The Virtual Staffroom Podcast
Episode 23 – The future of mobility
Joachim Cohen:
Welcome to the Virtual Staff Room, a podcast made for teachers by teachers and all with a dash of educational technology thrown in. My name is Joachim Cohen, and today, like every day, I'm joined by two rather awesome members of the Technology 4 Learning team, Linda Lazenby and Yvette Poshoglian. Welcome team.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Hello.
Linda Lazenby:
Hi, guys.
Joachim Cohen:
Do you own a car? Do you use a car sharing service? Or is it a bike or those things we call legs the main source of your transport? Well, today we get out the crystal ball and start to consider what the future of mobility looks like and the implications this has for us, for our students, and the way in which technology weaves its way in.
Joachim Cohen:
And last week being science week 2021, what a perfect time to hypothesise, investigate the technology, and see what the future narrative looks like. Flat tyre, flat battery, smoke from under the bonnet, who are you going to call, Linda and Yvette?
Linda Lazenby:
I'd probably call my dad.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Me too. Speed dial.
Joachim Cohen:
Well, that is totally not what I would have expected. I was thinking the Mobile Service Van Saviors that like magic, get us back up and rolling. And companies like these are moving to the future and they're not just about roadside repairs, they're also keeping their eye on what's next. And today we are lucky enough to be joined by Amelia Johns, NRMA's electric vehicle or EV division manager, Amelia. Welcome to the Virtual Staff Room.
Amelia Johns:
Thanks so much for having me.
Yvette Poshoglian:
It's great to have you here, Amelia. So many interesting things to talk about one of which is that Aussies know and love the idea of getting on the road and having a car and the freedom it provides. It's been a rite of passage for all of us and for those coming up, but now we have a new term. We're not calling them cars so much anymore, but can you tell us a little bit about this term mobility?
Amelia Johns:
Absolutely. So I think in the context of transport and vehicles and car ownership, when we talk about mobility, we're really talking about the shift from you and me say, having an individual car and owning that and that being our solution from getting us from A to B to the multiple services that we actually might need to do the total journey, shared services, as well as better access in different takes on ownership.
Amelia Johns:
So better access might be, there's lots of people out there that actually can't have the traditional car use or ownership experience. And we need to do more to make sure that they're included and can get around because freedom of movement is connected with a much better quality of life.
Amelia Johns:
And you've got the idea that when we talk about driving from point A to point B, there's a whole bunch of people that at the moment, they need to drive to a station to then catch a train, to go to another station and then do perhaps a 10 or 15 minute walk at the other end to get to work.
Amelia Johns:
And so mobility, rather than just talking about that first part of the journey of the car is thinking about all of the services and needs that you've got to kind of move around and get from point A to point B, the total journey.
Joachim Cohen:
I've got the idea of Google maps, and sometimes when I enter in locations it now gives me all these options, Uber, a train, those kinds of things.
Amelia Johns:
Absolutely. I know we're probably going to talk a little bit about tech later on in the podcast, but the tech companies are very keen to increase their integration with those organisations so that they can maybe not just aggregate the information around what options you've got, but potentially also look at payment and booking so that you're sort of minimising the number of services or platforms that you need to engage with to achieve your mobility needs.
Amelia Johns:
And some of the trends that we're seeing now and over the next little period will be people looking at travel time goals around designing solutions. And I know that, that will resonate with anyone who deals with Saturday, sports traffic, or whatever it might be or peak hour, which has fluctuated a lot over the last 18 months because of the situation we're in with COVID, but it has come back.
Amelia Johns:
If you talk to people that there are peak hours again, then we're going to see much more sort of automated vehicles come into public transport. Artificial intelligence will play a role as well. And I want to talk about the complete trip focus and equitable access. So these are some of the things that are driving solution design in this area of mobility.
Joachim Cohen:
Ah, this is blowing me away. And I think, we always associate transport jobs with things like bus drivers, truck, drivers, mechanics, those kinds of things, but it sounds like there's going to be some really awesome technology pathways from what you're saying.
