On 2 November, Sheldon College educators held three virtual workshops at the free NESA Accredited and AITSL aligned Conference ‘IGC20’ in collaboration with Sheldon LINQ Academy. Our educators demonstrated the implementation of flipped and blended learning and how these practices promote Sheldon College’s six Student Exit Outcomes.  

Teachers, students, and parents have had to embrace new technologies and pedagogies to ensure the continuation of student learning. IGC20 showcased Australian educators looking for practical applications, creative ideas and insight into what it means to teach beyond the walls of the classroom.  

Our educators placed a strong emphasis on students being exposed to authentic practices and skills that can later serve more complex and innovative endeavours, aimed at educators across Australia wanting to inspire greatness in others. 

Meagan Parsons, Sheldon College Junior College Teacher and Learning Design, explored the many ways in which the SMART Learning Suite can be used as an effective tool in supporting differentiation and feedback strategies for teachers in Junior and Middle College during her workshop ‘Differentiating Curriculum with SMART Technologies - Teaching with EdTech’. Participants also discovered the value of gamification and collaboration within a learning context during this virtual session. 

Early Childhood Teacher, Sarah Hutley is passionate about creating engaging and achievable learning experiences for her students through the use of technologies, gamification and play-based activities. During her workshop ‘Early Learning Notebook Strategies - Teaching with EdTech’ she explored quick and easy strategies to incorporate sound recognition and isolation, number matching and identification through interactive, hands-on and engaging learning experiences. She explained how to custom design these short experiences to foster curiosity in the early years program along with collating instant feedback to determine student growth and understanding.  

Heidi Esdaile, Music Specialist Teacher held her session on ‘Transforming Learning with Technology in Music’, relevant for teachers in Preparatory through to Year 4. She explored flipped learning strategies and SMART technological tools used to deliver music lessons during the remote learning period and how this experience can shift our practice. She successfully transformed her classroom during the remote-learning period by teaching over 350 students, requiring her to foster independent learning and employ effective feedback strategies.  

The IGC20 3D virtual event was joined by global education experts and included live video streaming, keynote and breakout sessions, speaker Q&A, interactive exhibits on the show floor and more, all experienced by registered participants in any location globally via the sophisticated SMART 360 Platform.

This engaging virtual event showcased the latest innovations in education technologies, tools and solutions by industry experts and provided access to virtual booths and downloadable resources. 

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