Search

Across Australia, early years learning frameworks recommend digital technologies be integrated into early years centres. Introduced in 2009, the Early Years Learning Framework, requires educators to foster children's use of technologies for accessing information, investigating ideas, and representing their thinking. The National Quality Framework also encourages children to engage with digital technology for experimentation. Using a researcher created Digital Technology Activity Framework for early years centres, this study examined broad digital technology integration in a sample of Australian early years centres. Using desktop audits, interviews and observations, the study found that while digital technologies were widely embedded, there were significant opportunities evident for further promoting children's agency with devices. These findings suggest that to support children's achievement of learning outcomes with digital technologies, greater sector-wide professional learning and aligned resources in effective digital pedagogy and policy development would be valuable for both early years centre directors and educators.

While Indigenous knowledges have long recognised forests as sentient and caring societies, western sciences have only acknowledged that trees communicate, learn and care for one another in recent years. These different ways of coming to know and engage with trees as sentient agents are further complicated by the introduction of digital technologies and automated decision-making into forest ecosystems. This article considers this confluence of forest sentience and digital technologies through a "pedagogy and ethic of immanent care" as a relational framework for analysis and praxis in environmental education. The authors apply this framework to three key examples along Birrarung Marr, an ancient gathering place and urban parklands in the city of Naarm (Melbourne). These include an immersive theatre-making project exploring forest communication networks with young children; the Melbourne Urban Forest data set, which hosts digital profiles for over 70,000 trees; and the Greenline masterplan which aims to revitalise the north bank of the Birrarung over the next five years. Exploring the ethical and pedagogical contours of these examples leads to propositions for rethinking the role of environmental education in navigating the current confluence of animal, vegetal, fungal and digital life.

With the fetishisation of computer technologies in education, the older sense of technology as pertaining to skill, what the Greeks termed 'techne', seems to have slipped from view. Technology is generally equated with the object itself rather than the facility to use it. A skill such as writing, for example, is rarely considered a technology and yet it is a vital tool for communication that aids understanding. Writing is also a technology that is framed in particular ways in relation to boys and young men. With constant concerns over 'boys' literacy', it is generally viewed as a 'feminine' activity. Drawing on interviews with a group of young men -- all proficient writers reflecting on their schooling -- this article examines their perspectives on writing and broader engagement with different technologies. In particular, it considers how writing by hand can promote forms of embodied cognition and the affordances this provides.

Developing a knowledge of design and construction technology and engineering is often overlooked in favour of 'digital' technology such as tablets and computers. By taking children outdoors into nature, removing tablets and computers as well as artificial and synthetic materials and replacing them with only what nature provides, children become attuned to developing STEM knowledge through play with natural materials. This knowledge often develops through teacher support and at times by default, as children experience the constantly changing landscape of the natural environment. The development of children's understandings of 'nature's' technology and engineering provides an opportunity for further investigation of nature-based early childhood education and care settings. Through research conducted at four Australian bush kindergartens, this paper presents data from photographs, interviews and observations undertaken of twelve teachers and over one hundred and twenty children. It responds to the research question, how do early years learners develop their understanding of technology and engineering by engaging in nature-based learning? The research was undertaken using ethnography, a useful method in nature settings as the approach enables a deep understanding of how children develop their understandings of applying technology and engineering over time. The data demonstrate the benefits preschool children can gain from learning and being 'in' and 'with' nature and the important role bush kinders play in supporting children's technological and engineering literacy. Findings reveal that through their participation in bush kinder, children can develop technological and engineering knowledge.

This paper reports on a transdisciplinary approach to science with a Year 4/5 class incorporating citizen science through the Birds in Backyards project. This transdisciplinary approach created opportunities for student engagement through science, mathematics, design and technology, humanities and social sciences (HASS), arts and English, while also creating meaningful connections to nature and the local environment.

Creativity is recognised as a key facet of the suite of 21st century skills driving education worldwide. Understanding its existence outside of The Arts is vital for recognising young children's creativity. However, what constitutes creativity and what it 'looks like' is not always clear. As a result, inconsistency and lack of efficacy when educators and parents attempt to encourage the development of young children's creativity is possible. To investigate implicit theories of creativity relating to what creativity is and who is considered creative, parents and educators of four to eight-year-old children in four early learning contexts in Perth, Western Australia, were invited to complete a questionnaire. Findings suggest there may not be a strong tendency towards recognising creativity in The Arts but there may be an inclination to recognise eminent men's creativity more than women's. Additionally, there appears to be a lack of recognition of 'daring' as a creative behaviour.

