magazine.T4L Issue26

magazine ISSUE 26 | TERM 1 | 2024

Beginning Teacher Tech Guide 2024

Get online

Access platforms and tools Power up your classroom with tech

Contents Director’s welcome ..............................................................3

Contributors

Getting started FAQs ..........................................................4 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Getting online ........................................................................5 The portal and my essentials...........................................6 Microsoft 365 ........................................................................8

Linda Lazenby EDITOR Yvette Poshoglian DESIGNER Aditi Verma

Google Workspace............................................................. 10 Canva for education .......................................................... 12 Adobe Creative Cloud....................................................... 14 T4L resources ......................................................................15

About magazine.T4L This magazine is produced by Technology 4 Learning (T4L) at the Information Technology Directorate with the NSW Department of

Find your tribe! .................................................................... 16

Education. This magazine is created on the lands of

Video conferencing ........................................................... 17

Thanks to Alex from Buninyong Public School for

the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

being our cover star

Your learning journey........................................................18 Explore T4L Kids magazine............................................ 19 stem.T4L resources .......................................................... 20 Accessibility in the classroom ...................................... 21 Start your teaching adventure with tech! ............... 22

ar do

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Stay safe online T4L’s top five cybersafety tips .... 24

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Director’s welcome Welcome to the NSW Department of Education. Congratulations on beginning your teaching journey in a New South Wales public school.

Technology 4 Learning, or ‘T4L’ for short, is your gateway to technology in the department. Our team is part of the Information Technology Directorate (ITD).

We’ve developed this guide with beginning teachers in mind (and we’ve all been there!) to help connect you with all the platforms and tools at your fingertips. Magazine.T4L publishes once a term and is your handy guide to tech news, resources and great ideas for your classroom.

Add us to your tribe and bookmark us online – we’re here to support you!

Linda Lazenby Director, Digital Teaching and Learning

Beginning teacher feature Meet Alex from Buninyong Public School, Dubbo How long have you been teaching at Buninyong?

How do you integrate tech into your teaching and learning with Year 4?

I’ve been teaching for three years, but I’ve been at

I’ve tried to use ICT whenever I can inside the classroom,

Buninyong for a long time and have gone through every

whether it’s PowerPoint, some Smartboard work or the

sort of role here.

kids using their own devices for writing. In the world we live in today, there’s technology everywhere around these kids, we need to learn to use tech efficiently. I’m a paper

Has it been a whole school approach?

Who have you leaned on?

and pen guy so it was tricky for me to go through and look at aspects of my teaching when planning – and to look at where I can use ICT.

We all use Teams and OneNote instead of having paper around. Starting out, I’d go to the expert teachers that have been in the field for years and pick their brains, but I also chat with the fresh teachers as well to share ideas – we’re always talking.

What’s your advice to beginning teachers?

Don’t be scared to give something a try. The worst thing you do as a teacher is never try something. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

3

Getting started FAQs Getting online quickly is crucial to a successful start. Here are some commonly asked questions among beginning teachers.

What is my department User ID? Your department User ID is your unique identifier to access all platforms and tools in the NSW Department of Education. Your user ID is the same as your department email address and is in the following form: firstname.lastname@det.nsw.edu.au

Help! I’ve forgotten my password!

You will be prompted to change your password each term. Changing your password is easy and can be done on your mobile device. If you forget your password, follow these instructions or contact EDConnect on 1300 32 32 32 if you need further support.

I can’t connect to my school’s Wi-Fi. Some websites that I want to use in my lessons are blocked. What should I do?

Watch this video to learn more about connecting to school

The department filters it’s internet

Wi-Fi. There are also

service so you might find that

guides to getting

some websites you wish to

online for school (T4L) devices and BYO devices.

use in your teaching and learning will be blocked for students. Use the web filter checker to explore your options.

My computer isn’t working.

Chat with your school’s ICT coordinator. Make them your best friend!

How do I install apps or extensions on my school device?

Check in with your ICT coordinator. If you’re a Windows user, you can request specific programs for school use from the Software Catalogue. They can also help you manage iPads using the JAMF system.

Don’t forget to check with your school’s ICT coordinator for assistance with joining school wi-fi, or any questions you have about your computer.