Amelia Johns:
Oh, absolutely. I mean, there's a whole area that's referred to in the mobility space that is MAAS, M-A-A-S, so mobility as a service and really what this is covering is the platforms that we need to enable the solutions that we're talking about. So I've already mentioned Google and other tech companies potentially wanting to look at being an aggregator and booking engine in this space.
Amelia Johns:
You've got companies like Uber that started in one particular area trying to solve one problem, branching out into many other ways and looking at how they can solve mobility problems across entertainment, recreation, all the rest of it. And so there are others that have either signaled their interest or they've flat out said, this is definitely something we're going to make a play for.
Amelia Johns:
But thankfully there's also plenty of startups and room for startups in this space as well. So I don't think people need to feel as though the horse has bolted. There's a lot going on and a lot to solve for. And especially in a country like Australia, where you have some really interesting local geographic issues, there'll be a lot of opportunity for students to grow a career for a long time in this area.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Because the sector is going through this period of disruption, but it also gives students and potentially new opportunities to carve out new pathways. What are those opportunities going to look like for them, Amelia?
Amelia Johns:
There is so many of them. I think I would recommend that people start with just some simple research online, which even 10 or 15 years ago, wasn't so easy. I mean, you can dabble in things as simple as articles, for example, on news websites that are focused in the mobility space, right through to thought leadership and insight driven pieces that are being published openly by the large consulting firms, because there's a real desire to also generate knowledge and confidence in this space.
Amelia Johns:
So I'd say do a little bit of research online and start to understand some of those areas of disruption and where natural interest might lie, whether it's technology or transport or service related or some other area. And I know that there's a traditional, well, there used to be a traditional work experience period around that year 10 mark. But there seems to be so many businesses starting up in this space that I don't think students need to wait for those sorts of opportunities.
Amelia Johns:
I think if they reach out to people and they're passionate because this is full of people right now that are passionate about solving these problems, extra hands on deck will give people a unique and amazing opportunity as well to probably get exposure to things that they would have to wait years for, once they actually get into the workforce.
Amelia Johns:
And then finally I'd say, it sounds simple, but think about your own life and the life of your family and friends and what problems do you encounter day-to-day. And when I'm doing this in a research session, usually there's an exercise to do at the front, which is to say, if you could wave a magic wand and fix anything about how you get around day to day, what would it be?
Amelia Johns:
Because there will be something that comes up for you, whether it's to do with relying heavily on mum and dad, or maybe you can't rely on them to get around, so you're at the mercy of public transport and everything that's included there and think about whether there is already a solution that exists. And if there isn't, how could you be part of building that? Because those are the sorts of things that people are working on right now.
Joachim Cohen:
Oh, you're getting me excited, Amelia that's for sure. And one of the things that I know we can't do it at the moment, but one of the things that always gives me ideas is travel and I'm remembering back to a trip I took to Shenzhen and I just landed and I was in the city, you know how your ears sometimes get blocked up.
Joachim Cohen:
And I was standing in the street and I was going, my golly, what's going on? It's like, it's really quiet. I can't hear anything. And I suddenly realised later in my trip that all the cars and all the buses just about were electric and that's why it was so quiet. And I'm just excited, is our future electric, what do you think?
Amelia Johns:
Absolutely. That there isn't a major manufacturer of vehicles or manufacturer of parts that hasn't committed to either an electric future or a net zero emission future. So alternative fuel cells like hydrogen. In Australia, we only sell around 1% of global car sales every year. So for us, we're heading in this direction, whether or not we like it, if that makes sense.
Amelia Johns:
And it will be more around when the manufacturers and the market is ready to meet with the options that they have in other places like Europe and the US where there are very popular models that are selling that aren't available here yet to buy. Today, it might sound crazy, less than 1% of new car sales in Australia are electric vehicles, but most thought leaders in this industry here believe we are going to reach 30 to 50% by 2030 to 2035.
Amelia Johns:
So given that we're at 2021, halfway through 2021, that's a pretty steep trajectory that we're on. And that's one of the reasons why it's so important that we are looking to solve for the problems people will face when they kind of get into these vehicles. But I think, and you've raised such a good point with your experience in China. Can you just imagine the silence of moving trucks and delivery trucks in small streets or busy streets?
