I have received one of two awards: the Barbara Cail STEM Fellowship. The Fellowships are funded through the Australian Government, in partnership with the Chief Executive Women (CEW) and the Office for Women within the Commonwealth Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Only two awards are awarded nationally for this Fellowship scheme. Ms Sarah Chapman, a prize-winning Science educator from Townsville is the second recipient.

As Fellows, we will undertake research into best practice for promoting the participation of young people, particularly girls, in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics during their education and their eventual career. The program will support an agreed research study into the practices of other OECD countries that better inform young people (school age cohort) about the importance of STEM literacy for the jobs of the future and the significantly enhanced career opportunities for STEM literate people. The research will address how industry communicates its workforce needs for the future to young people and also to the key influencers of young people, namely parents, teachers and vocational counsellors.

For this Fellowship, I will be undertaking a series of trips across NZ, the US, the UK and Europe to talk with world leading experts on how to engage young people in STEM and particularly Technology fields, with a particular focus on gender diversity. The research will be published as a final report and key findings will be used to shape STEM education and engagement in Australia.

Keep an eye out on this blog and my Twitter Feed (@RebeccaVivian #CEWstem) as I post about my travels. My research journey will start in New Zealand for a week, and then my around the world trip will start at the end of September.

Associate Professor Katrina Falkner and I were invited to attend Science Meets Parliament on behalf of the Australian Council of Deans of ICT (ACDICT) this year. 

​The 2016 Science Meets Parliament event brought together over 200 leading and emerging scientists into the heart of Australian parliament in Canberra on the 1st and 2nd of March. Over two days, scientists heard from guest speakers, including ex-Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb and newly appointed Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel, along with Australian Ministers, leading scientists, policy developers and media and communications gurus, to learn about how important science research is to Australia economically, politically and socially to develop fundamental skills and processes involved in being able to translate science to politicians, media and the public.

The 16th annual Science Meets Parliament coincided with the Federal Government’s recently announced National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA), which places science and innovation at the heart of the nation’s strategy for economic growth and competitiveness. This agenda was an overarching theme over the two-day event with discussions revolving around the role leading and emerging scientists may play in this agenda moving forward. Scientists were encouraged to develop their science communication skills to become more adept to science communication, but it was also identified that politicians need to have a greater understanding of science, and some of this will emerge through strengthened relationships and communication.

Day one was hosted at the Hotel Realm and the theme focused on building professional development in communications and policy development processes. Delegates heard from experienced policy advisers, journalists, analysts and parliamentarians on how to engage with the media, politicians and the policymaking process. Further, scientists engaged in an interactive session, hosted by Science Communication experts at ANU, about pitching science to politicians in less than 60 seconds. At the end of the day, scientists joined some of Australia’s parliamentary figures at the Gala Dinner held at Parliament House.

At the Gala dinner, Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Christopher Pyne the Federal Government’s goals and plans for the and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten addressed the audience with a proposed counter-speech highlighting support for NISA, yet communicating a need for NISA to be underpinned by research and include pure research to complement innovation.

On day two, Science Meets Parliament was hosted at Parliament House, where scientists met with their delegated politicians and had the opportunity to observe Question Time in the house of Representatives or the Senate. At lunch delegates travelled to the National Press Club for lunch, where the nation’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, made a live address to a sold-out audience about the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for Australian Science and Innovation and his role as Chief Scientist. We also had an opportunity to hear from ex-Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb, where he reflected on his experience and role and the future of Australia’s research strategy.

We met with the Honorable Karen Andrews MP, Assistant Minister for Science, along with two other delegates working in STEM education. Ms Andrews has a keen interest in STEM education and in encouraging youth, and particularly females, to consider Science and Technology careers. Ms Andrews was interested to learn about the various programmes by the delegates and in particular Ms Andrews was interested in learning about why youth interest in STEM wanes in years 5-8 and how the Government could help. 

​Over the two days delegates heard about NISA’s specific funding to support startups, collaboration between industry and research and efforts to increase women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)  and education in STEM from the very first years of school. This year had a political flavour around the topic – with the Federal Government highlighting benefits, potential output and relevance to research scientists and the Opposition challenging and critiquing NISA to ensure it aligns with a national strategic priority in Science. However, there was support from all parties that there is a need to put science and innovation on the stage, and to continue this important conversation.

With a strong industry presence from sponsors, CEOs and representatives put a strong foothold in the important role that scientists have and can contribute to Australia’s science and innovation agenda and the important role that we have as scientists to communicate our research to politicians and the wider public. 

The full program can be found 2016 on the Science and Technology Australia website and you can follow past commentary and photos from delegates and speakers on Twitter with the hashtag #smp2016.

