The theme ‘STEM – everywhere, everyone, everyday’ is to highlight how STEM is at the heart of innovation and learning in every discipline and is used (mostly unconsciously) by everyone everyday.
Most conferences currently being offered on STEM, STEAM and Entrepreneurship tend to be targeted towards teachers and involve a series of speakers and the occasional mini-workshops. This conference is designed to be different. This conference is designed by students and teachers for students and teachers.
The intent of the It Takes a Spark Grok Academy STEM Conference is to bring together Students (Year 4 to 10) and Teachers to connect with inspiring industry role models, share their current school based activities and projects using an authentic sharing and experiential model, create networks of teachers and student teams, and solve social justice design challenges.
The participation of the students is as important as teachers as our intent is to ignite, empower and nurture both to be leaders of STEM and Entrepreneurship within their schools. This is a conference designed and led by students and teachers for students and teachers.
Teachers will have both formal and informal opportunities to speak to other teachers who have enacted programs and activities in their schools and get their questions answered.
The workshops and social justice design challenges are all hands-on so students and teachers will experience first-hand what it is like to be part of great STEM and entrepreneurial learning. This will spark new ideas about curriculum and pedagogy.
Who Should Attend
- Students – those who are already (or aspire to be) STEM Leaders in your school
- Teachers – those who have little experience and those who have a lot
- Heads of Learning Areas / Curriculum – who wish to discover how to plan as a team to break down the discipline silos of learning
- Principals and Deputy Principals – to witness what is possible by embedding STEM authentically in your school
INTRODUCING THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS.....
MARS BUTTFIELD-ADDISON
Computer Scientist
Superstar of STEM
Mars Buttfield-Addison uses technology for good. She is a Computer Scientist, specialising in machine learning and supercomputing. In this role, she has worked to solve problems spanning public health to aerospace, all with computers. And she’s passionate about empowering others to do the same.
Mars has Bachelor and Honours degrees in Information and Communication Technology, and is working towards her PhD in Computer Engineering at the University of Tasmania. On the side, she’s an avid freelancer for all things technology and STEM outreach—writing books, apps and teaching materials; organising, speaking and volunteering at events; tutoring privately, through her university and for the local Indigenous centre; working for companies towards ethical use of technology and artificial intelligence; contributing to free-to-use software used by scientists around the world; and involving herself in every effort to inform the public about the benefits and dangers of advanced technologies.
DR LILA LANDOWSKI
Neuroscientist, Science Communicator
Superstar of STEM
Dr Lila Landowski is a multi-award winning neuroscientist and lecturer at the University of Tasmania, a Director of the Australian Society for Medical Research, a Director of Epilepsy Tasmania as well as a regular guest expert science communicator for the ABC. As a thought leader in STEM and STEM advocacy, her honorary titles include being a “Superstar of STEM,” a Patron of Science, a Public Education ambassador for the Department of Education, and one of the Chief Scientist of Australia’s “Science Superheroes”.
Lila has a strong personal focus on community health and wellbeing, making the wonderful world of science more accessible to the community through talks and the media. The TEDx speaker has received accolades including the Premier’s Young Achiever of the Year, an Australian Institute of Policy and Science Young Tall Poppy award winner, was a Tasmanian finalist for Young Australian of the Year, and was recently named as one of Australia’s top 20 Scientists in the Herald Sun.
Teacher Professional Development Stream
“Many teachers and schools are challenged by HOW to create STEM learning that develops students across the years to be the independent critical thinkers and problem solvers the world needs.
We have brought together some of Australia’s leading practitioners in the fields of design, technology, curriculum planning, student engagement and STEM learning to develop a special Teacher Professional Development stream at this year’s TAS It Takes a Spark Grok Academy STEM Conference.
Every session is designed to provide teachers with the insight, practical guidance and resources they need to improve their planning and practice upon return to their schools. The professional learning will support teachers no matter their prior background, confidence, or capability.”