Amelia Johns:
I grew up in a suburb that sort of had the house at the top of a gully. So if a truck was going down the hill or up the hill, I mean, you heard it whatever time of day it was because of the hydraulic brakes and whatnot. And I think that people sort of don't realise there's a lot of peripheral benefits and experiences that you have once these vehicles are on the streets.
Yvette Poshoglian:
I won't say I recall the time but in my previous workplace, somebody would leave the hybrid cars running by accident in the car park, in the fleet. And it was only by accident sometimes that people would come along and realise the engines were actually still ... the cars were still on. So one way to learn.
Yvette Poshoglian:
I think, even from the time when I was in the classroom, lots of my students wanted to become mechanics or diesel mechanics and go into those fields of industry, what's that going to be? How is that going to impact on students? I guess it's coming back to that question of what's it going to look like for them and the skills they're going to need?
Amelia Johns:
So at its simplest form, and I'm also not a mechanic by trade, but I certainly work with a lot in our business, the drive train is changing in these vehicles and the fuel cells that kind of power them. So whether that's electric or hydrogen or hybrid, it will mean re-skilling their existing people in this workforce.
Amelia Johns:
And for students coming through now, it will be probably looking at this technology as the kind of primary form of technology, depending on how old they are and when they'll be training. So for them, it might be about trying to access some of the old dinosaur tech might be harder for them when they're coming through the ranks.
Amelia Johns:
I definitely think that there'll be an increase in technology skills or understanding needed. A lot of these vehicles run app based programs, they run very sophisticated digital programs and even as we're looking at transitioning some of our business products today, like roadside assistance, that's one of the offerings that we've had for a very long time where we're looking at all of that ourselves and whether or not our patrols will indeed be able to do similar types of jobs, which jobs will become completely redundant.
Amelia Johns:
And then are there any jobs that we could do in a traditional vehicle, but for whatever reason, it might not be safe or it just might not be possible, can we no longer do it the side of the road? So it's a lot of work happening in that space. I think if students are passionate about it, they needn't be worried that there's not a need for them in this area. I think that it's going to become a short skill before it becomes a mass skill. And so it's exciting if people are interested then I think this is a really great area to get involved in.
Joachim Cohen:
I can tell you, I often look up this website called could a robot do your job on the ABC. And I looked up mechanic and it came up with 69% of, I think the, I think 69, something like that, percent of the job could be done by a robot. And I think you've put it in one there where it's going to be, it is a state of disruption, there's going to be new jobs and there's going to be changes to jobs, which is happening to every industry around the place.
Amelia Johns:
There's this meeting point between what is possible from an automation point of view, versus what people are comfortable with automating as a customer. And when it comes to people touching their cars, there's still a lot of interest with someone having a physical person fix and tinker with their vehicle and they trust that. So I think it would take a fair period for that to alter.
Joachim Cohen:
Absolutely. I agree with you that confidence they get, and I mean, it is, it's changed for everyone, but what about schools? Do you think there's anything that they need to think about in terms of an electric future? They've got bikes. They're going to have scooters coming in the kids are riding that might be electric, their school vehicles might be electric. What should they do?
Amelia Johns:
There's heaps of opportunity here. It really depends on each school, how large it is, both in terms of students and floor space, if you like, as well as they are. Looking at where they play a part in mobility and whether there's an opportunity for them to participate somewhere in that value chain.
Amelia Johns:
So there's a lot of rooftop space in schools for solar panels. So if they were to look at supporting students, teachers, parents, and, or their own fleet, be more electric, there's probably a really cost effective way for them to also cover the charging of those vehicles, which I think is probably one simple way that they could get involved.
Amelia Johns:
But then on a kind of different matter, thinking about the safety of students and people in the area and the quietness of EVs is very important. I know our education team is developing specific programs in this space, but I think over the years, all of us will have seen the odd incident where parents, it just gets very clogged in some schools, doesn't it, at that kind of drop off and pick up time.
Amelia Johns:
And can you imagine what that's going to be like when you can't use something that you don't realise you're using, which is your sense of hearing to anticipate if there is a car behind you or coming up the side. So I do think safety and how schools can prepare themselves physically for that, whether it's more mirrors or, who knows, there might be some cool technology ideas where there can be a sensory plate under the asphalt that kind of plays the school song or something when an EV drives over it.