In the recent Australian 2021 census, the socio-technical construct of algorithmically driven decision-making processes made LGBTQI+ data as a category of diversity, inclusion and belonging an absent presence. In this paper, we position the notion of 'data justice' in relation to the entrenchment of inequalities and exclusion of LGBTQI+ lives and consider the implications of LGBTQI+ data being missing in action. As we look at the notion of 'data justice', we consider five critical socio-technical imaginaries with different kinds of data to think through the implications of technical democracy, data justice and post-automation. Finally, we consider the imaginary of citizenship when LGBTQI+ data is habitually missing in action from systematic power integrated into forms of governance. This paper positions 'data' not as a static 'object or process' but as a dynamic ecology that carries with it a multi-faceted set of coded meanings requiring constant review and reconsideration.

Research on Artificial Intelligence, especially in the field of machine learning, has exploded in the twenty-first century. AI research in universities has long been funded by a combination of government and corporate sources. The funding of AI research in the contemporary university includes technology companies as both funders and generators of research areas. This paper looks at the links between technology companies and AI research in three areas: first, the ways in which technology companies influence both the content and practices of AI research in universities; second, how university research policies enable conditions that blur traditional boundaries between corporate and academic AI research; and third, how an ethos of 'open science', that is increasingly corporatised, moves ideas about AI from universities to companies. We conclude that technology companies influence AI research within established feedback loops in the transformed relationships between economy, society, research, and the contemporary university.

In developed countries, digital technologies are disrupting every facet of students' lives. It is no longer an option to turn off devices and disconnect from the outside world at the school gate. Educators are struggling with the number of technologies being introduced and how to safely and effectively integrate these tools in classrooms that have no boundaries. In an era where it seems that each child takes central place on the world stage; always connecting, learning, creating and sharing, it is timely to investigate the experiences of technology-rich 10-14 years old Australian students' experiences with technology in everyday life, and reflect on the persisting challenges and the new possibilities being created by the myriad choices of technological tools and their uses. The purposive selection of the participants was based on the volunteers' daily access to personal devices and frequent use of applications and various online platforms. This inductive qualitative study used concept mapping as a tool for conducting research and thematic analysis to identify and explore patterns in the data. Our findings reveal the formation of a fluid and hybrid digital rhizomatic non-hierarchical and multiplicitous network that allows students to connect, think, act, interact, access ideas and resources in ways that may assist educators in closing the gap between formal learning and informal learning whilst living in a rich technology world.

Technology use in agriculture or "AgTech" (Agricultural Technology), is rapidly changing conventional farming practices and decision-making processes. To ensure the industry can successfully harness the power of AgTech, digital skill development of workers is crucial. This can be achieved by adequate education of the future workforce, today's students. However, a key requirement for student education is to ensure teachers are aware and knowledgeable of AgTech. Teachers' perception of agriculture is also important as they are key influencers of the next generation's awareness of careers in the industry. This study explores the views of Australian "Technology Mandatory" teachers, a compulsory subject for Years 7 - 8 students containing an agriculture component, with the aim of determining their awareness and perception of AgTech. Teachers were surveyed after participation in a professional development workshop focused on livestock tracking technologies. Results found that teacher perceptions of the agricultural industry had an impact on their knowledge of AgTech on-farm. Conversely, teacher connection to the agricultural industry did not have an impact on awareness. Instead, connection to the agricultural industry was significantly associated with demographic factors including current school location and teaching experience, as well as the use of traditional media, social media and family and friends to gather information on the industry. Overall, most participants understood the importance of technology use for improving animal welfare, productivity and profitability, and environmental sustainability outcomes, and had a positive perception of the industry.

Assistive technologies have the potential to provide accessible support to people with varying needs and abilities, including older autistic adults. However, there is currently limited knowledge about how older autistic adults use technology in their daily lives, whether it is sufficient to meet their needs and whether they experience any barriers to technology use. To address these questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 autistic adults aged over 50 years. Using thematic analysis, we identified two major themes related to how older autistic adults use technology: 'Helping to Manage the External Environment' and 'Increasing Everyday Accessibility and Convenience'. Overall, participants reported experiencing a number of challenges associated with performing everyday activities and while technology was able to offer some assistance, a number of gaps still remain in meeting the support needs of this population. Based on these findings, we offer some guidelines and recommendations for technology use with this population to guide future research and practice.

Within the rough ground that is the field of education there is a complex web of ethical obligations: to prepare our students for their future work; to be ethical as educators in our conduct and teaching; to the ethical principles embedded in the contexts in which we work; and given the Southern context of this work, the ethical obligations we have to this land and its First Peoples. We put out a call to colleagues whose work has been concerned with the pedagogies of professional ethics, the ethical burdens of institutional injustice, and the application of ethical theory to education's applied fields. In the responses we received it can be seen that ethical concerns in education are broad ranging, covering terrain varying from the preparation of preservice teachers, ethics in higher education, early childhood and care, educational leadership, relational and communicative ethics. Perhaps it could also be argued that this paper demonstrates Gibbon's observation that 'Assumptions about the particularity of this time as new and ripe with opportunity to make a difference through philosophy of education are not new and there's much to learn from the persistence of wanting to imagine that they are' (in Peters et al., 2020, p. 17). However, while the field of ethics is perennially concerned with human relations and pedagogical interventions to improve these, the responses collected here show that educational ethics is far from static. Educational ethics is a field that continues to develop in response to changing contexts.

