Sentral Station

Yong Zhao is a Federation Distinguished Professor in the school of education at the university of Kansas and a professor in educational leadership at the Melbourne graduate school of education. He's published many books, articles and papers and is quite outspoken on ways to avoid looking to the past, and instead looking to the future for ways to improve education. Yong joined me on the podcast in July 2021, and it's great to have him back on the show in the lead up to the 2022 Sydney Morning Herald Schools Summit, where he'll be giving a keynote address. Yong's theme this year? Learners without borders: new conditions of learning and teaching I caught up with Yong before the summit to dive into some of the ideas he'll be presenting on. Like last time, Yong brings inspirational thinking to the challenges facing education, and he does so with passion and good humour. Given that we've all had to become a lot more comfortable about staying within our borders during the last 2 years, I started by asking, just exactly which borders was he talking about when it comes to education...and how far do they extend? For more information about Yong Zhao's work, visit the website. http://www.zhaolearning.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Ruth Pepin manages an energetic and diverse team of support and implementation agents to make sure that Sentral customers have a smooth and seamless user experience. Ruth has worked in technology for several decades. Originally starting in the corporate sector with a training consultancy background, Ruth then turned her attention to education where she could directly contribute to the incredible work done by our teachers and students. In this interview, Ruth outlines some of the exciting improvements that Sentral is introducing to its support systems throughout Term 3, 2021, and beyond. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Rob Edwards has been inspiring audiences for decades with his message that encourages people to look after themselves...first. And that is, in a way that ultimately benefits others. A little bit like putting on your own oxygen mask first, before helping others. In the world of education these days, the pressure and expectation are certainly mounting to the point where it's easy to forget about looking after yourself, .... which then affects other things in our lives such as how effective we are as teachers and how we interact with our families. Rob brings a wealth of experience from interacting with just about every industry you can think of, and he does so in a way that's practical, easy to listen to and entertaining. Rob will be speaking at the 2021 Western Australian Primary Principals conference. I caught up with Rob in the lead up, to find out a little more about what educators can do to make sure they're looking after themselves. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

James O'Loghlin is one of Australia's most well-known presenters and entertainers. Many would know him as the host of The New Inventors on ABC television and for his programs on ABC local radio. James has engaged with hundreds of innovators over the years and worked extensively with organisations to explain how innovation happens, and how people can be more innovative. He's also just recently launched a podcast with Professor Ian Hickie called Minding Your Mind, which explores the complex world of mental health. James is presenting at the 2021 Western Australian Secondary Schools Executives Association conference on the subject of overcoming barriers to education. I caught up with James prior the conference to tease out some of the tricky issues in this space. James has loads of practical advice for teachers and schools leaders and he shares his message with sincerity and great humour. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information, visit the website. https://sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Dr Julie Crews teaches business ethics and corporate governance at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia. She has appeared regularly in various media outlets including radio, television and print media speaking about business ethics and corporate governance. Prior to her current role in the university sector, Julie had a long career in education and the public service. She has conducted many forums on ethics and leadership in both the public and private sectors in Australia. And this year, she'll be presenting at the 2021 Western Australian Primary Principal's Association conference. In this discussion we take a look at ethical leadership in various contexts, but also with a focus on education, and what that means for teachers and school leaders today. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Yong Zhao is a Federation Distinguished Professor in the school of education at the university of Kansas and a professor in educational leadership at the Melbourne graduate school of education. He's published many books, articles and papers and is quite outspoken on ways to avoid looking to the past, and instead looking to the future for ways to improve education. Yong is a keynote speaker at the 2021 Western Australian Secondary School Excutives Association conference where he'll be talking about reaching for greatness; personalisable education for all. I caught up with Yong before the conference to find out what he means by that and where his thinking comes from. We started by uncovering what many would think is a rather controversial view of the international standardised test we know as PISA. For more on Yong Zhao, visit the website https://zhaolearning.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information, visit https://sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Gihan Perera is a leadership and business futurist and has worked with organisations and leaders in Australia and internationally, for over 25 years. He's also just released his new book "Disrupted: Leading the change through crisis, recovery and growth" Gihan will be presenting at the 2021 Western Australian Secondary School Executives Association Conference on the challenging topics of leadership and high-performance teams. Always relevant, and maybe now more than ever as the world deals with all manner of crises. In fact, according to Gihan, a crisis doesn't create leaders - it amplifies them. For more information about Gihan Perera, visit https://gihanperera.com Find Gihan's new book, Disrupted on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0973Z7F5C/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_53TWAXKJN973C7GK4Q4P This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit https://sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