Amelia Johns:
So, it doesn't have to be an unenjoyable problem that we solve. But I think the safety element is something that we need to think about because definitely EVs, they bring so many wonderful things with them, but they are quieter. And I think in school environments that presents a unique challenge. Today we use the 40 kilometre an hour rule.
Joachim Cohen:
What a challenge for kids. This is amazing. I love it.
Joachim Cohen:
You've just set the gantlet down there, Amelia.
Amelia Johns:
I should have trademarked some of it before we started talking. No. I think students are so creative because their thinking is so unrestricted naturally. And I don't think we need to do that the same old, same old when it comes to addressing some of the changes in the disruption that we're seeing in this space.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Fascinating to think what's ahead. Amelia, we've been out and about a bit last term, we went to Dubbo, I've just been in the very middle of Tasmania. Both locations had EV charging stations. Is this what we're going to see more and more, and are we going to lose the humble servo pie to an EV's charging station pie now? What's happening?
Amelia Johns:
I certainly think that transition will take some time. Look, some of the big fuel companies are now in Australia and now are coming out with their strategies for the Australian market. So it'll be interesting to watch them over the coming probably one to three years. I think they'll probably start doing some interesting activity over that period, whether that means converting existing real estate that they've got or creating new ones or creating hybrids, I would make the comment that, whilst convenient, the humble servo as you call it, I don't know a lot of people that would say it's their most favorite place to visit.
Amelia Johns:
And so there's probably opportunities for us to look at the experience of using petrol stations and whether or not we can make that better as well as more accessible. So there's hopefully going to be a little bit of disruption, even if they do just transition their existing sites so that they look at is this what people want going forward with the new vehicles that they're going to be driving, but in other markets like Europe, we're seeing that transition happen already.
Amelia Johns:
And one of the new things that might be not something people expected to see is partnerships between car brands and petrol stations to convert existing sites. So that represents a pretty interesting idea, that you could have perhaps different access or exclusive access or better pricing or whatever it might be just by buying a certain vehicle type. So I think watch this space, definitely. But no, I don't think that you'll see a complete disappearance just yet of our local servo.
Joachim Cohen:
I can tell you, in a way I'm going to miss it. But in another way when I used to have to put the gloves on to fuel up my diesel car, because the pump was always covered in the diesel smell and diesel grime, that's a little bit exciting. And these partnerships you're talking about and how we can re-imagine them has me excited.
Joachim Cohen:
And I think that kind of ties into the next question, what you were talking about with solar panels is that, there's been a lot of talk about these electric cars and about the fact they may not be as green as they're perceived to be, but are these kinds of things that you're mentioning, could that make it a greener solution?
Amelia Johns:
Definitely. I think that, look, I also see and listen to the comments around this and follow up dates. It's not a particular area of expertise for me, but what I think about when this comes up is that there's no sort of magic switch overnight for anything like this. And so we're on a bit of a path to trying to get to the perfect or ideal state that we've got.
Amelia Johns:
And right now where we're at is, it's already good for all of us to have more of these vehicles on the road because they are quieter, they're not as hot. So if you are someone that drives a truck, but you're now in an electric truck, you're not sitting on a hot diesel engine all day, which isn't good for you.
Amelia Johns:
And it's obviously better for the environment. So I just think we're going to see more and more improvement over time. And we will get to a place where everyone is feeling that we've gone as far as we possibly can to make this as good as we possibly can, not just for us and the sort of hip pocket, but also for the environment.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Maybe radical changes ahead such as kindergarten kids also needing driving licenses if they're going to drive to school themselves and park at school, I mean, who knows what's ahead. I mean, it's changing so rapidly this sector, as you say, it's actually fascinating to watch it unfold.
Amelia Johns:
I think we already see certain groups of people delaying getting their license today. And there's different schools of thought around why that is. I mean, there's just a sense of maybe you don't need it as urgently, but likewise there's been changes to how you get licensed and it takes longer. And mum and dad are working longer, working often more and more jobs.
