Building Digitally Capable Learners with Grok Academy

Join the experts from Grok Academy and learn strategies for teaching everything about Digital Technologies and Digital Literacy.

Attend as many of the activities as you like and collect valuable professional development hours as you go. Join in the fun and bring your colleagues.

9:00 - 9:45am
Speaker: Sally Gridley

Grok Academy: Putting the T in STEM

How you implement STEM is driven by many factors – everything from teacher expertise and timetabling through to how you define STEM in your school. Discover the many roles the T in STEM plays in effective programs, and develop strategies to ensure your students get the most out of their STEM experiences.

9:50 - 10:30am
Speakers: Tony Tang and Damien Kee

School Showcase: STEM & Cross-Curricular learning

Discover the secret to injecting excitement into STEM education within the constraints of a packed school timetable! Join Grok Academy as educators share the ingenious ways they are crafting innovative STEM units that provide thrilling and meaningful learning opportunities for their students.

10:50 - 11:30am
Speaker: Damien Kee

Grok Academy: Robots - Are you asking the right questions?

‘Which robot platform should I get for my school?’ Examining this common question, Grok Academy will highlight that this choice is secondary to the broader goal of using robots as tools to teach various concepts. By focusing on teaching through robots rather than teaching the robots themselves, students develop higher-order problem-solving skills, adaptability, and a broader understanding of technology. Grok Academy will address the importance of considering factors such as price, availability, age-appropriate programming language, curriculum resources, teacher support, professional learning opportunities, and reliability when selecting a platform that suits the school's needs. You will leave the session having an understanding that the best robotics platform is the one that teachers feel most comfortable using, as their comfort directly influences effective integration into teaching practices.

11:35 - 12:20pm
Speakers: Alfina Jackson and Sally Gridley

School Showcase: Physical computing

Unleash the excitement of physical computing – a phenomenal method to transform abstract Digital Technologies concepts into tangible reality! Grok Academy is proud to support practicing teachers, showcasing the inventive and captivating ways their schools harness physical computing for dynamic learning experiences in the classroom.

12:25 - 1:00pm
Moderator: Damien Kee

Panel: Digital Technologies vs Digital Literacy

As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology, the cultivation of essential Digital Literacy skills takes on heightened importance for success in the contemporary world. This accentuates the crucial role played by the Digital Literacy General Capability within the Australian Curriculum V9. Yet, unraveling the distinctions between Digital Literacy and Digital Technologies education remains an ongoing endeavour. In addressing this, Grok Academy will convene a panel to spotlight these differences, explore their synergies, and stress the imperative for educators to possess a comprehensive understanding of both. Panelists will share valuable insights into fostering Digital Literacy proficiencies among students and delve into innovative approaches for seamlessly integrating these skills across diverse subject domains within educational programs.

2:00 - 2:20pm

Getting Started with Grok

You may have heard that Grok Academy is free for all teachers and students in Australia, but what does that mean in practice? Join Grok Academy as they demonstrate how to use their platform to engage students in the key concepts of the Digital Technologies curriculum such as cyber, programming and more!

2:25 - 3:15pm
Speaker: Damien Kee

Grok Academy: Cracking open the black box: demystifying AI

Many of the AI tools that educators are exposed to seem like they are sheer magic and it is easy to be impressed by what AI can do. This session takes the opportunity to explore some of the underlying processes of AI beyond a simplistic, black box explanation. Gaining insight into the ways in which generative AI works, educators can be more critical in determining when and how to deploy these tools.

9:00 - 9:45am
Speaker: Paula Christophersen

Grok Academy: Understanding the Digital Technologies curriculum

Join Grok Academy in this session designed to help teachers understand the key features of the  Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies v9 and how to implement it in their classrooms. The session will also evaluate how to address state-based variances in curriculum implementation.

9:50 - 10:30am
Speaker: Mark Comas

Grok Academy: Why is learning to code hard?

Learning to code can be a challenging process, especially for beginners. In this talk, Grok Academy will explore the concepts students need to comprehend before even attempting to write a basic 'Hello World' program. From strings and delimiters to function calls and parameters, Grok Academy will delve into the world of coding and explore why it can be so difficult to master. Join us for an eye-opening journey through the foundational concepts of programming and discover strategies to assist students in overcoming the challenges of learning to code.

11:00 - 11:40am
Speaker: Paula Christophersen

Grok Academy: Design thinking in Digital Technologies

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that encourages creativity, collaboration, and empathy. In the Digital Technologies learning area, design thinking can be a powerful tool for developing innovative solutions to real-world problems. This session explores some ways to integrate design thinking into the Digital Technologies program, providing practical examples of how this approach can help students create better solutions.

11:45 - 12:25pm
Speakers: Mary McEvilly Butler and Paula Christophersen

School Showcase: Design thinking in action

In this dynamic session, dedicated educators will spotlight the exciting ways their students are mastering Digital Technologies in the classroom, applying their skills to creatively tackle real-world challenges using design thinking approaches.

1:25 - 2:05pm
Moderator: Sally Gridley

Panel: Effective Digital Technologies assessment

Effective assessments are vital for both teachers and students. Join us in this panel discussion as we explore strategies for effective assessment in Digital Technologies that address the three types of assessment: ‘for’, ‘of’ and ‘as’ learning. We will look at ways to develop assessment tasks that enable students to demonstrate their understanding of key Digital Technologies concepts and skills, and provide opportunities for feedback to enhance their learning and explore how feedback can enhance learning.

2:10 - 3:00pm

Q & A with Grok Academy

If you’ve ever had any burning questions about the Digital Technologies curriculum or the Digital Literacy capability, now is your chance to get an answer! Come along to this open Q&A session with educators from Grok Academy.