Issue 125 - Term 3 Week 9

The “ClickFix” social engineering technique is trending, as cyber criminals target genuine websites to spread malware. If you visit a compromised website, you will be prompted to prove you are not a robot, and asked to complete steps to verify yourself.

But this is different to the normal checks (often called CAPTCHAs) as it asks you to copy, paste and run commands. 

If you follow these instructions, a malicious code is run on your computer, to silently install an infostealer on your device in order to steal log in information and the department’s data. 

Take steps to stay safe. Think before you copy-paste code. 

• Stop – if it feels rushed, urgent or too good to be true. Never copy-paste commands from website pop-ups or emails. 
• Check – especially if it involves typing commands or copy-pasting to “fixing errors.” 
• Protect – Close your browser window and do not proceed any further. If you are unsure or have run commands, call EDConnect on 1300 32 32 (press 5 for IT). 
• Learn – Protect yourself from social engineering on MyPL (15 mins). 

Practice Sets is a tool that enables educators to create interactive tasks that guide student learning.

With features including self-marking, hints to support students when they get stuck, and the ability to provide educators with summarised feedback on their student's progress (automatically inside of their Google Classroom markbook), Practice Sets will engage your students in learning while saving you time.

Educators can take a self-paced, free online course to support their use of Practice Sets. By completing this introductory course, you will be able to:

• Explain what Practice Sets are and their benefits
• Use Practice Sets to create interactive assignments and check students' understanding
• Preview a Practice Set as a student, and assign it to your students in Classroom
• Use the Practice Sets grading experience to see student's work and a summary of performance

Click here to sign into the Practice Sets course and improve your proficiency!

 

Have you explored the new activities tool within Adobe Express? You can select your subject area, and levels, with the simple dropdown options, then choose from a smorgasbord of guided activities with student instructions and standards-aligned classroom activities - all at your fingertips.

Adobe Educators’ Conference

The workshops & plenary sessions are now available for you to pick and choose at the free, virtual Adobe Educators’ Conference, to be held on Thursday 2 October. Use this event to help prepare engaging & creative curriculum ideas for Term 4 and into 2026.

Get an Adobe micro-credential

Consider earning the Adobe Creative Educator (ACE) micro-credential, read through the latest research, and discover how Adobe Express enhances student creativity.

Stay informed with the Adobe in Education Update Australasia newsletter, Adobe Facebook group and join weekly webinars for educators - available live or on-demand.

Want to pre-fill your Microsoft Outlook calendar, or your Google calendar, with all the school weeks for 2026? It's so handy to know what week of the school term we are in when looking at your online calendar.

Here's a quick and easy way to add all the school weeks, all the school holidays, all the public holidays and all the important dates for 2026, to your Outlook calendar.

Once added, they'll be shown in your calendar across all your devices - desktops, notebooks, tablets and smartphones! If you need these 2026 school weeks and events in your Google or Apple calendar, there's an ICS file for that too!

Click here to download the csv file

Click here to download the ics file

So how do you do this? Head to the T4L website’s Microsoft Outlook Calendar page for either a helpful video or our 'how to' guide to step you through the process.

Note: If you have ALREADY imported items into your calendar for 2026, do not use the files above, otherwise you may get duplicate events.

For the many schools that support students bringing their iPad to school for learning, Apple Professional Learning Specialist, Chantelle Sansness, has created an iPad Families Guide.

This resource covers key features like parental controls, digital safety tips and tools to support healthy screen habits.

Learn how to support parents and carers in setting communication limits, restricting explicit content, monitoring screen time, and minimising distractions at school and home.

Additionally, find out how parents and carers can manage their child’s device remotely through Family Sharing, approve app purchases, and leverage built-in tools that prioritise privacy, safety and wellbeing.

View the full iPad Families Guide here for practical guidance and step-by-step instructions.

Google Slides has introduced a range of new features aimed at making presentations more engaging and easier to create.

New templates offer fresh design options to keep your presentations looking contemporary and exciting.

Users can now enhance their slides with stock images, GIFs, stickers, and direct access to Google Images, making visual storytelling easier than ever. Integration with Google Drive and Google Photos allows quick access to personal media.

A standout update is the ability to record slideshows with your camera view embedded, perfect for remote presentations or flipped learning. The new Speaker Spotlight feature adds shapes that highlight the presenter, boosting visibility and engagement.

These updates make Google Slides more versatile and user-friendly, especially for educators and students looking to create polished, interactive presentations. 

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?