Issue 110 - Term 2 Week 9

The department’s contract for online learning services through LinkedIn Learning expires on 30 July 2024.

Very low utilisation of these learning services has resulted in the decision not to renew the department’s contract.

The Learning team in the People, Culture and Capability directorate are curating a short set of free alternative resources to replace the most frequently accessed learning topics.

If you need more information, please email Learning.Delivery@det.nsw.edu.au with 'LinkedIn Learning Offboarding' in the subject field and the team will follow up with you.

As previously shared, there has been a significant change as the result of a new agreement between Adobe and NSW Department of Education. To apply for a licence, or return a licence you no longer require, please apply via EDConnect to allow your application to be appropriately tracked.

For the most up-to-date information head to the Adobe information page, with information on how to use PDFs in Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Express (both not requiring a licence).

We have also worked with various schools to discover alternative products to support certain activities such as Laser Cutting and video creation. This information will soon be on the Adobe information page. 

The interactivity option has returned to Microsoft Stream!

This feature allows you to embed questions from MS Forms at specific points in an uploaded video.

Simply upload your video into MS Stream, scrub through to the desired timestamp and click the Interactivity button on the right. Add your form link and your video is ready to share into a Teams assignment or email.

This functionality is also available in the Google Workspace. From within Google Classroom, set an assignment and add a YouTube Video link.

You can then add questions within the video for students to answer in order for them to proceed.

Reading Progress is a new feature in Teams and now comes with some guidance for use in the classroom. 

We are encouraging teachers to consider how you use the features in conjunction with other reading assessment tools, and ensure it is not used in isolation for summative assessment.

Rather than just getting the generated data, we recommend listening to or watching the student recordings. Don’t forget to adjust the pronunciation sensitivity sessions to allow for different learners, and only upload passages you have carefully selected for student usage.

Students will need to record in a quiet location to minimise background noise. 

Scout is the department's platform for data and analysis. 2024 NAPLAN reports are coming to Scout in Term 3. The new optimised reports will be released on Monday 29 July and aim to improve data interpretation and user experience.  The reports have a new look and feel and have been tested by teachers and school leaders in NSW schools.

Supporting resources, including written guides and demonstration videos, can be accessed in the reports. Scout supports evidence-based decisions that are outcomes-focused.

It allows school leaders to navigate rich data sources to inform planning and implementation, leading to ongoing improvement and school excellence.

Find out more about Scout.

The department is undergoing a cybersecurity uplift to meet Essential Eight maturity targets. One of those targets calls on us to block website advertising, to help prevent malicious pop-ups, scams and other online threats from opening. 

To achieve this, the department will be deploying website-advertising blocker uBlock Origin on department-managed staff and student devices on Thursday 27 June.

If you find that a legitimate website isn’t loading correctly, you may allow it on your individual device. Or, if you think a widely used website should be added to the department’s ‘allowed’ list, submit a trusted website request.

For more information, visit the Staff Noticeboard.

Is your training up to date?

Read about QR code phishing and ensure your training is current.

The updated courses have been renamed for clarity, and contain new content about a new type of phishing. 

If you have completed the training this year, you do not need to retake it.

Read the Noticeboard article for details. 

Not sure what courses you need to complete? Find role-based cyber security training in the Mandatory training hub.
 

Have you checked out these advanced features which all NSW DoE schools have access to?

Create custom building blocks in Google Docs 
This feature enables you to save custom blocks of text, tables, and chips to build reusable components.

Get approvals on files in Google Drive 
When your material is ready for review, you can lock the file and ask the recipient to approve the content.

Create shareable video presentations in Google Slides 
Lets you easily record yourself presenting, and share the presentation with others to view.

An official commemorative morning for our friend Stu Hasic will be held at ITD on Friday 19 July, at 10:30am to 12noon, and will also be held as an online event.

As we come together to remember Stu we will reflect on his wisdom, friendship, insights and appreciate the huge impact he has had across the department. 

Please share these event details out to those who might be interested. You can RSVP to attend either in person or online using this form.

Please note there is a limit on the number of people who can attend in person, due to the capacity numbers at ITD.

A huge thank you from the T4L team for your patience and support as our team continues to curate the huge legacy that our wondrous technology guru, Stu Hasic, has left behind.

We are this week delighted to announce the return of Stu Hasic’s YouTube channel! We know that this channel in particular was a fantastic resource for all teachers and support staff, to turn to in their times of need, or to learn new skills across technology tools.

While we will no longer use this channel to create new content, the resources created by Stu continue to be of great help and support, and we will ensure that the channel remains accessible and videos remain public where applicable. 

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