TEACHER MINI-MASTER CLASSES
First Steps to designing a well-planned STEM program
Dr Adrian Bertolini
Intuyu Consulting / Spark STEM Conferences
Development of STEAM authenticity through Project Based Learning
Michelle Bradley
Launceston Church Grammar School
Computational thinking through Coding
Kaye North
Code Club Australia
Computers in the real world – building sensors to monitor our environment
Bitlink
Teaching Smarter, Not Harder: An AI Workshop with ChatGPT
Kaleb Clark
Queechy High School
Using AI tools – the good, the bad and the ugly
Grok Academy
DIGIDESIGN MINI-WORKSHOPS - students and teachers
Robot Recovery Mission
TasNetworks STEAM Program
Detecting the Unseen: Dark Matter
Jackie Bondell
ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics
Curious Kids can Code!
Kaye North
Code Club Australia
Machine Learning Applications
Students from Cressy District High School
LEGO Algorithmics
Grok Academy
Man or Machine: How does Artificial Intelligence work?
Grok Academy
Contemporary compounding: Innovation in medication delivery
University of Tasmania
School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Introduction to F1 in Schools
Murat Djakic
Re-Engineering Australia Foundation
Machine Learning with Scratch
Dr Bob Elliot
Tasmanian Dept of Education Gifted Online
Supporting the survival of species through sensors
Julia Murrie & Madison Raimondo
Rosebery District School
Right-the-Bite: Saving Sandy the Sand Flathead!
Department of Natural Resources & Environment – Fisheries Tasmania
What’s a Knot and what’s not?
Doug Grubert Education
Sky Country – Aboriginal Astronomy
Catholic Education Tasmania
Plants and Humans – Same or Different?
ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success
STEM Expo hands-on activities area
Blast Off to the Virtual Universe!
Jackie Bondell
OzGrav
Engineers Make Things Happen
Engineers Australia Tasmania
Fun with Cubelets
Steve Reiher
RobotMan
Tasmanian minerals, electric cars and solar panels
Sebastien Meffre
University of Tasmania
Exploring the Internet of Things
Troy Merritt
Bitlink
Australian STEM Video Game Challenge
Australian Council for Educational Research
Inspiring STEM learning through Agriculture
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, College of Sciences and Engineering, UTas
Grok Academy @ the STEAM Expo
Kids in Space
Sacred Heart Catholic School Geeveston
Greenpower Tasmania
Daniel Edwards
Greenpower Tasmania
Drone Experience
Pakronics
Bobbing Around
Maritime Museum of Tasmania
Sensor Technology in Agriculture
Hagley Farm School Agricultural Learning Centre
Guilford Young College STEM
There’s Something Fishy Going On!
Department of Natural Resources & Environment – Fisheries Tasmania
PROBLEM SOLVERS DESIGN CHALLENGE
Each session has a different real life design or STEM challenge to solve aimed at Year 4 to 10 students. You will be posed with a real life design challenge and lead through the design process to ideate and present possible solutions.
A Space Designed For All Of Us: Accessible Learning For Every Body
Mount Carmel College
Creating Autonomous Vehicles using Lego Spike Prime
Steve Reiher
RobotMan
The heat is on: Design to thrive in a hotter 2050
Curious Climate Schools and School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, UTas
Sustainable Speeding Solar Cars!
Hydro Tasmania
Crash Course in Micro:Bit
Grok Academy
Regenerative Systems Design
School of Architecture and Design, UTAS
Doing it Scared
Doug Grubert, Paul Pritchard & John Middendorf
Doug Gruber Education
The Trouble with Transfer (and Tribbles)
Hydro Tasmania
Marshmallows to Mars
St Patrick’s College Launceston
Catchment sustainability challenge
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture
College of Sciences and Engineering, UTas
Making an Impact to what matters
Illuminate Education Australia
Designing and Racing Land Yachts!