It was such an amazing and insightful experience. Thank you to ACDICT for inviting us to attend!

A/Prof Katrina Falkner and I recently undertook an analysis and review of available Computer Science resources suitable for the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies. 

In our review, we found a predominance of quality resources that were appropriately contextualised and maintained high integrity and overall accuracy in their support for the Computer Science discipline. We found that certain categories of content descriptors, such as the development of algorithms and programming content knowledge, and support for safe collaboration in online environments, were well supported. For many of these existing resources, supplementary materials may be developed to align the resources with the Australian Curriculum and support classroom implementation in Australian F-12 contexts.

However, we identified gaps in the support available for Computer Science resources within the Australian Curriculum: Technologies, in which we recommend the development of additional resources that complement those that are currently available. The set of recommendations in this report may provide guidance and points to consider for those developing resources for the Australian Curriculum: Technologies.

The full report can be accessed via The Department of Education and Training website.
A full journal paper version of the report has been expanded on in Computer Science Education. 

Recently, in parliament question time, our Australian Prime Minister said this:

"Let’s just understand exactly what the Leader of the Opposition has asked. He said that he wants primary school kids to be taught coding so they can get the jobs of the future. Does he want to send them all out to work at the age of 11? Is that what he wants to do? Seriously? Seriously?" 
Tony Abbott, 27th May 2015.

The misconceptions:

- learning to code doesn't just involve programming
- learning to code doesn't mean you need to have a career as a programmer
- learning to code in schools isn't about making children work-force ready at 11 years old

So, what is learning to code about?
In the early years it means having a focus on the development of algorithmic and computational thinking skills. This includes following and describing instructions, problem solving, and logical sequencing. As students progress through the year levels, they start to learn how to create solutions with visual programming and, in the later years, use general-purpose programming.

Here's 8 reasons (although there are many more) as to why coding in Australian schools is important:

1. Computing is a booming industry & we don't have enough Australian graduates
Despite the IT industry, software and hardware, exploding in recent years, graduate numbers dwindle in Australia. Digital technologies and associated industries represent 16% of the Australian GDP and are recognised as having the fastest growth. Yet, we don't have the students to fill the jobs!

With the uncertainty around the mining industry, we need to start investing in Australia's economic future by harnessing this global market. Australia is in a great position to produce and export the world's leading hardware and software. The introduction of coding curriculum into primary schools is a step in the right direction toward engaging Australian students early to consider computing pathways, particularly females who are significantly underrepresented in the field. 

2. Other countries are already doing it
England, Finland, New Zealand and many other countries are already introducing or are preparing to introduce computing curricula into schools. This is a global movement and we need to ensure Australian students are prepared and skilled to participate in jobs of the future - on a level playing field.

3. Coding is for everyone & every profession
What do I mean by this? As our world becomes increasingly digitised - software and hardware are increasingly relevant to and present in many jobs today. Coding is about understanding the underpinnings of the technology we use. This is relevant to all careers as disciplines - from medicine, to science, to health and fitness, to education, economics and business. By understanding how technology works and how coding works - one can be involved in the process of developing technology in their career. Coding can be used as a "tool". You can create an application that might store information more efficiently, or that might perform a more efficient way of doing the same repetitive task. This video below is a great example of scientists using code to program robots to perform a task more efficiently - allowing them to focus on the Science! 

Imagine if everyone in Australia was taught to code and could use the skill of coding in their professions? How would you use code to make your job easier?

4. It's about creating awareness & engaging students
Just as the Prime Minister has been mistaken about what coding in schools means for our children and their future; coding needs to be in schools to open the eyes of children, parents and society.

Researchers recommend STEM gender gap interventions are best served by designing educational environments that will engage children in STEM-relevant activities, from the very early years of school. Early exposure to coding can help to engage children, particularly seriously underrepresented groups, such as females, who disengage in STEM fields from an early age.

5. Coding in school is about Computational Thinking & creating solutions
In primary schools, the focus is on developing algorithmic and computational thinking skills. It's about having fun, creating digital solutions and solving problems. Research has shown, computing lends itself extremely well to other F-6 areas, particularly literacy and mathematics and allows for fundamental skill development in these areas. With code, children might create animated movies about a classroom story, navigate a robot on a rescue mission, make a game that teaches a subject or use code to manipulate and present data in interesting ways. Just as children write stories in English, or solve problems with Mathematics, coding is the new skill for the future. Further. through creating in code, young children are practicing reading and spelling, as well as mathematics.

Learning how to code is empowering. Students can learn how to be creators, not just users of technology. Particularly for women - it's important that females are engaged an interested as we need women to have a voice and a role in the technologies of the future! I particularly love the voices of young females in this video and what coding means for them.