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If you’re using a Chromebook, you’ll need Googledelegated admin rights.

Safe, responsible use in your classroom While the department has formal policies around the responsible use of technology in the classroom, have a general conversation with your class about using it responsibly and safely.

Your students know the school rules – it’s no different online.

Getting online

Navigating the staff portal

Navigating your staff email

The staff portal is your home base –from here you can

All department staff use Microsoft Outlook. You can find

access tools, resources and essential services. Edit and

the email address and contact details of all staff members

customise your portal dashboard so that your favourite apps

in the Global Address Book in Outlook or through the staff

appear in your my essentials at the top. Watch this resource.

directory on the staff portal. Watch this resource.

What kind of device do you have?

Connecting your personal devices

If you’re working with a Chromebook, DELL laptop,

Each school determines whether staff are allowed to bring

Macbook or a computer you’re not familiar with, make sure

their own device(s) to school. If your school allows it, this

you check out T4L’s device guides to get you started.

advice will help you connect your device to the department’s Wi-Fi service and network. Watch this resource.

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The portal and my essentials This menu on the left is your management tool. From here you can manage your contact details and also access the department’s app store and add new tools to your essentials.

Watch a walk-through video on how to navigate the portal.

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Use the pencil to remove or rearrange your essentials.

Your favourite apps can be added to your essentials so you can easily find them at the top of your portal.

The student portal experience is different. Watch these videos on how to support them to navigate this space.

K-2

3-6

7-12 7

Microsoft 365 Did you know that teachers have access to all Office 365 tools like Word, OneNote, PowerPoint, Excel and Teams? Use OneDrive cloud to save your files, each user has up to 1TB of storage space. Work online in browser mode or save the apps to your device.

How do I access Microsoft 365?

You can access Microsoft 365 through the portal. Add it to your my essentials bar at the top.

Great starter resources for teaching with Microsoft 365 tools The T4L Microsoft 365 page is your one-stop shop to explore video resources on using these tools.

Excel Everyone knows the power of a good spreadsheet – but why don’t you take it to the Watch this video to learn how to find it in your portal.

I am confident in using Microsoft Suite products like PowerPoint, Excel and find them incredibly helpful for developing classroom resources or analysing data. As a school we’ve all moved on to Teams and are learning how to best utilise it. In addition to this we are all programming on OneNote and saving our work in OneDrive.

next step with your students using T4L Kids?

Take the challenge to improve sports and fitness performances by plotting data using Excel.

PowerPoint PowerPoint is a perennial presenting tool but it’s recently been amped up with AI features like Presenter Coach.

Get your students’ (and your own!) presentations to their best level

Louisa, Digital Classroom Officer, Buninyong Public School 8

with PowerPoint.

Word

OneNote

You can engage directly with

Is your school working with

students working in Word, or

OneNote? OneNote is a digital note-taking app

set collaborative tasks

that provides a single place for keeping all of

with students around

your notes, research, plans, and information —

writing. Why don’t

everything you need to remember and manage

you try one of Jackie

in your life at home, at work, or at school.

French’s writing

Watch our T4L resources here.

challenges from Everyone’s an Author?

OneDrive

Minecraft Education It is a fabulous teaching tool

Your school might be saving to the OneDrive cloud. For more info on working and saving in the Cloud, watch our T4L resources.

across KLAs. Check out how to get Minecraft up and running on your classroom devices, then make sure you explore some of our T4L learning resources to guide you through design challenges and so

ISSUE 14 — TERM

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learning technology 4

kids ISSUE 4 — TERM

3, 2023

technology 4 lea

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Design an airport of in the future in Minecraft!

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THE MINEC

Is it Sustainable? is it Connected?

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RAFT DE

Design a sp SIGN ISSUE ace for your comm unity!

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Google Workspace Google Workspace is available for all teachers and includes plenty of cloud storage in Google Drive. You can access and use Workspace apps such as Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets and Forms among many others. While staff use Outlook for email, students use Gmail.

Great starter resources for teaching with Google tools The T4L Google resources page is your one-stop

How do I access Google Workspace?

shop to explore video resources on using these tools.

