There is always a great selection of workshops for delegates to choose from at INTERFACEXpo events – and 2023 will be more of the same. These are 40-minute sessions, designed to give a more in-depth view of particular products, services and solutions.
Several sponsors are running workshops and delegates will be asked to choose their preferred workshops before the events. If you have registered and have not received a link to the workshop selections, please contact admin@interfacexpo.co.nz
Please note: Many of the workshops will require participants to have their laptop with them, so that they can take part fully in the activity.
The workshops are as follows:
Company: Google for Education
Title: Google for Education adaptive learning tools powered by AI.
Outline: Google has been building artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into its tools since 2016. In the last two years, the company has focused on how it can support all learners with a more adaptive approach to learning. Come and see what is available to NZ Schools, in both hardware and Software, Steve will share some tips on how you can support your ākonga both in class and out. He will explore some new releases and get sneak peaks of what is coming too.
Presented by: Steve Smith, Country Manager Google for Education, 20+ years in the classroom prior to working for Google.
Company: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Title: Inspire the Next Generation of Cloud Builders and Technology Innovators with AWS Spark
Outline: Secondary teachers play a pivotal role in inspiring students to consider careers in technology and to persist in STEM pathways. Join the AWS Education team to uncover new opportunities to broaden students’ career horizons with applied and integrated hands-on cloud experiences. Learn about ready-to-teach, real-world, modular content that engages students in key community focus areas such as sustainability, conservation, health care, and data analytics. Help your students build enduring understandings about the impact of cloud computing and how it can improve communities worldwide.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out with Cloud Tech, this workshop is perfect for you. The AWS team will guide you through the basics and show you how to get the most out of the platform. All you need is your laptop and a willingness to learn!
Presented by: The AWS Education Team
Company: MacGear
Title: Premier technology in Education – advanced visual displays and educational STEAM equipment
Outline: MacGear is a technology wholesale business that specialises in the distribution of advanced visual displays and educational STEAM equipment, to schools and businesses throughout New Zealand and Australia. With over 15 years’ proven experience in successfully introducing leading and emerging brands to the education industry, MacGear are dedicated to providing classroom’s with premier digital technology in the form of BenQ Interactive Displays. These panels transform every classroom into a healthy learning space, maximising student engagement and enabling impactful lessons.
The MacGear team are equally as committed to supporting classrooms with interactive STEAM activities that transform the way students learn, create and invent through computer science. The Sphero Learning Ecosystem brings STEAM, computer science, and robotics to life with tangible tools and expert-designed lessons for hands-on learning at every step of the educational journey.
MacGear is constantly looking at ways to improve learning in the classroom around STEAM, so that students will be prepared, engaged and excited to dive deeper into digital technologies.
Presented by: Hailey Poumaka and Mary McQuoid in Dunedin, and Vance Stone in Lincoln, Cambridge and Auckland.
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Company: Network for Learning (N4L)
Title: Getting under the hood of your school’s online learning environment.
Outline: At N4L, we’ve been supplying schools with a Managed Network that supports online learning across Aotearoa for the past 10 years. That network has grown, and now represents 20 per cent of the country’s total daytime internet traffic. It’s time to make this visible. Later this year, we’ll be releasing our Self Service portal to schools, which will provide them with the ability to:
- View the health of your network connection and equipment
- Make filtering and firewall changes
- Gain insights on user and device activity to support cybersafety and security decisions
Working in one of the most cyber-attacked sectors in the world, NZ schools’ need for cybersafety and security intervention has never been greater. We have industry-leading cybersecurity controls protecting all NZ schools, and we’re excited to provide this next piece in the puzzle – a fully funded self service tool that will help schools make cybersafety and security decisions that create a safer, more secure learning environment.
Come and see the N4L team for a sneak peak of what’s in store.
Presented by: Specialist members of Network for Learning’s (N4L) Education and Engagement team: Greg Duff, Head of Education and Engagement; Graham Flanagan, Regional Director (Central); and Nige Young, Regional Director (South)
Company: Norrcom
Title: Effective Technology Implementation for Enhanced Student Learning
Outline: The last two years have highlighted the need for agile and effective technology implementation to enhance student learning. This workshop will assist you in analysing your current digital strategies to plan effectively for the future.
Drawing on international research, including the OECD and ISTE Standards, this session will cover:
- SMART’s Global EdTech Capabilities Research and how to enable agile future-focused learning environments.
- Investing in sustainable technology to integrate into flexible and differentiated teaching and learning programs.
- Using the right technology in the right ways to:
- Improve student voice
- Use effective feedback to enhance student outcomes
- Collect authentic student work samples and data
- Leverage school assets by integrating into the current classroom ecosystem, including Google, Microsoft and LMS
Presented by: Molly Turner, Education Consultant
Molly has been an educator for over 16 years and is passionate about improving educational outcomes for future learners. Her experience across a range of roles in education has given her an intimate understanding of the varied stakeholders in a school. As a Senior Education Consultant at SMART Technologies, Molly has developed curriculum-aligned content for educators, presented at educational conferences such as EduTech and Inspire Greatness, provided accredited professional development, and valued the opportunity to work closely with schools to enhance student outcomes using technology.
Company: Using Technology Better
Title: Navigating the Future of AI in Education: Harness the Power, Avoid the Pitfalls
Outline: Are you prepared for the impending disruption that AI has brought to the education sector? UTB’s workshop on AI in education will show you how to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape and stay ahead of the curve. As AI technology becomes more prevalent, it has the potential to completely transform the way we teach and how students learn.