6. There are so many possible jobs in computing
There are SO many possible careers with code involved. There are cross-disciplinary roles or there are many professions within computing - such as User Interface Designers, Defence software development, research, the creation of technologies for all different purposes and needs, project management, visual technologies... the list could go on! 

But if you need any more convincing, flick through the pages of the Careers with Code guide... 

7. It's not necessarily about jobs, now, but it will impact on jobs in the future
Just as we aren't teaching mathematics in schools to produce engineers at the age of eleven, or teaching science in schools to produce eleven-year-old biologists, coding is about fundamental concept and skill development and providing a holistic learning experience. Coding is a modern skill - applicable and relevant to a whole host of domains. Once students are introduced to computational thinking and the power of harnessing code as a tool - they will never look at the world the same again!  

But hey, young kids might want to be creators at a young age. There are some children doing amazing things. I'll leave you here with a video about a young boy who learned how to code so that he could create an affordable braille printer...

8. Kids want to learn it!
Children all over the world are signing up to out-of-school clubs or going to camps just to learn to code. Just have a look at all the Code Clubs popping up all over the globe.

I have received emails from the amazing people who to volunteer out of their own time to run code clubs in their local communities who say that they have had to turn down children because they don't have the resources or enough places to include them in code clubs! Young children are curious and they want to learn how to code so that they can create things.

If we had coding in schools, every student wouldn't have to miss out on an opportunity to learn to code. 

I'll leave you here with a letter that was written to a Code Club organiser from a young girl wanting to join the code club. Could you imagine having to turn her down? Imagine this kind of passion extending into classroom learning experiences with code....

A new F-10 Digital Technologies curriculum is fundamental for Australia's future.

It aims to prepare children to participate in our increasingly digital world by equipping them with the skills they need; not just to become competent consumers of technology, but to design and create our shared technological future. This comes at a time when digital technologies and associated industries represent 16% of the Australian GDP and are recognised as having the fastest growth. The proposed curriculum is a crucial step in the right direction toward engaging Australian students to consider computing pathways, particularly females who are significantly underrepresented in the field.

The curriculum focuses on developing algorithmic and computational thinking skills, gradually building toward the use of visual programming and, in the later years, general-purpose programming. It underwent a rigorous development and review process, in partnership with the IT industry, universities, and school educators and is now awaiting final Minister endorsement.

The recent review of the Digital Technologies curriculum has caused serious concern among computing and education experts. The report does not acknowledge the importance of this learning area for a modern curriculum, particularly in years F-6. In contrast, current recommendations are made to introduce the learning area from Year 9. This collapses a detailed and comprehensive exploration of STEM and ICT into two years, thus depriving students from studying fundamental concepts. Moreover, researchers recommend STEM gender gap interventions are best served by designing educational environments that will engage children in STEM-relevant activities, from the very early years of school. This introduction at such a late stage in the development of students will disengage a vast majority, including seriously underrepresented groups, such as females.

Reviewers claim the F-8 curriculum is overcrowded, yet, fail to acknowledge that Australian teachers already integrate learning areas in primary years and thus have shown that they have the capability and skills to incorporate complex curricula. Research has also shown that computing lends itself extremely well to other F-6 areas, particularly literacy and mathematics and allows for fundamental skill development in these areas.

Teacher professional development (PD) has been recognised as a challenge in the review and early curriculum development, however, should not be the reason to exclude an essential learning area. Industry, academics and educators have already been proactively collaborating to deliver free PD and resources across Australia. This support will continue to grow. The Australian Government recently announced a 12 million dollar investment to restore STEM in schools with computational thinking and coding across the curriculum; an initiative best served and supported with an F-10 Digital Technologies curriculum.

Australia has a valuable opportunity to prepare our Australian students for jobs of the future and to participate in an increasingly digital workforce. Australia's curriculum is timely, at a time when England, Finland, New Zealand and many other leading nations are implementing computing curriculum into primary and secondary classrooms.

Australia can lead F-10 computing education by providing every child an opportunity to understand how the technologies they use function, to develop fundamental literacy in coding and to have opportunities to create digital projects. Let’s prepare our future generations to be creators, not just consumers of digital technology!

I'm SUPER excited to announce that our CSER group has an edX MOOC to be released at the end of April! In this free online course you will learn Computational Thinking and how to create digital artwork with code, using ProcessingJS. 

This course is suitable for senior high school students, educators wanting to know more about general-purpose programming and/or anyone who wants to learn how to code! 

Come and join us via the edX website. Below is an introductory video.