Google Classroom

You can access Google Workspace through the portal. Access to Google Workspace uses your department Google account which is in the following format: firstname.lastname@education.nsw.gov.au

Don’t forget that you can easily integrate both Google and non-Google documents into Google Classroom. Google Classroom is a virtual classroom that lets you communicate with students, set tasks and give feedback.

Watch this video to learn how to find it in your portal.

Google Sites Getting students to build a Google Site is a great way to demonstrate their learning. In this T4L Kids challenge they are tasked with creating a sports newsletter/ website for their school sports results.

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Google Drive

Numbers and Sheets Get students

Google drive lets you store,

working creatively with data

organise and share

to build an infographic or

your files, photos,

techn

a report for their class or

videos etc. These

kids ISSUE

6 — TE

RM 4,

2021

ology 4 learn DY N A ing M IC D ATA

school. Take a look at the

files can then be

Dynamic Data edition of

accessed easily

T4L Kids for inspiration.

on any internet connected device.

Let yo ur desig n tell a stor y!

Docs and Slides Let students collaborate on scripts and presentations using these essential tools. Take some of these ideas from the Food and Farming edition of T4L Kids and create a class cookbook!

Challenge 4 Create a class cookbook

What’s cooking?

Create an ebook with recipes, pictures and stories

Create and publish your own class recipe collection!

Create a cookbook, launch a foodfocused podcast, or build a recipe site. Collect stories from your family and gather the stories behind the food that you love most.

Gather stories by interviewing, recording or transcribing recipes from family or community members.

With your team, decide who is going to do each job and what you will produce (see What’s cooking above).

Launch a podcast series with recipes, interviews and soundbites

Kylie’s tips write down a basic framework of your new recipe

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measure every ingredient document each step

carefully

of prep and cook

illustrators?

Could you record some audio for a podcast or create a cooking playlist?

3. Plate it up and Design and publish a digital cookbook. Use Canva, Sway or Pages to gather and present your recipe.

Will you include all meals such as entrees, mains and desserts?

Will you test cook the food before you publish the recipe?

Tip: take photos and grab personal advice from the cooks in your life!

Are you using any food from your kitchen/schoo l or community garden?

n

Which countries do your class recipes come from? Create a Jamboard of countries or drop pins on Google Maps and build a global picture of your class!

Build a cookbook team and assign jobs - writer, photographe r, website builder, podcaster etc.

r or

Produce a short film series shot in your home kitchen (See Diva’s amazing home cooking video on page 11!)

Food for thought

2. Kids in the kitche

Do you need a photographe

Write and share a weekly food newsletter

How will you gather the information? Will you interview your family members or people in your local community?

My mother taught me how to cook at 5!

Being of Chinese heritage, food and family is at the centre of all that we do. I never wrote down recipes until I started writing cookbooks.

1. Hunt and gather Will your class collection contain simply recipes, or include interviews with family chefs, or stories about where the recipes come from?

Will you have pictures?

Get busy in the kitchen!

dish it out Build a Google Site and collect everything from photos, recipes and interviews - why don’t you open it up for submissions from other classes or the wider community?

Create a food blog or vlog (video blog) and document your recipe gathering processes and showcase your cooking!

Spread the joy!

KITCHEN DIVA! Launch your cookbook at a community morning tea

Showcase your creation at grandparents’ day

10-year-old Diva

from Sydney

LOVES to cook!

Watch her make yummy fried rice and get tips on making your own cooking show!

Hold a food fair and cook the food for your friends!

Is there a ‘hero’ ingredient?

Are you using any indigenous foods in your cooking?

Print copies of your digital cookbook for the school library!

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11

Canva for education

Try Magic Feature for some AI magic — don’t reinvent the wheel.

All department staff have access to Canva for Education, a premium edition for educators in NSW public schools. You can search for customised education resources and templates. Students can only access Canva documents which you share with them directly.

How do I access Canva for Education?

Find the Canva app in your portal and add it to your essentials.

Watch this video here on how to log in and view your resources in the Team Switcher.

Your projects sit in your own space under your school’s name

Discov the Mar the O

Watch a walk-through video on how to navigate the portal.

Create engaging lessons with pitch decks, infographics, reports and even record video presentations. The sky’s the limit!

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Wha can t

Simply search for whatever educational template you desire!