Are you ready for the changes that are coming? Discover how AI can support personalised learning and provide real-time feedback, as well as join the discussion about how assessment parameters need to shift to factor in the AI tools that students are accessing today.
This workshop will also explore the potential pitfalls of AI in education, including teacher displacement, dependence on technology, and ethical concerns.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to equip yourself with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the uncertain future of education. Instead, prepare yourself for the current challenges and ensure that you’re at the forefront of this technological revolution.
Presented by: Nicole Brown and Mark Herring
Nicole Brown is a teacher turned PLD facilitator who leads the NZ training team at Using Technology Better. She has more tha 13 years of experience in teaching and leading in various educational settings, from primary to tertiary levels. She has also conducted educational research in the area of digital feedback modes, and is a Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow working to connect educators across the motu. Nicole’s passion lies in sharing how you can harness the power of tech to lead with confidence and redirect your energy away from tedious tasks, back to the parts of your profession you love.
Mark Herring is the Learning Lead and Educational Consultant for Using Technology Better, with 10 years of teaching experience in education. He has worked as a teacher and Deputy Principal, and his passion for teaching and learning led him to become a leader in educational technology.
Mark’s leadership and coaching experience has helped him to design and implement programs that empower educators to use technology effectively in the classroom. He has provided professional development and training to teachers and school leaders worldwide, including Australia, New Zealand, North America, and South-East Asia. His engaging and practical approach to professional development and his ability to make even the most complex technology concepts accessible has earned him a reputation as an effective change facilitator and coach.
Company: Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga / The Ministry of Education
Title: Leaps and bounds: Improve your school’s security in 40 mins
Outline: Switching on two-factor authentication (2FA) at your school or kura is one of the best things you can do to improve the security of your school. Research from Google and Microsoft say it protects against 100% of automated attacks and prevents 75% of targeted attacks.
These days a password isn’t enough. 2FA adds another layer of security to usernames and passwords and protects your information against phishing, malware, and leaked or stolen credentials. In this ‘bring your own laptop’ session for school IT leads and interested teachers,we’ll show you all you need to know about enabling 2FA for your school. We’ll take you through step-by-step how to switch on 2FA in your Google or Microsoft tenancy. This will give all staff at your school or kura the option to switch on 2FA for themselves. In this session we will cover:
- What it is and the types of 2FA
- The configuration options in your workspace
- The main concerns staff have about 2FA and how to overcome them
- Change management – helping you with how to roll out this change to minimise any potential disruption, including the best days to make the change and how to get others onboard.
Everyone who attends this workshop will receive two free security keys valued at $80 each. These can be used as a final verification step when signing into an account, and act as a great additional layer of protection for staff who have access to sensitive information on your school’s network.
The small action of switching on 2FA can have a big impact. Join us to take this important security step for your school or kura.
Company: ETV
Title: Exploring what it means to be a digital citizen capable of navigating through rapid change
Outline: ETV presents in Dunedin, Lincoln and Auckland a short workshop focused on student digital well-being and how advancements in disruptive technologies can affect different aspects of our digital citizenship, a step beyond digital literacy and fluency. As an insight into the research behind ETV’s new resource pack ‘Digi-Smart’, we will explore what it means to be a digital citizen capable of navigating through rapid change.
In Cambridge, we will discuss the effectiveness of video in the classroom, announce a new programme to bring streaming TV channels into your classrooms and libraries, and show you how your school can trial ETV for 3 months at no cost.
Presented by: Courtney Robinson (Dunedin, Lincoln and Auckland) and Martin Drew (Cambridge)
Both presentations will be live streamed by ETV and available for on demand viewing after the INTERFACEXpo events.
Company: Science Alive
Title: Discover Science Alive Mātauranga!
Outline: Inspire your learners in rich and engaging STEAM learning interwoven with mātauranga Māori. Science Alive and Education Perfect are proud to offer this range of content completely free to all schools across Aotearoa. A great way to bring meaningful, integrated learning into your classroom – our lessons, projects and investigations cover all areas of STEAM. Our content focuses on developing skills and knowledge vital for the 21st Century, linking nicely to the ‘Know, Understand, Do’ framework of the new curriculum. This session will be an overview of the range of resources with a focus on getting set up and implementation ideas.
Presented by: Lauren Pugh, Programme Development Manager, Science Alive! Lauren Pugh is a creative and innovative leader in education, with a passion for STEAM and project based learning. She has extensive experience in teaching, educational management, independent consultancy, resource design and science communication – all roles that have provided her with rich knowledge in the digital technology world and beyond. You are sure to leave this session feeling inspired!
Company: Grok Academy
Title: Cyber Skills Aotearoa Free Online Learning Programme
Outline: Cybersecurity is an important issue that all students and teachers face on a daily basis. The Cyber Skills Aotearoa online programme consists of unplugged and online resources that provide teachers and students with classroom-ready activities and challenges to develop students’ cyber security skills and dispositions.
Activities and challenges are aligned with the Technology learning area and Digital Technologies Progress Outcomes. All resources are free for Aotearoa New Zealand students in Years 6-13 and are available in both English and te reo Māori.
This workshop will cover an overview of the programme content, the curriculum coverage (including L2 Digital Technologies DCAT requirements) and how to register your school for this free programme.
Presented by: Julie McMahon, Lead Educator, Grok Academy
To register your interest to attend INTERFACEXpo 2023, go to interfacexpo.nz/register2023/
Once registered, you will receive an invitation to select the workshops of your choice from mid April. If you have any questions, please contact us at admin@interfacexpo.co.nz
INTERFACE April 2023.
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