TasLearnNewsArchive

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Archive for July 2017

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COMMUNITY COMPUTER LITERACY
Tassie ranks last
The Examiner, 31 Jul 2017
Coding in schoolsTelstra's Australian Digital Inclusion Index has given Tasmania the lowest score of all the states and territories, sparking a call  by TasICT chief executive Will Kestin for the teaching of coding in schools..

Bullet Measuring Australia's Digital Divide [pdf]
Bullet Labor's Innovation and ICT Industry Advisory Council a public-private partnership, Madeleine Ogilvie, Opposition spokesperson on the digital economy, TasLabor website, 2 Aug 2017

STUDENTS AND SOCIETY
What Matters? awards announced
Tas Govt media release, 31 Jul 2017
IssuesThe results of the What Matters? essay competition have been announced by Elise Archer, Speaker of the House of Assembly. The winners and runners-up come from the following schools:
- Princes Street Primary
- South Hobart Primary
-.Ogilvie High
- Reece High
- Queechy High
- Huonville High
- Hobart College
- Hellyer College
..

Les Murray (Image: ABC)SPORT
Les Murray dies
ABC News, 31 Jul 2017
Soccer commentator and host Les Murray, who started with SBS as a Hungarian subtitle writer, has died at the age of 71...

TasTAFETasTAFE
New board member
Tas Govt media release, 29 Jul 2017
Former general manager Aaron Devine has been appointed to the TasTAFE board of directors...

TasTAFETasTAFE
TasTAFE to rebuild trust
ABC News, 27 Jul 2017
Following an expenses scandal and sharp drops in student enrolments and courses completed, TasTAFE is undergoing a clean-up and staff retraining...

FUTURE TRENDS
Current education system not equipping students for the future
ABC News, 27 Jul 2017
The New Work Smarts (FYA)For today's students to have the skills they need for work in 2030 the education system must change, according to the Foundation for Young Australians' New Work Smarts report.
It says there should be more emphasis on:
Bullet STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths)
Bullet human interaction
Bullet creative thinking and problem solving
Bullet self-management and entrepreneurial skills
Bullet lifelong learning

...

Bullet FYA media release
BulletThe New Work Smarts report, July 2017 [pdf]

EDUCATION ACT
Term-time holiday crackdown
ABC News, 26 Jul 2017
Tas GovtThe new Tasmanian Education Act makes it harder for parents to take their children on family holidays during the school term...

Bullet Clarification on term-time holidays, Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training, 26 Jun 2017
Bullet Can you take your child out of school for a holiday?, ABC News, 26 Jun 2017

FEDERAL POLITICS
And now a Cabinet Minister resigns over citizenship
ABC News, 25 Jul 2017
Matt Canavan (Image: ABC)Nationals senator and Minister for Resources Matt Canavan has resigned from the ministry but not the Senate until a High Court ruling is obtained over his mother having obtained dual Italian citizenship for him without his apparent knowledge or consent...

STUDENT OPINION
First Q&A student show
ABC News, 24 Jul 2017
Q&A (ABC)
The ABC's first Q&A program using high school panellists and a student audience focused on unemployment and suicide...

STUDENT BEHAVIOUR
Surge in primary teacher attacks
The Telegraph (UK), 20 Jul 2017
UK flagA massive jump of 75 per cent over four years in the number of British primary school students expelled for attacking their teachers has been attributed to the rise in students' "rights", the loss of experienced teachers, poor teacher training and disengagement of students due to a narrowing curriculum and a focus on exams...

WEATHER ALERT
Icy roads continue
BoM website, 23 Jul 2017
Skidding car upturnedIce on Tasmanian roads is forecast for tonight and tomorrow (Monday) morning...

Bullet Road closures: see Tas Police community alerts
Bullet BoM warnings page

ARCHAEOLOGY
Australia's human history 65,000 years old
The Conversation (opinion by Joanne Orlando), 20 Jul 2017
Archaeologists (Image: The Conversation)
Having paid special attention to accuracy, researchers today published findings that Aboriginals first set foot in Australia 65,000 years ago. This research confirms that areas between Africa and Australia must have been settled more than 65,000 years ago...

Child and deviceCOMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Embracing the benefits of social media
The Conversation (opinion by Joanne Orlando), 20 Jul 2017
Parents can work with their children to exploit the learning and social benefits of social media, a researcher says...

Bullet Children's screen time not the evil we think, stuff.co.nz, 20 Jul 2017

Larissa Waters (Image: ABC)FEDERAL POLITICS
Now Senator Waters resigns over citizenship
ABC News, 18 Jul 2017
Greens senator Larissa Waters has resigned after realising she had not renounced her Canadian dual citizenship...

Peter Dutton (Image: ABC)FEDERAL POLITICS
Super ministry announced
ABC News, 18 Jul 2017
The federal government will combine ASIO, the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and some other security-related agencies into Home Affairs, a super ministry to be headed by immigration minister Peter Dutton...

LITERACY
Spoken word benefits
The Conversation (opinion by Signy Wegener and Anne Castles), 17 Jul 2017
LiteracyModern eye-tracking technology has helped researchers find that the number of words young children know orally helps them enhance their reading skills...

EDUCATION IN TASMANIA
School reform opportunity
The Examiner, 16 Jul 2017
TasmaniaRaising retention and educational opportunity are among the educational aims Tasmanians are well-placed to pursue, Mainland education expert Professor Bob Lingard says...