I'm very excited to announce that we will have a new Digital Technologies Education MOOC available for teachers (and education leadership) available in May! This MOOC will be based around a series of themes and teachers can select which theme they would like to learn about - such as Robotics, Games and Data Visualisation. Within the theme, teachers will learn design and development practices and computational thinking. For more information, I have put together a video, below.

Please share with all the educators that you know! 

EdFest 2015 will be an online event to encourage professional dialogue around the implementation of the Australian Curriculum, using contemporary models for learning.

Targeting Australian teachers, it will be broadcast via Google+ Hangout to Air, Twitter #edfest15 and embedded in Scootle Lounge.

Join EdFest HERE!

I'm a speaker at the event. We have been invited to respond to some questions leading up to the event. Here's my response below. 

1.  Introduce yourself, you role and interests
I'm Rebecca Vivian, an Education Research Associate in the University of Adelaide Computer Science Education Research (CSER) Group. We explore practice and research in K-12 and tertiary Computer Science Education. One of our project streams that I am responsible for involves creating online resources and MOOCs to support educators with the implementation of Australia's new F-10 Digital Technologies curriculum. We also explore other topics which you can find here: http://blogs.adelaide.edu.au/cser/ 

2.  What teaching and learning tools or trends are you excited about in 2015?
I'm super excited by the Australian Digital Technologies subject area! We have seen this curriculum undergo rigorous development and have been working hard to support teachers since 2013, so it's fantastic to see Australian schools start to implement it or have it on their agenda for 2015/2016. We have seen international contexts (e.g. England, New Zealand) adopt new computing curricula and it's great to be part of an exciting movement where it is now happening in Australia too. This curriculum provides every student in Australia with a modern curriculum and opportunity to learn about how their digital world works and to learn important skills. Skills that students will develop include, not just digital literacy, but also the fundamentals of computer science and coding, which are quickly becoming as important as reading and writing.

3.  What advice do you have for have for new and experienced teachers opening their classroom’s for 2015’s first day of school?
If you aren't already on there, join social media and find education communities - particularly those in your area of interest. There are so many valuable conversations and resources being shared online in Twitter, Facebook, Scootle and on Google+! Social networks can provide educators at all stages with a great network of support and provide a source of inspiration throughout the school year. You can even inspire others and share your great ideas on social media that might inspire others. There are so many Personal Learning Networks and professional conversations happening in these spaces, hosted by educators. Not to mention, it's a great way to find out about upcoming free PD events!
Example Hashtags: #AussieEd #edchat #edtechchat Follow CSER at @cserAdelaide

4.  What are you talking about during Edfest15?
I'll be talking about Digital Technologies Education implementation ideas for the F-6 year levels - drawing inspiration from a our CSER Digital Technologies MOOCs and the ideas being generated from our amazing participants in the Google+ community for the course. 

Now it's your turn - "What teaching & learning tools or trends are you excited about in 2015?" and/or "What advice would you give to new and experienced teachers opening their classroom's for 2015"?

See you at #EdFest2015! 

Did you know, Australians are among the highest users of technology, and e-waste is one of the fastest growing types of waste? Millions of computers and electronic goods are sent to landfill each year and the total volume of televisions and computers reaching the end of their useful life is expected to reach 181,000 tonnes or 44 million units by 2027-28. Yet, Australians only recycle around 10% of e-waste. With technology development moving at a rapid pace, this is a pressing issue for our environment.

Have you recently updated your phone, personal computer or laptop? Not sure what to do with your old technology sitting in a cupboard or on a shelf collecting dust? While a number of us update to own the latest technological gadgets and computers, there are a number of Australians who are not fortunate enough to have access to, or who can afford technology.

Rather than throwing away your old technology or trying to re-sell it, you can give it away for a good cause! There are a number of organisations out there who will take your old technology, refurbish it and give it to a good home, a school or to a group that needs it. You might even be able to find a local non-profit or community centre in a disadvantaged area who would love to take your old technology and put it to good use.

If you're in Australia, you can search on this website, Give Now, for some community organisations who are able to take your old technology off your hands:
 
http://www.givenow.com.au/otherways/electricals

Another website, Give It, is one where people can request items for a particular need or user. This website requests anything from alarm clocks, to televisions and laptops: 

http://www.givit.org.au/urgently-needed-list

There are also websites for businesses who are looking to remove unwanted computers and other technology.

However, if your old technology is no good and really won't be of use to anyone, don't throw it into landfill. Dispose of it through e-waste collection points. Search on the Internet for your local e-waste disposal centre or have a look at the bottom of this website for some options.

Just remember to remove all your personal information from your old technology - whether it be your phone or laptop! Search the Internet for a tutorial on how to do this correctly or seek assistance from your local IT expert.