a P-12 literacy framework across diverse international contexts. As a creator of educational content on YouTube, Dan shares resources on writing development, dedicated to elevating teaching standards and enhancing student outcomes through innovative, inquiry-based and explicit practices.

Room: 2

1:45

Connecting Digital Technologies, Maths and English

Presenter: Suzanne Carter 

This dynamic session reveals practical, high-impact activities that spark deep, meaningful learning without adding to your workload. Drawn from CSER’s free DT + X online course, primary teachers will see the connections that will allow for meaningful and deep learning in a busy classroom. Dive into real-world projects where students build digital solutions for sustainability, invent fresh ways to showcase visual art, and revolutionise storytelling. Beyond the lesson plans, discover ways you can connect Digital Technologies with Maths and English to inspire learning in the classroom.

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection

Bio: Sue Carter has worked in NT Education for 40 years. Her extensive experience includes early years and primary school teaching, PE specialist, teacher librarian and technologies specialist. Sue has always had a passion for technology in the classroom and has worked in various office-based positions managing NT wide projects.
In 2016, Sue took up a role as Project Officer in Digital Technologies for CSER – Computer Science Education Research team of the Adelaide University and in 2021 in the Maths in Schools project. She has presented practical workshops at conferences across Queensland and Northern Territory and delivered national online presentations.

Room: 3

2:45

Beyond the Screen: Where Immersive Technology Meets Real Pathways

Presenter: Mark Honnibal 

Most classroom conversations about intelligent tools right now are screen based. This session looks at the other half of the story, immersive technology that gives students real world exposure to careers and skills before they ever choose a subject line. We will run a short live VR demonstration using safety and trade based content such as forklift simulation and hazard recognition, so the room sees direct curriculum and career relevance rather than a novelty headset moment. From there we walk through how this maps onto Digital Technologies, Digital Solutions and Pathways curriculum points, using a real case study from a recent Griffith University partnership where students tried an unfamiliar STEM career and took home a personalised pathway card. Teachers will leave with a clear picture of two ways to start, a simple one day incursion for a class or year level, or a longer term XR lab for schools ready to embed this across faculties. The session is aimed at ICT leaders and classroom teachers who want a practical, low risk way to bring experiential learning into an already full timetable.

Participant requirements: no special requirments

Bio: Mark Honnibal is Queensland Operations Lead at Mindflight7, where he brings a background in game development and interactive design to immersive learning experiences. He works closely with schools to integrate VR into the classroom, with a focus on practical delivery, engaging content and measurable learning outcomes. Mark plays a key role in shaping how Mindflight7 supports teachers to bring hands-on, curriculum aligned VR experiences into their schools.

Room: 1

2:45

Reimagining Digital Solutions: Queensland Senior Computing Teachers’ Priorities for Curriculum Change

Presenter: Dr Jason Zagami

If you could redesign Queensland’s Digital Solutions curriculum, what would you keep, change or introduce?
Bring your classroom experience to this fast-paced, participatory workshop for senior computing teachers. Compare how other schools are navigating the syllabus, surface shared curriculum and assessment challenges, and turn those experiences into practical proposals for change. Working individually and in small groups, participants will identify what should be retained, clarified, reduced, strengthened or added, then develop and anonymously prioritise a collective reform agenda.
You will leave with fresh perspectives, practical ideas and a clear picture of where teachers agree—and where important differences remain. With ethics approval and informed consent, de-identified workshop contributions will also inform an exploratory research paper on teachers’ priorities for the future of Digital Solutions.

Participant requirements: Laptop/iPad with an internet connection

Bio: Dr Jason Zagami is an academic at Griffith University whose research examines education, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence. He works with teachers, schools, and professional associations to connect emerging technologies with curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and teacher learning. His current research explores generative AI in schools, epistemic agency, student choice, AI literacy, and the longer-term effects of personalised educational systems. He has extensive experience in computer education and teacher professional learning across primary, secondary, and tertiary contexts. His work emphasises practical, ethical, and evidence-informed approaches that preserve human judgement while supporting thoughtful educational innovation and collaborative professional inquiry across schools.

Room: 2

2:45

Adobe Express for Education

Presenter: Isabel Grisales  (presentation in link below)

Teaching Creativity – Creative Teaching

• Powered by Adobe’s creative technology
• Uses templates, fonts, images, and design tools
• Helps users turn ideas into content quickly
• Works across web and mobile
• Supports creativity for everyone, not just designers

Participant requirements: Laptop with an internet connection and log on to Adobe Express

Bio: Isabel Grisales is the National Education Industry Development Manager at Data#3, working with schools and education organisations across Australia to drive innovation and meaningful learning outcomes through technology. With extensive experience in education technology and software solutions, Isabel regularly delivers workshops and hands-on sessions that help educators and students explore tools like Adobe Express, unlock their creativity, and bring ideas to life through digital storytelling and design. Her passion lies in making technology accessible, practical, and inspiring for every learner.

Room: 3

3:45

Conference Close

Little Sun Prize Draws

Note: You must be present at the drawing to accept the prize.

Keynotes