Issue 111 - 2024 | Term 3 | Week 3
Update Canva is getting a glow-up
Canva’s highly anticipated 'Glow Up' is set to go live for all NSW DoE staff and students on Thursday 8th August (week 3)! Bringing a fresh new user interface and a few minor changes to enhance your creative experience.
Key updates include customisable navigation with starred sections, personalised notifications, quick design creation, and an enhanced toolbar. The side panel has been redesigned for easier navigation, and a new comment section offers streamlined collaboration.
The editor now supports mode switching between Editing, Commenting and Viewing, with mobile enhancements for text editing and element actions. For a detailed overview of the upcoming changes, use our Glow Up resource template or you can read more about the glow-up on the Canva website.
Alert! Jamboard is retiring!
Jamboard is winding down as a service on the 1st October. When this happens, any existing Jamboard files will become 'view only'. See the Jamboard Help website for more details.
As an alternative, Google Slides has been updated recently with additional features that can help students and educators accomplish many of the same tasks. Have a look at this breakdown of what’s possible.
Tips Images in Practice Sets
Teachers will be happy to know that you can now add images into Practice Sets in Google Classroom. You’ll see an option to insert when you edit a question. This also applies to imported Google Forms.
For more tips like this, and other resources customised just for you, try the new Google Education Navigator. Simply scroll down and start by choosing your role.
Update Minecraft Education new homegrown lesson: Eco Detectives
Microsoft and Minecraft have been working with Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Zoos South Australia, Zoos Victoria, Perth Zoo and Auckland Zoo on a Minecraft Education project that aims to bring positive behaviour change from the gaming world into the real world.
This is a ‘built-from-the-ground-up’ experience to promote sustainability and conservation and is aligned to associated teaching standards.
It contains resources, student activities and a unique Minecraft world for educators and students to utilise. Plus, it has many unique Australian/NZ animals designed specifically for this lesson.
Get started today
News Apple Worldwide Developers Conference
Introducing Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant.
Major updates also come to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia and watchOS 11, including the biggest-ever redesign of the Photos app, game-changing productivity tools, and new ways for users to express themselves and customise their devices.
View the highlights & learn more about the latest announcements here.
PL Upcoming events in Term 3
This term, the Digital Support Team are running a range of F2F and online events to support all of your professional learning needs across a range of tools and topics! If you are jumping into our online PL, join us for these webinar topics:
- Wednesday 21 August – Accessibility Tools in STEM (week 5)
- Wednesday 4 September– Canva Classroom Workflows (week 7)
- Thursday 19 September – School Celebration Toolkit (week 9)
Check the T4L events page for all event details.
Info Apple device lifecycle management
The NSW Department of Education, in partnership with Apple, is exploring a lifecycle-managed offering for Apple products.
This initiative will enable schools to spread the cost of device purchases over several years while securing the best purchase prices. At the end of their lifecycle, devices will be collected and repurposed, minimising impact on the environment.
If your school is interested in exploring this opportunity, please complete the EOI Form by Friday 30 August to be invited to an upcoming information session.
Update New Microsoft tools
Microsoft has recently released two new applications for use within the DoE: Clipchamp and Loop. Clipchamp is an online video editing tool, allowing you to combine your videos, images and audio files, as well as add text and effects.
Loop components are live, interactive, collaborative objects that you can embed in Teams chats, Outlook emails, Word and OneNote for the web documents, as well as Whiteboard.
For further information and updates, visit the T4L Microsoft Resources webpage and access either the video tools or collaboration tools sections.
Update Build good cyber citizens with Cybermarvel
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month. Get on-board for a fun ride with the Cybermarvel program with virtual classrooms, teacher PL and resources for families. The response from schools has been fantastic with over 120,000 students learning to be safe online over the past three years!
Primary schools can register their class to learn about:
- what is safe or unsafe online and set up healthy relationships with technology
- balance screen time with green time
- share with care and secure personal information
- navigate cyberbullying behaviours and be an upstander.
High school students can engage with:
- Cyber Live challenge to become a detective, solve a cybercrime and protect a navy captain from hackers
- Minecraft Education: explore worlds on digital citizenship, cyber security and privacy
- Grok Academy challenges: interactive fun while learning about online risks, cyber and network security, data encryption and digital forensics
- Stay secure online interactive video with three teenagers – learn as they navigate their online lives and why you should make the right choices.
Schools can also engage parents and carers with a webinar on navigating online friendships – transitioning to secondary school to support their 11–12-year-old as they look to move to high school. Parents of 5–8-year-olds can also watch short playtime videos to learn cyber skills together.
Fun ICT Thought of the day
Info news.T4L will be back in Week 6!
Information Technology Directorate publishes three issues of news.T4L each term. Remember - share each issue with your staff! And if you aren't receiving an email notification as soon as a new issue of news.T4L drops, then you're missing out! So why not subscribe?
Tell us about your school's great ICT initiatives! Send us an email to T4LNews@det.nsw.edu.au
