Articles

$600,000 funding to enable an Australian-first telepresence robot pilot St.George Foundation and MissingSchool have announced funding of up to $600,000 over three years to enable an Australian-first telepresence robot pilot. Telepresence robots will be paced in schools to demonstrate that continuous two-way connection is possible between seriously sick children and their classrooms.

I'm available… why don’t they call me? In general, casual teachers are outstanding in the provision of excellent education at short notice. But there are exceptions, and these are the casuals that wonder why schools don’t call them again. Having been a principal in schools over 10 years, I have experienced some puzzling and interesting behaviours and attitudes from casuals… and here are a few of my favourites.

Ivanhoe Grammar School to open new University Campus at La Trobe Ivanhoe Grammar School and La Trobe University have entered into a partnership to establish a Year 9 campus to provide students with a university-school experience. The initiative will give Year 9 students an early taste of university learning

Teenagers opposed to Fitbits as a way to increase levels of activity There is an increasing use of healthy lifestyle technologies but little in-depth empirical research on their impacts on young people. Fitbits have been used in schools to tackle rising levels of obesity and sedentary behaviour yet a study published in Sport, Education and Society shows that they might have longer-term negative impacts

NESLI Wellbeing Tookit has positive effect on mental Health in schools NESLI’s Staff Wellbeing Toolkit is having a profound impact on the mental health of Australia’s schools. After doing the 5 module program schools reported a marked improvement in understanding 

Wakakirri wraps up 2017 season on a high Wakakirri 2017 has been a brilliant eight-week show season with almost 250 schools shaking and grooving their hearts out to be in the running for the National Story of the Year Award. Recurring themes were homelessness, cyber bullying, the environment, technology and friendship.

NAO is the highlight of Cunnamulla Library Situated 910 km South West of Brisbane (three-hours by plane) is the remote town of Cunnamulla. With a population of only 1865, Cunnamulla is considered a low socio-economic area. However, the town boasts a diverse and passionate community, eager to develop skills relevant for the 21st century.

$16.25m will replace asbestos-ridden building at 10 VIC schools Asbestos ridden buildings at 10 schools will be demolished and replaced with state-of-the-art modular classrooms costing $16.25 million in the VIC government's $155m School Asbestos Removal Program. The current phase includes the demolition and replacement of buildings at 30 schools. 

Everyday hinderances may force overwhelmed uni students to give up New Australian research shows accumulating everyday issues such as juggling work and study are as likely as a major event such as a death in the family to “tip the balance” for overwhelmed university students and may lead them to withdraw.

AEU urges longer timeline for submissions to Gonski review The AEU has called on State and Territory Education Ministers to reject a four-week timeline for submissions to the Gonski 2.0 review panel. The Union said: ‘This review will shape funding negotiations with States and Territories that will directly impact thousands of children in our public schools.

Submissions open for review to achieve educational excellence in Australian schools Submissions for the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools chaired by Mr David Gonski will close on Friday 13 Oct. The report and recommendations on on how school funding should be used to improve school performance and student outcomes will be submitted by March 2018.

Computer failure Australian schools have seen a huge push in recent decades to bring more computing and IT use into classrooms. Has it produced positive results? The evidence suggests that far from improving student outcomes, our focus on IT has been detrimental. This article discusses the consequences of IT on student performance, cognition and beyond the classroom. It also examines the impact IT has