Amelia Johns:
So I do think that there's probably a combination of things that are impacting why people delay the onset of getting their license. There's no indication yet that driving is completely irrelevant, whether that means you're driving yourself or you're getting into a car that's being driven by someone else.
Amelia Johns:
So I think you kind of touched on it, but it's possible that the whole concept of licenses could completely evolve to mean something more than just operating a vehicle yourself. Maybe it'll include other types of vehicles or being a passenger in an automated vehicle. You never know. So I think just stay open-minded, watch this space and just assume there will be disruption, but for now I wouldn't expect five and six year olds to probably still in 10 years' time be getting a license.
Yvette Poshoglian:
They have to get their pen license first before anything else.
Amelia Johns:
I've got memories as well of that transition. It was a big moment in any person's school career, making the move from pencil to pen is a big moment. And then you grow up and you get older and you realise pencils are the way to go anyway. So it's just a big loop where you end up back at the beginning.
Joachim Cohen:
I'm just excited to see what the next generation is going to envisage for us and what their wild and innovative and problem solving ideas are going to do to change the world. And I think you guys over at NRMA, you are super keen to tap into that as well. And you've given them a challenge to consider what the future might look like and to design and prototype some solutions. Can you tell us about it?
Amelia Johns:
Sure. So it's called the NRMN future of transport challenge and it invites students to apply design thinking skills, to solve a real world transport issue. And then pitch the idea back into industry experts. So it's really good experience and exposure for young people to sort of take what they're doing in the school environment and practice that in the, I guess, kind of corporate or real world environment.
Amelia Johns:
It offers a pretty unique opportunity as well to explore problems and design solutions and learn entrepreneurial skills, which will be valuable to a lot of future workers. Last year's winner, they developed an app for real time booking of special provisions like ramps or help from a guard and so on when traveling by train.
Amelia Johns:
And so that was aimed at making train travel more acceptable for people who might have mobility issues, not just perhaps wheelchair or crutches, but also people like myself with prams, people with big double prams, whereas today you've got a call up ahead. And so fabulous ideas that come through that program, really wonderful.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Well, that's the now and what they've created already and what students are already prompting us to think about. What's next? What are you working on and what problems can our listeners and their students potentially help you solve?
Amelia Johns:
A lot of problems. When I say problems, I don't mean that in a negative context, it's just, it's the way that we think about designing solutions is to come up with a problem statement that customers or you and me, any of us might be going through. So we're working on the whole customer journey around vehicle ownership or needs and how that might be disrupted right from researching purchase through use, looking after, sharing through the disposal, whether or not you need to be owning and running that yourself, or you want to share that with other people and looking at what might need to pivot or be created that's new.
Amelia Johns:
And I think I mentioned this earlier, but younger people, they don't tend to restrict their thinking around problem solving. And one of the most critical things that our teachers and the parents of these students can do is to keep that up, encourage true curiosity and unrestricted thinking around problem solving.
Amelia Johns:
And one of the easiest ways to do that, I mean, we use this in workshop forums all the time is don't use the word, but, use the word, and. When you're helping people, when people are thinking out loud and sharing ideas, don't try and restrict them straight away, try and expand it further and see how far you can go.
Amelia Johns:
And these are simple ways that you can encourage people to get further and further and further with an idea that can evolve into a solution that could solve significant problems for the people in our communities today.
Joachim Cohen:
Amelia, amazing. And I love that use of the word. And because while you were saying that I found what you're talking about mobility so clinical, and yet I'm a passionate car and transport enthusiast. And I look at it and go, oh my God, you're taking away all the passion and the ownership of the car out of it, but you're not, it's an and. You're getting that as well as that!
Amelia Johns:
That's right.
Joachim Cohen:
Absolutely. Now, Amelia, we have been so lucky to have you on the podcast today, but there's a surprise question we've got in store for you. And it's just about to come your way. Now, you might've heard of a very famous podcast over in the UK called Desert Island Discs.
Amelia Johns:
Yes.
Joachim Cohen:
You have, you've heard of it.
Amelia Johns:
Yep. I lived in the UK and they include it in The Week, which is a magazine that summarises all of the news from around the globe. But it's included in that.