Check out the new features including the Education Library for lots of great ideas.

Create bulk certificates for your class.

vering rvels of Ocean

s imal at an ind in uf n yo ean? oc the

Your profile sits under your school(s) name

uge is a h r te cean An o f saltwa rt o pa a are a big ring h. rt a cove eE of th

even ns are s!

Ocea than sea r e bigg

fish

Jelly

Jellyfish are gelatinous, transparent creatures that float in the water.

Some jellyfish in the deep ocean can even glow in the dark!

Certificate of achievement AWARDED TO: ement f achiev o e t a ic : Certif of AW nt Certificate achievement AR DE D TO hieveme AWARDED TO: te of ac a ic if : t r TO For showing excellence in reading and writing D Ce AW AR DE

TAYLOR DAVIES AVIES D R O L Y A T TAYLOR DAVIES IES TAYLOR DAV g and writin in reading excellence For showing For showing excellence in reading and writing g DANIEL GALLEGO RACHELLE BEAUDRY and writin in reading Teacher Principal excellence For showing

DR Y LE BE AU RA CH EL Principal LLE GO DA NIE L GA DANIEL GALLEGO RACHELLE BEAUDRY Teacher DR Y LE BE AU Teacher Principal RA CH EL Principal LLE GO DA NIE L GA Teacher

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Stay safe online T4L’s top five cybersafety tips

1 Protect your login information

2 Use strong passwords or passphrases Once a term, you’ll be prompted to change

Don’t share your login with colleagues or

your password through the Staff Portal. If you

students. Your username and password are

forget your password, you can reset it yourself

unique to you and should be protected.

or call EDConnect on 1300 32 32 32.

3 Be aware of phishing scams

4 Safe browsing online

Phishing emails may contain suspicious links.

The department blocks out unsafe or non-

Do you know the sender? What are they asking

educational websites but if you’re planning to

you to do? If an offer sounds too good to be

use a particular site in your teaching, you can

true, it probably is! Click Report Message and

check out the web filter intranet page for more

select Phishing in Outlook.

information. You can also request a review of website content from the web filter team.

5

Join our cybersafety initiative Join the department’s Cybermarvel initiative with events in February

Complete your mandatory training

and October of each year. There are webinars and on-demand lessons from cyber experts to boost yours

The mandatory Cyber Security Essentials training will improve your awareness of how cyberattacks and phishing scams work.

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and your students’ cyber awareness.

T4L resources

Everyone’s an Author

The Student Filmmaker

Need some inspiration for your budding authors and

This self-paced course with interactive video modules

illustrators? Ten top Aussie authors share their secrets

introduces students to key skills and concepts of film

of storytelling in this 10-part video series, which includes

production. You don’t need any special equipment to make

downloadable learning journals with lesson ideas.

films, just your school’s devices.

The Student Podcaster

T4L’s website

Explore these video modules with your students as you

The T4L website is your one-stop shop for student

explore all aspects of podcasting, from script-building to

resources including bite-size tech videos exploring some of

the technical side of production and publication.

the most popular tools, as well as virtual excursions linked to the ‘Science and Technology’ syllabus.

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Find your tribe!

Get started with these Viva groups: Technology in Education T4L News for Schools ICT Support

Statewide staffrooms

T4L Teams community

Statewide staffrooms are

Join a techy teaching community

This is the department’s

online communities connecting

and share ideas about how to

professional networking platform

curriculum and specialist

embed tech in your teaching and

(formerly Yammer). Connect with

teams with fellow teachers.

learning. Whether you’re building

colleagues in your teaching area,

Come together with colleagues

your digital classroom, looking

join groups you’re passionate about

across the state in this collegial

for hot tips or just want to share

and share teaching resources

and collaborative space – ask

ideas, this is the place to be.

with colleagues. Get started by

questions, share resources,

Newbies and experts welcome!

searching for groups that interest

and find information. The online

Viva Engage

you, ask questions and join the

staffrooms deliver curriculum

Join the T4L Teams community

conversation. There’s also a weekly

updates and personalised,

today.

show called Viva Engage Hotspots

accurate and curriculum-aligned

which delivers the latest tech news

content. It’s a giant brains trust

and features interviews with techy

with over 50K members – join one

teachers across the state.

as soon as you can!