Hospitalisation can be a challenging experience for young people, including higher levels of anxiety, social isolation, and depression. In this paper we identify the possibilities of an applied theatre pilot that aimed to combine co-designed virtual reality (VR) approaches with intermedial work with young people in hospital. Within the pilot study we worked with three participants in individualised bedside workshops over a four-week period. Analysis from the pilot demonstrated the significance of the co-design process leading to greater degrees of agency for young people, and opportunities for the participants to share experiences with medical staff, carers, and siblings.

The GPS Cows Module is a co-developed, Australian resource that aims to increase the knowledge and skills of high school students in emerging agricultural technologies. It aligns with many outcomes in the New South Wales (NSW) Stage 4 Technology Mandatory Syllabus, a compulsory subject for Stage 4 students (Years 7-8), that engages students in production and design activities for agriculture, food and other technologies. GPS Cows is a complete resource that teachers can apply into their teaching program. To facilitate the knowledge, skills and confidence required to implement the module, a one-day workshop was offered to NSW teachers in 2018 and 2019. To evaluate the workshop, participants completed a survey containing open- and closed-ended questions. Additionally, classroom clickers were used throughout the workshop to gauge the development of skills, knowledge and confidence over time. Overall, the workshop was well received, with over 98% of respondents enjoying the workshop and 97% indicating that the workshop was a good use of time. Positive aspects included the activities and engagement with data analytics, the resources provided, and the clear link between agricultural technologies and the real world. Identified improvements included the time allotted for workshop activities and minor changes to the resource. In conclusion, the professional development workshops enabled teachers to successfully implement GPS Cows in their teaching program.

Engineering education for sustainable design often focuses on technical solutions with little consideration of social impact. This paper presents a case study of a project-based learning (PBL) studio course engaging engineering students in social and sustainable design practices with external clients in developing economies. The case is a review of how concepts from Socially Responsible Design (SRD), Appropriate Technology (AT) and Human-Centred Design (HCD) integrated into a pedagogical model (Locale) focusing student effort on the socio-cultural, technical, economic and environmental aspects. Drawing on data from ten years of course operation the analysis identifies three distinct variants. Re-examining all 186 design projects using a new metric based on the pedagogical model (Locale) revealed an upward trend in the socio-cultural and economic appropriateness of the solutions without any diminution of technical suitability. Thus, the paper provides a new approach for designing and evaluating PBL courses specifically focused on social and sustainable design.

This paper will provide an overview of the history of the inclusion of technology in Australian education with a focus on music education. There will be a discussion of some of the arguments for its inclusion and how these may have changed over time. Technology has always been actively present in music and its practice. However, it was through more contemporary genres of music that composers and musicians began to experiment with sound and technology. Such diverse thinking about the way technology can be used in music produced notable examples of electronic music such as, Charles Dodges "Changes" (1970) and Paul Lansky's "Six Fantasies on a Poem by Thomas Campion" (1979). The professional music industry now considers technology a valuable commodity that continues to improve the practice of music. Similarly, society has defined what is valuable in education in different ways. Standards are set by the Australian federal and state government and various educational authorities, such as the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS), to reflect what is considered valued knowledge in education. It is clear from such standards that Information and Computer Technology (ICT) is of importance. Technology has significantly changed business corporations, the industrial workforce, economic growth and the music and entertainment industries all over the world, yet only until recently; has its true impact on education been realised.

Foundation Year children are often excited about learning to read. Some 5- to 6-year-olds with well-developed literacy skills begin to read chapter books. Like older children and adults, they cannot read the whole book in one sitting. The learning experience described in the article provides an example of how the properties of materials (chemistry) can be linked to familiar technology through a focus on the simple, but functional, design of a bookmark. The bookmark creation allows children to express their creativity and engage in the creative process of design (Hathcock, Dickerson, Eckhoff & Katsioloudis, 2015). The bookmark is an example of a technological product that children may encounter or use regularly without thinking about how and what it is made of and how it works. Promoting reading and inspiring children to engage with longer books encompasses the Australian Curriculum General Capability of Literacy (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2018a). For teachers looking for STEM connections, science, technology and engineering are readily apparent with mathematics concepts -- such as measurement -- involved but not emphasized.

