Issue 123 - Term 3 Week 3

An upgrade to the core eT4L services is scheduled for all NSW schools during Week 3.

An upgrade of Config Manager will be applied to all school eT4L servers from the morning of Monday 4 August, through to the afternoon of Wednesday 6 August. 

During this maintenance window, please avoid any: 

• UDM software deployments 
• F12 device builds (Inc. Intune Migration)

Staff intending to perform these functions during this period should schedule their days accordingly.

Adobe Express has a brand-new look and feel. It is now easier to explore guided activities and begin creative projects from the revised home screen.

This short video explains more. 

A new set of Weekly Webinars from the Adobe Edu Team, for Term 3, are now available to join live or via the recording. Register here!

Further Adobe Education resources are available at Adobe Education resources. Feel free to share this with your colleagues!
 

Google for education is providing fully subsidised courses and events to help upskill and energise your team. These are a collection of fun and engaging PD events for educators of all skill levels and experience. 

The courses and events available are listed below, and there are in person and virtual versions available. 

There are also Level One and Two preparation courses for the educator certification exams (so you can certify your learning/skills) as well as full day summit events. 

Educator Certification Courses 

Level 1: Google Certified Educator

Learn the fundamentals of Google Workspace tools for education and demonstrate your proficiency.

Level 2: Google Certified Educator

Take your teaching to the next level with this in person workshop on advanced Google Workspace techniques. 

Click here to learn more about these courses and other Google for Education opportunities!

We are excited to share the remarkable bodies of work featured in the 2025 Art Express exhibition. These artworks serve as an incredible resource, sparking creativity and curiosity for both staff and students. 

Recently launched, the 2025 Art Express Virtual Gallery allows you to experience these amazing artworks from anywhere. Through the immersive power of virtual reality, you can walk through the gallery, interact with sculptures and artefacts, and gain insights directly from the artists, all within a specially designed virtual environment.

To begin your exploration, simply visit the VR site and don your VR goggles for a fully immersive experience. If you don’t have VR goggles, fear not! The gallery is also accessible on your laptop, Chromebook or iPad.

Click here to dive into the creativity of the 2025 Art Express Virtual Gallery! 

We’re excited to launch a new project aimed at enhancing digital literacy in our schools!

Are you a student, teacher, or school interested in creating instructional videos to help others navigate our online and digital platforms? This is your chance!

What we're looking for:

• Students and teachers who love making videos, that  incorporate digital design, to support our peers and colleagues.
• Creative ideas and a passion for sharing knowledge!

Here is an example video by one of our brilliant students - Student Portal Video!

How to get involved: 

Submit your Expression of Interest via this  form!

Join us in making digital learning easier and more accessible for everyone!  

For more details, please contact us.

Let's get creative!

CS First, the block-based coding platform recommended by stem.T4L, has officially closed down. In its place, Raspberry Pi has launched a new platform called Experience CS, which utilises the Scratch dashboard.

Please note that a whilst a cyber assessment has been logged, but we do not have permission to use it at this stage. 

Currently, there is no playground available for blank projects, but it is in Experience CS' future plans. In the meantime, there are a few other block-based coding programs we can recommend.  

Microsoft MakeCode Arcade allows students to build retro-style games. (Note: Parental permission is required, if logging in to save projects).

Scratch is also an option; however, please be aware of the different versions available. Whilst AssessedIT lists the website version as "Do not use", there is a downloadable program from the Company Portal and UDM.

 Stay tuned for more updates!

Get ready to supercharge your teaching, with new Multi-Design Sets, available now in Canva’s education template library! These smartly bundled templates let you create everything from lesson plans and worksheets, to presentations and classroom posters, all in one easy-to-use file. It’s a game-changer for busy teachers and curious learners!  

Whether you’re planning a complete teaching unit or a single day of engaging activities, Canva 2.0 helps you save time, stay organised, and keep learning fun. Your classroom just got a whole lot more connected. Click here to explore multi-design sets.

The calendar within Microsoft Teams has recently received an update. This makes the experience similar to Microsoft Outlook, with the ability to view your calendar, as well as those that have been shared with you. You can also modify the view, which now includes an overall month view and meeting management, to support all types of meetings, as well as a Meet Now option for instant meetings.

To help you become familiar with the new interface, check out the resources on the Getting Started Microsoft Support page.
 

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?