Join the Viva Engage conversation.

Join a statewide staffroom.

16

Video conferencing Microsoft Teams is one of the easiest ways to set up a meeting online with colleagues, parents and students. Need a refresher on using Teams? Head to the T4L resources page which comes with videos on how to start online meetings with both colleagues and students.

Google Calendar bookings and Google Meet

Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft bookings

Create appointment schedules using Google Calendar.

If you use Microsoft Outlook, utilise the calendar and the

Simply jump into Google Workspace through the Portal and

bookings system to organise your approach to busy meeting

use the calendar to start the process.

periods. There are options to set up virtual meetings through

Customise the length of your appointments and set your start/finish times.

Offer virtual appointments through Google Meet.

Schedule effectively for one day or have them recur each week and watch as your calendar automatically

Teams or in person with parents or colleagues.

Set custom lengths and set bookable hours to schedule effectively.

Build in buffer time to let you gather your thoughts.

Schedule effectively against your existing calendar.

builds around your existing commitments.

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Your learning journey

MyPL

Digital PDPs

MyPL (My Professional Learning) is the department’s

The performance and development process supports

home of professional learning and mandatory training.

the ongoing growth of a skilled, effective and

On you first school development days, you will likely

professional workforce. The Digital PDP guides you

complete online modules together with colleagues, such

through the annual performance and development

as Child Protection Awareness Training, Anaphylaxis

cycle, and provides helpful links and tips along the

and more. Take a beginner course to get acquainted

way. Find the Digital PDP icon in my essentials and

with MyPL.

speak to your supervisor about getting started.

Find MyPL on the portal

Learn more about the digital PDP process here.

Enrol in a Beginners Guide to MyPL

Watch the instructional video here

Your next techy steps!

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Level up your Google

Boost your Canva

Learn more about

Connect with other Apple

goodness at the Google

creativity at the Canva

Microsoft tools at

educators in the Apple

Teacher Centre.

Design School.

Microsoft Learn.

Education Community.

Explore T4L Kids magazine T4L Kids is your go-to resource for the classroom. With a new issue published each term, and all back issues available, there are hundreds of exciting ideas, interviews and challenges for students to dig into, all while building their tech skills.

kids

T4L Kids is a

ISSUE 15 TERM 4 2023

ning r a e l 4 logy techno e dogs?

fun magazine for Stages 3-4.

skills in tech tools available to students.

Designed to embed technology into teaching and learning.

Each issue contains creative and collaborative

notes with lesson ideas linked to curriculum.

Lov Start a ing dog-walk ! business

Each challenge supports building

Each issue is linked to teachers’

6

tech tools to power up your business

Each issue is developed using the department’s

Create a budget

Build n your ow business

design thinking framework.

It contains crosscurricular challenges for students.

challenges around a theme.

Features interviews with experts for real-life

Meet the ra Bangadir Barbers

It can be used as

and Underst tomer your cus

an independent learning resource or as part of your

solutions!

programming.

There are 14 back issues covering sport, animals, food and farming and much more!

kids

ISSUE 14 — TERM 3, 2023

technology 4 learning

Design an airport of the future in in Minecraft!

kids

technology 4 learning

kids

technology 4 learning

ISSUE 8 — TERM 1, 2022

Build a fitness app

Call a match

Connecting with Is it Sustainable? is it Connected?

community

kids

ISSUE 10 — TERM 3, 2022

ISSUE 12 TERM 1 2023

technology 4 learning

Take the transport app challenge!

Improve your performance

accessible Design a sports uniform

stralian Me et Champion Au cer wheelchair ra Ma dis on de Ro za rio

safe

Design and build an app that makes transport easy for all!

easy

Artwork created by Suzanna, a student from Boggabilla Central School on Gamilaraay Country. It represents themes of community, school, friendship and family.

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stem.T4L resources Did you know you can book a stem.T4L kit for your school? There are a variety of kits available for you to book, covering everything from virtual reality (VR), 3D printing, 360° cameras to the aeroponics kit (growing a garden with air!).