Joachim Cohen:
Amazing. Well, are not going to challenge you to choose your favorite tune. But what we are going to do is we call ours rocket ship robots. So you've got to imagine you're in the latest and greatest form of mobility or maybe not greatest, but latest. Maybe not even the latest, but you're heading up to space in your rocket, what piece of technology would you take with you?
Amelia Johns:
Goodness, me. I think I would probably take my iPad. I was thinking you were going to ask about music, but I guess the iPad would work for me because where I'm at, I'm assuming, because I've got dependents who I would have with me, it would allow me to do everything I can do, whether it's work or I'm writing a book in a separate version of my life, but I can also use it for wiggles and urgent YouTube watching, which is sometimes needed when there's something amiss or a nappy needs to be changed and the mood is not right for it to happen without some form of Wake Up Lachy or CocoMelon, or all these things I'm suddenly learning about.
Amelia Johns:
So, I think I would take that, but I know it's quite lightweight and fairly small. So depending on other contexts, I mean, you didn't say whether or not I was going to be on a deserted island at the end of this travel experience, but I guess I'm just projecting if I'm going to be somewhere where I can't have a lot of luggage, it's fairly compact and so that's me.
Joachim Cohen:
You are the first guest who's actually taken their family with them.
Yvette Poshoglian:
You also mentioned a destination which nobody else ever has.
Amelia Johns:
And if I was going on my own with no dependents and I could do whatever, I'm not sure I'd take anything, because I kind of like switching off.
Joachim Cohen:
If we could give you a free ticket, we would. Thank you so much, Amelia. The future of mobility, it's so exciting. There is so many opportunities for students to think differently, to innovate, to be part of the redefinition of his industry and STEM skills, from what you're saying really do play a pivotal role.
Amelia Johns:
Absolutely.
Linda Lazenby:
So, Joe and Yvette, do you think you'll buy a car again and will it be electric?
Joachim Cohen:
That is such a tough one. Linda, because at the moment I don't have a car and it's killing me. I really love to have a car. I love mobility. I love wheels, but I can really see some advantages to the sharing economy. I think that maybe that is going to be the way of the future. And if it's not electric around town, maybe it's going to be hydrogen when we go out into the country areas. But I know I am so excited to see what the future holds. How about you Yvette?
Yvette Poshoglian:
I'm keen to get one. I just think like most people who are really committed to driving a cleaner vehicle, we need are the price points of them to come down and maybe have some of those tax exemptions provided by the government to make it more affordable and a more realistic vehicle to drive.
Yvette Poshoglian:
I know that Australia is a bit behind the other major countries in terms of having targets for EVs on the road. So I'd like to think that we're moving in that direction. And then when that happens it'll obviously be far more widespread because I definitely want one. I think it's just prohibitive at the moment, unfortunately, for a lot of people for the mass take-up, but yes, I'd love one.
Joachim Cohen:
I mean, I'm thinking about it as well in terms of our students' futures and electric cars are a lot more simple, well, I think they are, a little bit more simple in terms of how they function and maybe don't need as much maintenance and, plug them into a community, you don't potentially have to get under the bonnet as frequently. What does that mean for students who might've wanted to become a mechanic in the past? Do you think those careers will still exist? What are your thoughts, Linda?
Linda Lazenby:
Joe, I suppose it's one of those issues where people need to think ahead about what the changing space will be and maybe get involved in that and be at the forefront of that innovation rather than trying to chase their tails on it.
Joachim Cohen:
Absolutely. The time is now to start thinking about being flexible, being adaptable and having a love of learning. Now, it's the science week time of year and we know STEM skills and technology skills are going to be key to the future of mobility. How would you tackle developing these skills and the game changers of tomorrow? What are some of the things teachers can do around this year science week team? Team, what do we have to inspire students and teachers?
Yvette Poshoglian:
Well, as you know I'm a massive fan of the T4L Kids magazine, Joe and Linda. And I think to get them in this frame of mind, there's plenty of creative challenges in some of our recent issues, but why don't we get them thinking about designing a bus shelter or a charging station? What a service station looks like in the future.