STUDENT SUPPORT
Northern Support School's adequacy questioned
The Examiner, 16 Jul 2017
Northern TasmaniaThe refurbishment of Ravenswood's Northern Support School is unsafe and inadequate, Labor's education spokesperson Michelle OByrne and the Tasmanian Disability Education Reform Lobby say...

Bullet Special needs school upgrade bungled, Michelle O'Byrne, Opposition education spokesperson, 14 Jul 2017
Bullet DoE working with school and stakeholders, The Examiner, 17 Jul 2017
Bullet How did refurbishment go so horribly wrong?, Michelle O'Byrne, Opposition education spokesperson, 24 Jul 2017

FEDERAL POLITICS
Senator Ludlam resigns
ABC News, 14 Jul 2017
Scott Ludlam (Image: ABC)Greens senator Scott Ludlam has resigned on realising his dual citizenship with New Zealand had made him ineligible to be elected...

COMPUTING
LoRa internet challenge for schools
Tas Govt media release, 14 Jul 2017
SmartphoneSchools are encouraged to enter the LoRa Schools Challenge which requires students to prepare a presentation of an internet idea using a statewide Internet of Things, information technology minister Michael Ferguson said today...

 

LOWER STARTING AGE
Fears over childcare centre leases
The Examiner, 13 Jul 2017
Early learningThe state government has moved to allay fears that some privately run childcare centres located at schools might lose their leases in order to make room for the coming increase in early childhood school enrolments ...

Bullet Childcare centres face closure, Michelle O'Byrne, Opposition education spokesperson, 12 Jul 2017

NUMERACY
Encouraging numeracy in young children
The Conversation (opinion by Sivanes Phillipson and Ann Gervasoni), 12 Jul 2017
NumeracyTwo academics put forward eleven games and activities that parents can use to enhance their children's numeracy skills...

EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Thoughtless school merger decision reversed
stuff.co.nz, 11 Jul 2017
New Zealand flagJust as traumatised Christchurch children and parents were trying to rebuild their lives after the 2011 earthquake, the New Zealand Ministry of Education announced without consultation that it would undertake a school merger...

LITERACY
Encouraging literacy in young children
The Conversation, 11 Jul 2017
LiteracyThere are several ways parents can engage with young children in order to support their acquisition of literacy skills as they get older ...

EDUCATION ACT
New Education Act operates from today
Tas Govt media release, 10 Jul 2017
Tasmaniam GovernmentThe new state Education Act commenced today. It covers the management of student behaviour, student attendance, the number of years of compulsory schooling, home schooling and students with a disability. For more details, and a list of elements that come into force in future years, see the DoE's Education Act web page...

Bullet DoE Education Act web page

HealthSTUDENT HEALTH AND WELLBEING
District nurses next
Tas Govt media release, 7 Jul 2017
The state government is extending its school nurses program to 27 district schools...

Bullet More nurses for regional schools, The Examiner, 7 Jul 2017

REPORTING TO PARENTS
Compulsory parent-teacher meetings?
The Examiner, 7 Jul 2017
Northern TasmaniaAn Exeter High School parent has criticised the school on social media for requiring parents to attend a parent-teacher meeting to receive their children's mid-year reports, but the Education Department says parents who are unable to attend can still receive the reports...

LABOR EDUCATION POLICIES
School costs review among Labor policies
TasLabor website, 4 Jul 2017
Michelle O'ByrneState Labor's conference in George Town endorsed all of Labor's education policies, Deputy Opposition leader and education spokesperson Michelle O'Byrne says. These include:
Square bullet strongly supporting access to public education
Square bullet rejecting the Government's plan to lower the school starting age
Square bullet restoring Pathway Planners
Square bullet reviewing school costs and fees imposed on families
...

TasTAFE
TasTAFE auditor appointed
Tas Govt media release, 4 Jul 2017
TasTAFEAccounting firm Wise, Lord and Ferguson has been appointed to investigate and report on the appropriateness of certain elements of staffing, staff remuneration and staff expenditure at TasTAFE, education minister Jeremy Rockliff said today...

Bullet Majority Labor government would provide system overhaul and involve business, Michelle O'Byrne, Opposition education spokesperson, 4 Jul 2017
Bullet
Misconduct in public office should be a crime in Tas, Andrea Dawkins, Tas Greens education spokesperson, 5 Jul 2017
Bullet Taxpayers to bear the $450,000 cost of TasTAFE audit, Josh Willie, Opposition skills and training spokesperson, 10 Jul 2017

VET
Why has VET trust declined?
The Conversation (opinion by Peter Hurley), 3 Jul 2017
VETAustralia's VET (Vocational Education and Training) sector has suffered from corruption and exploitation. It is essential that legitimacy is restored to its certification system, a researcher writes...

NAIDOC WEEK
Cultural activities spark interest
ABC News, 3 Jul 2017
Aboriginal flagAn Aboriginal history lesson at Austins Ferry Primary School using the resource From Gumnuts to Buttons has left students wanting to know more about their culture...

STUDENT HEALTH
Meningococcal W vaccine for 15-19yo's
Tas Govt media release, 3 Jul 2017
HealthA rollout of free Meningococcal vaccine for teenagers aged 15-19 years will begin with students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 in Term 3 this year , minister for health Michael Ferguson said today. The four-antigen vaccine will protect against the W, A, C and Y strains...


ABC
School suspensions debate
TONIGHT
Mon 3 July 2017
ABC Lateline 10.40pm
RELATED: Does suspending students change their behaviour? (ABC News, 3 Jul 2017)

 

 

 

 

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