3D Printing Kit

360o Camera Kit

Coding Kit

Filming Kit

Tablet Robotics Kit

Inventor Robotics Kit

Microcontroller Kit

Aeroponics Kit

Virtual Reality Kit

Junior Explorer Kit

NEW KITS COMING IN 2024 In 2024, there will be even more kits available to schools. Coming in Term 1 is the Device Experience kit, a kit developed in response to schools trialing a greater ratio of devices in their classrooms before buying. In Term 1, the iPad and notebook versions of the kit will be released (available now for booking) and in Term 2, the Chromebook and MacBook versions will be added (will be available for booking in Term 1). Each stem.T4L kit comes with instructional videos, a huge range of classroom learning ideas and all can be found on the stem.T4L Learning Library.

Explore the research behind the kits and their impact on the classroom.

Book a stem.T4L kit

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Check out the Learning Library

Accessibility in the classroom There are plenty of online tools to support the different learning needs of students in your classrooms. Here are some great tools to get you started that you might not have known about.

Microsoft Immersive Reader

Google Workspace

Immersive Reader is a tool to support

You can boost your

reading and literacy in the classroom.

accessibility in Google

This digital tool can assist with decoding

tools to support your

texts and help emerging readers build

classroom.

confidence.

Learn more about inclusive classrooms with Microsoft tools.

Microsoft Math Assistant

Apple Accessibility

This tool supports students with

Boost your Apple devices with their

learning differences

accessibility tips and inbuilt features.

in Mathematics,

With seeing, hearing and speech

by using some of

accessibility features, you can explore

the principles in

how to enhance your devices and your

Immersive Reader.

output using Apple tools.

Learn more about Math Assistant here.

I have students with differing learning needs and we’ve used technology to develop their writing skills. Using something simple like voice notes, they can record their sentence and drop it into a document, then read it back. A small, successful win in the classroom!

Louisa, Digital Classroom Officer, Buninyong Public School 21

Start your teaching adventure Design and HSIE

History

Food Technology

Plan an airport precinct and build

Create a timeline of your school’s

Compile a class cookbook of

a community

history using a Canva template.

favourite recipes in Canva

kids

ISSUE 14 —

in Minecraft Edcuation. Map it to a real-world challenge

TERM 3, 2023

and share it with

technology 4 lea

Design an airport of the future in in Minecraft!

rning

your school.

at Western Sydney Airport.

Is it Sustaina ble? is it Connect ed?

English

Science

Mathematics

Create a fiction podcast with a new

Grow a garden with air, book an

Learn how to tell us a

episode each week with the Student

aeroponics kit from stem.T4L.

story with data .

Connect with Community

PDHPE

Commerce

Set a steps challenge for your

Develop your students’

Build connections to Country at

class by charting data and setting

enterpreneurial

goals in Excel

skills with the

– try our

challenges

student

in the Build

challenge

your business

in T4L Kids

edition in T4L

Sports Issue.

Kids.

Podcaster module.

your school and explore how to build a digital Acknowledgement for your school in this special edition of T4L Kids.

technolo

6

ISSUE 15 TERM 4 2023

Love do gs?

Start a dog-walk ing busines s!

tech tools to powe r up your busines s

Build your own business Meet th e Bangadirr a Barbers

22

kids

gy 4 lear ning

Create a budget

Understa nd your cu stomer

with tech!

Digital Technologies ISSUE 10

kids

Design and prototype an app that can

logy 4

techno

be used in the

2, 2022

g learnin

Languages

Build a soundscape or put

Create a list of cultures and

your poetry to music using

languages in your classroom

GarageBand.

using Google Jamboard.

Take The App Transporte!

Challeng

ort for NSW

Credit: Transp

real world!

— TERM

Music

ble

Accessi ort for NSW

Credit: Transp

e Saf

and build Design kes that ma an app all! easy for transport

t Fas

Science

Top tip

Bring scientific data

Check out Staff Noticeboard

Use Presenter Coach inside

to life by creating

for all the latest Professional

Microsoft PowerPoint to build

an infographic

Learning

students’ presentation skills

Drama

Library

English

Record a performance for parents

Learn some awesome writing tips

Write and publish

and the community to watch

from author and illustrator

your own picture

anywhere by making a video with

Matt Cosgrove in

book using Canva.

the Student Filmmaker

Everyone’s

Assembly

in Canva.

an Author.

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