Yvette Poshoglian:
It might even only be a few years away, but wanted to get them thinking about what facilities would be in a servo as we've discussed with Amelia and what that might look like. So whether they're designing it in 2D, whether it's just getting a pen on paper and drawing it out and planning it out or going a bit more 3D by using some of the 3D design tools, I'd be encouraging them to think about visualising that and putting it into thought and how it could actually be brought into the real world and maybe what the skills around those particular places and industries would look like. So, that's what I was thinking.
Joachim Cohen:
I love that, Yvette. I love that T4L Kids Minecraft issue and oh wow, I've seen some great examples online over in Europe of the way in which the service station of the future or the service station of now is like a real shopping mecca. It's a great place to have a lovely meal and cup of coffee while you're waiting for your electric vehicle to charge. I can't wait to see the ideas that students come up with that's for sure.
Joachim Cohen:
And I've been going down a little bit of a route like a T4L Kids as well, except I've jumped down the totally tech route. Now, for those of you who haven't heard of totally tech, it's a new series that we're putting together just for kids. And the first edition that we've gone out is all about Australia's super computer.
Joachim Cohen:
So it's a great resource to share with students. They can watch it on their own independently, or you could watch it over a Zoom call or in the classroom. And then there are loads of connected learning activities. And we walk through what the supercomputer is, how it works, how data is so key to our future and helps us solve problems.
Joachim Cohen:
And you never know, you might be able to find some data that can help solve some problems around mobility. So a really great addition to go and take a look at, and I think will inspire both students and give plenty of ideas to teachers as well. Linda, you're last on the list.
Linda Lazenby:
So I wanted to share, obviously the stem T4L Learning Library has some fantastic resources for building all of these skills that we talked about with our students. Some of our learning challenges really support developing that thinking out in our students, the spike smart car learning challenge might be really helpful on the back of this conversation and that's suitable right from stage one up to stage four. So I would encourage teachers to have a dabble in that.
Joachim Cohen:
So we've come to the end of another episode of the Virtual Staff Room and to see us out, we have an awesome tip of techno wizardry wisdom and we are lucky enough today to hear from one of our rural teachers, as we hear more stories from our road trip to Dubbo.
Tim Castle:
Hey, everyone, my name is Tim Castle. I am a digital classroom officer at Dubbo South Primary School. I've been asked to share some of my top tech tips for you. After running PL sessions, I often share short how to videos that reinforce the skills being taught. We found we had so many video links in email circulation.
Tim Castle:
We also had so many links from other various staff in circulation driving their own school focused team or area. Google sites, it's been our answer. It's been amazing. We've created a school resource hub where staff can readily access videos that are created on this webpage.
Tim Castle:
Staff have been able to make their own sub page, and they've been able to share important links, infos, videos and strategies being driven from within their own focus teams. This has saved so many repetitive emails, so many repetitive instructions at staff meeting, so many links being bookmarked. It has helped staff build their own skills, increase their capacity in areas and consistently access digital areas we are driving in our school all in the one place. It has been amazing. I cannot encourage it enough.
Joachim Cohen:
So, Yvette and Linda, mobility takes on a whole new meaning after today's episode, especially as we ponder what the future might look like.
Yvette Poshoglian:
Just a little note, please be aware that all views expressed by the podcast presenters, that's us, are our personal opinions and not representative of the New South Wales Department of Education. Discussions aren't endorsements of third party products, services, or events. And please note that as much as we sound like it, we are not experts in legal ease, tech speak or anything in between.
Linda Lazenby:
We're just passionate people keen to boost technology for learning in the classroom and to help build the skills in your students and for you to solve the problems of tomorrow. Do your due diligence, read further and if we've got something wrong, let us know. We too are always learning and always improving.
Joachim Cohen:
This podcast has been produced by the Masterful Jacob Druce with the assistance and supreme coordination or many more awesome members of the Technology 4 Learning team. Before we go, please make sure you send us through your comments, your word of techno wizardry wisdom and your thoughts for new guests and segments. And if you liked the podcast, give us a rating so more and more educators find us and be inspired to get a little techie in the classroom. Stay Supreme, get learning, stay passionate, everyone. And thanks for joining us.