Students must be taught to understand the ethical issues associated with engineering and technology, which includes microethics and macroethics. This research examined the influence of cultural environment by comparing ethics-related education outcomes between educators in (1) the United States, (2) non-US Anglo, and (3) Western European countries who teach engineering students. In an increasingly globalised world where companies and projects draw from talent across countries, it is important to understand how different cultures educate future engineers about their ethical responsibilities. Survey results revealed that a majority of educators in all three groups viewed undergraduate and postgraduate education on ethics as insufficient. A higher percentage of non-US Anglo and Western European educators taught sustainability and environmental issues in their courses compared to US respondents. US educators taught codes of ethics, ethics in design, and safety more than those in Western Europe. Open-ended responses illuminated challenges and opportunities to improve ethics education.

Industry standards are used in many disciplines, including science and technology areas. To date, little research has been conducted regarding the citing of standards in scholarly publications. The aim of this study was to answer two questions: Are standards being cited in scholarly publications? And, if so, what are the characteristics of the publications citing standards? We postulated that the answer to these questions would be of use to science and engineering librarians for collection development and research assistance purposes. A cited-reference search was conducted using Web of Science Core Collection™ (WOSCC) to determine if standards are cited. Our research focused on three major standards organizations: ASTM International, the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). The study was limited to publications published from 2015-2017. The results confirmed our hypothesis that standards are cited in scholarly publications in science and technology fields. In addition, we discovered that standards were cited in publications from nearly 100 countries. Funding agency and institutional affiliation were also analyzed. The data from the study confirmed the international reach and broad utility of standards in a wide range of disciplines.

Screen media occupy an increasing role in young children's play and learning environments. This paper advances the current discussion of the changing digital lives of children, with new insights of media use in the homes of Australian families (N = 406). Parents reported their child's technology ownership, engagement with traditional and new media, joint media engagement, as well as children's preferences and quantity of media use. From 2014 to 2017, cross-sectional data were collected via media use questionnaire from families with a child 8 years of age or younger. Of all the media activities, children most frequently participated in reading (paper-based or eBooks) and watching television. Children's touchscreen use indicated a variety of choices from the "digital toy box," referring to the numerous apps available and their potential to serve as a medium for play. This data can inform policy and practice of researchers, educators and family engagement specialists and optimize early learning potential prior to formal schooling.

This paper reports on evaluation of a scheme to improve University teaching through action research over a five-year period in the science, engineering, and technology division of a large Australian dual sector University. Between 2002 to 2006 this scheme directly committed approximately A$210,000 in grants and involved over 130 teaching and other staff in sponsoring projects of up to eight months' duration, with a total of 34 projects completed. Evaluation was informed by the desire of the academic developers concerned with the scheme to engage more widely with staff in predominantly empirical disciplinary cultures, to be more accountable within a University business management paradigm, and to contribute to the scholarship of academic development. The paper provides evidence--in terms of quality, effectiveness, practicality, participation, and satisfaction--to show how this scheme enhanced the scholarship of teaching and learning in the University. The paper outlines issues encountered and further work to be done in undertaking evaluation of such a scheme. (Contains 3 tables.)

Australia's Certificates in Science for Adults (CSA) are designed for adults who left school early and/or who did not pursue science at school and who now want to improve their knowledge, understanding, and skills. The curriculum aims to advance purposes of diverse learners; provide adult students with credentials recognizing competence in science; and provide a range of education and training pathways. Issues and viewpoints that influenced it and shaped the view of science it promotes include scientific literacy and the science-technology relationship. Main emphases are that scientific questions and issues should be derived from curiosity about everyday experiences and adults should be able to read with understanding articles about science in the popular press, identify scientific issues and activities in their personal and local communities and on national and international bases, express scientifically and technologically informed opinions, think about and question the quality of scientific information, and understand scientific concepts and processes at the level needed for their everyday lives and experiences. Within each content area, these aspects of science have been identified: science inheritance, ethics, research, practical skills, and representation. The CSA has a series of modules at each of the first three levels of the Australian Qualifications Framework. The modules are Science in the Community; Exploring Science; Reading and Writing; and Numeracy and Mathematics. (YLB)

Students in grades 2 (n=27), 4 (n=37), and 6 (n=28) were asked questions about artifacts or pictures. Their explanations, which revealed their understanding of such technological concepts as material properties and stability, were classified as naive, artifact related, or not artifact related. Explanations tended to cluster in a classification at different age levels. (Contains 23 references.) (SK)

Examines some of the ways in which nature is textualized in technocultural discourses with particular reference to the incorporation of satellite-based weather monitoring and digital imaging technologies into global consumer markets of information and entertainment. Suggests that critical readings of popular media representations of weather are necessary. Contains 35 references. (JRH)