Rose Anderson, Dept for Education, Children & Young People; Bronwen Baume-Tarrant, Sacred Heart College
The Opportunity Recognition Game
James Rigall
University of Tasmania
Agenda
8.15 AM
REGISTRATION, COFFEE/TEA & NETWORKING
8.45 AM
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Welcome to Country, Welcome to Participants, Set up for the Day
9.00 AM
Keynote Speaker – Mars Buttfield-Addison
9.40 AM
TEACHER ORIENTED MINI-MASTER CLASSES (Rotation 1)
- 40 min sessions
- Parallel sessions
- Presented by attending teachers / universities / industry
- Mini-master classes for teachers to explore specific aspect of embedding STEM in their curriculum
- Various sessions will address beginning teachers, next step and extending
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
9.40 AM
DIGIDESIGN MINI-WORKSHOPS + STEM Expo (Rotation 1)
- 40 min sessions
- For teachers and students
- Parallel workshop stations
- Workshops demonstrate hands-on STEM and / or entrepreneurial activities for Year 4 to 10 students
- Presented by attending students / teachers / universities / sponsors / organisations
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
10.25 AM
MORNING TEA
An opportunity to network with other teachers and students, and explore trade displays.
11.00 AM
PROBLEM SOLVERS DESIGN CHALLENGE
- 80 min session – parallel sessions aimed at Year 4 to 10 students and teachers
- This session is an opportunity for universities, industry, schools, or community organisations to pose real life design challenges and lead students through the design process to ideate and present possible solutions.
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
11.00 AM
TEACHER NETWORKING SESSION
- 40 min session
- An opportunity to connect with other teachers and presenters to share ideas, possibilities and practices
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
11.40 AM
STEM PATHWAYS SESSION
- 40 min session
- An opportunity to meet with the sponsors in the STEM EXPO to discuss (without students) how they can support you in delivering and inspiring STEM in your school
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
12.25 PM
LUNCH
An opportunity to network with other teachers and students, and explore trade displays.
1.00 PM
Keynote Speaker – Dr Lila Landowski
1.40 PM
TEACHER ORIENTED MINI-MASTER CLASSES (Rotation 2)
- 40 min sessions
- Parallel sessions
- Presented by attending teachers / universities / industry
- Mini-master classes for teachers to explore specific aspect of embedding STEM in their curriculum
- Various sessions will address beginning teachers, next step and extending
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
1.40 PM
DIGIDESIGN MINI-WORKSHOPS + STEM Expo (Rotation 2)
- 40 min sessions
- For teachers and students
- Parallel work stations
- Workshops demonstrate hands-on STEM and / or entrepreneurial activities for Year 4 to 10 students
- Presented by attending students / teachers / universities / sponsors / organisations
Breakout Rooms
Pre-registration required
2.30 PM
FEEDBACK AND CONFERENCE COMPLETION
- Awarding of prizes to attendees
- Completion of feedback form
2.45 PM
CLOSE OF CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
VENUE
Guilford Young College
76 Bowden St
Glenorchy TAS 7010
DATE Friday, 1 September 2023
TIME / AGENDA 8.15am open
8.45am start – 2.45pm finish
Read FAQ’s – suggestions on who should attend, answers about what stage you are at and if the conference will suit, registration T&C’s, and more…
Teachers are able to attend without students
We recommend max 25 students per school with minimum teacher ratio of 1T:10S
CONFERENCE RATES
Early bird Teacher $180*
Teacher $225
Catholic Education TAS Teacher $145
Early bird Student $30*
Student $35
Catholic Education TAS Student $25
Early bird Pre-service/Aides $66*
Pre-service/Aides $99
inclusive of GST, morning tea and lunch
*book by 9/08/2023
Upon registration you will receive a confirmation email and invoice, payment is via direct deposit or credit card. For full details click on the register button alternatively call Rachel on +61 (0) 411 270 277 to coordinate your registration or ask any questions. Workshop selection will open 3 to 4 weeks prior to the conference, we will email the registered teachers and contact person.
Major Sponsor
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Spark Scholarship Sponsor
Supporting Organisation
Silver Sponsor
Conference Coordinator
CREATE SPARKS IN LEARNING FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS! BECOME A SPONSOR…
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Rachel Manneke-Jones
Registration & Bookings
Ph: 0411 270 277
E: rachel@spark-educonferences.com.au
Dr Adrian Bertolini
Conference Co-Ordinator
Ph: 0413 036 382
E: adrian@spark-educonferences.com.au
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