STEM education is still a challenge, and probably will be for a while. Some schools have got strong STEM programs, whilst others have technology programs that do STEM-like projects, and there's everything else in between. My guests today are Malyn Mawby and Nikki Shires, both STEM educators and advocates for girls' involvement in STEM education. In this discussion we cover just how to sell the value proposition of STEM to young people and what kinds of innovative approaches are needed to keep the vision alive, realistic and relevant for an unknown future. I started by asking them how they got there, and why we still think about STEM as a thing. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit the website. https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Part 2 with Jason Potts, RMIT Where does Bitcoin come from? Should young people today be concerned about the security issues now and into the future? Jason Potts is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at RMIT University and Co-director of the Blockchain Innovation Hub at RMIT. He'll also be a keynote speaker at the 2021 AIS NSW ICT Management and Leadership Conference. If the words 'blockchain' and 'bitcoin' cause you some confusion, then you're not alone. And that's because it's about more than just currency, or money. These are emerging technologies which are likely to change the way we think about storing and exchanging value forever. And for the school students of today, they're growing up into a world which is seeing unprecedented innovation in this space. At the same time, subjects at school like Economics and Business Studies are enormously popular. What does all this mean for those students as they pursue those subjects? This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit the website, https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Part 1 Jason Potts is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at RMIT University and Co-director of the Blockchain Innovation Hub at RMIT. He'll also be a keynote speaker at the 2021 AIS NSW ICT Management and Leadership Conference. If the words 'blockchain' and 'bitcoin' cause you some confusion, then you're not alone. And that's because it's about more than just currency, or money. These are emerging technologies which are likely to change the way we think about storing and exchanging value forever. And for the school students of today, they're growing up into a world which is seeing unprecedented innovation in this space. At the same time, subjects at school like Economics and Business Studies are enormously popular. What does all this mean for those students as they pursue those subjects? Today's discussion is about something complex, exciting, highly innovative and it's capturing attention the world over. And because of that, we're going to bring it to you in two parts. I started by asking Jason...just how does a young person today begin to make sense of a technology like this, particularly when it's not regulated. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Jordana Hunter is a researcher at the Grattan Institute, an Australian public policy think tank based in Melbourne. She's about to embark on research which addresses the age old issue of 'time' in education. Do teachers have enough time for the core part of their jobs, that is, teaching and learning? And is the profession sustainable, given the increasing demands placed on teachers and schools to teach a whole lot of other things....like general capabilities, technology, citizenship, health, and the list goes on. Jordana presented at the 2021 Age Schools summit in Melbourne on the complex issue of time as a precious resource for teachers. I caught up with Jordana before the summit to get deeper insight into this important research. Have your say in the Grattan Institute Survey! https://mailchi.mp/grattan/education-survey The Grattan Institute is currently investigating how teachers can find enough time in the week to focus on the types of high impact teaching activities that can really make a difference to student learning - like planning great lessons, helping struggling students, providing feedback and improving professional practice. Grattan researchers want to hear from teachers and school leaders about how they currently spend their time at school and the changes that might be possible to find more time for these high impact activities. Grattan will shortly launch a survey of teachers and school leaders so that you can let them know what you think. You can sign up to receive a link to the survey by going to: https://mailchi.mp/grattan/education-survey --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Jen Buchanan is an educator with truly global experience. Having worked in a variety of contexts, she brings a wealth of insight when it comes to helping schools consider what the future of education might look like. It can be a confronting process. As Jen explains from her own experience, things like having to unlearn, or let things go, can often be a part of making the next steps towards a more innovative, or high impact future. Our conversation starts by taking a brief look back at Jen's time at Green School, in Bali, where the direction of the learning programme is clear: and that is, towards an education revolution. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Gail McHardy is the executive officer for Parents Victoria, a statewide democratic organisation representing parents of students in Victorian Government schools. Gail will be a panellist at the 2021 Age Schools Summit in Melbourne Australia, where she'll be engaging on a variety of themes around technology in education. In this discussion, we'll cover a range of issues including equity with respect to technology, and the amount of input that parents get in the greater technology debate. We'll also look at some of the challenges surrounding technology, particularly with respect to wellbeing and what problems are emerging in that space. Gail is passionate about the work of Parents Victoria and this assistance it provides to families. To find out more, visit Parents Victoria on the web, at https://www.parentsvictoria.asn.au. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit the website, https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If the idea of a 'hackathon' gives you the impression of blokey tech nerds huddled around computers in basements eating pizza and drinking beer...you'd be fairly close to describing reality. At least that's what Sarah Moran found out when she was invited to one some years ago. Apart from the fact that there weren't many women at these events, it was hard for Sarah to see why anyone would attend one of these events. This led her to reimagine what a hackathon could be like... bring the concept into the light and ultimately create what is now known as Girl Geek Academy. Its purpose is clear...to fix the hole in the tech pipeline by teaching women, girls and families across a range of different industries including games, startups, 3D printing, making, design, tech, drones, space and aviation. In this discussion you'll hear Sarah describe her journey, and how Girl Geek Academy is helping young women achieve and thrive in the tech space. If you're looking for inspiration and enthusiasm, you'll find it here. Sarah's got loads of it. Connect with Girl Geek Academy Girl Geek Academy This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Monique Dalli is a Victorian Secondary Teacher of Design and Technologies, Author and Designer. Monique will be a discussion panellist at the 2021 Age Schools Summit in Melbourne Australia, where she'll be engaging on a variety of themes around technology in education. In particular, there'll be robust discussion about mentoring, professional development, initial teacher education programs and the innovative nature of the Technologies curriculum. It's a complex subject area given its breadth and the variety of skills needed to teach it. In this conversation, we dive into some of those complexities and talk about ways to address what appears to be a shortage, or crisis, in the supply of new technology teachers in Australia. There's a lot of great work going on, but more needs to be done to ensure a sustainable supply of teachers. And for more information on that work, make sure you check out the information and links in the show notes to this episode. I started by asking Monique to clarify what the subject area looks like today and why it's different from the past. Monique Dalli Director of Professional Learning || Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, Braybrook President DATTA Australia || Design and Technologies Teacher Association Casual Academic (Teaching) - School of Education || Southern Cross University Twitter link for contact: https://twitter.com/1moniqued For more information... DATTA Australia is the National teacher Association made up of committee of state representatives that are collectively working on the professional development needs of teachers through state and national conferences, ways to support the teacher shortage as a well as being active in the ACARA curriculum advisory panels. In 2019 DATTA Australia surveyed schools to try and get a better understanding of the supply-demand-need, from the 3000 respondents, ninety-six percent of the schools surveyed reported experiencing difficulty in finding qualified Technologies teachers. https://dattaaustralia.com/technologies-teacher-shortage-media-statement/ Is it a crisis? https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/tech-education-could-be-unsustainable-by-2025--report/275085 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Sending or receiving a txt. It used to be special, now life seems impossible without it. But what about in the school environment? My guest today is David Summerville. He's been on the show a few times and returns today to discuss what most of us might just take for granted these days; sms messaging. David describes the transformation that took place in handling communications at Callaghan College in Newcastle, and how the technology continues to benefit the school today. It's become an essential part of the mix of communication methods the school uses, has freed up all kinds of resources and creates significant cost savings for the college. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Kurt Yang has extensive experience working in technology, and despite not coming from what you might call a traditional robotics background, his interest grew from somewhat of an unexpected opportunity. Kurt spent many years working in the field of educational robotics, helping schools and students understand the wonders of this crazy field of engineering. According to Kurt, soft skills are just as important as the technical skills when comes to designing and implementing robotics successfully. For those of us frightened of coding...that's good news. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral, providers of Australia's leading school management platform to over 3000 schools. To find out more, visit the website, https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Engagement and achievement. Surely we've heard this before. Well, yes, but there is more to say. Andy Hargreaves is an international writer, researcher and advisor on teaching, leadership and educational change. He's also the founder and director of a Canadian educational centre called CHENINE, which is an acronym that stands for Change, Engagement and Innovation in Education. Andy will be presenting a keynote at the 2021 Sydney Morning Herald Schools summit, with an address titled "Engagement is the new frontier of achievement". He's devoted most of his life to improving education and challenges us again with the notion that engagement is critical to student learning, and that we have an over obsession with performance. To find out how those two fit together and what that means we cover a broad range of topics with some great practical advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Cameron Paterson is a highly experienced teacher and has been teaching in independent schools for several decades. Cameron will be participating in the 2021 Sydney Morning Herald Schools Summit as a discussion panellist, addressing the pressures on the teaching profession in the 2020s. For Cameron, the pressures are real, but he encourages us to remember that teaching is highly rewarding and extremely valuable for our children and society, both now and into the future. Cameron's views are frank and he's passionate about quality teaching and learning. Cameron very kindly offered to spend some time talking with me before the summit about some of the pressures and what we can do to better support teachers. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information, visit the website. https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Peter Dalmaris is an online educator, engineer and electronics hobbyist. He's been an academic for over 15 years and believes the educational needs of future generations are radically different to those of the 20th century. In part 2 of my conversation with Peter, we explore what the future might look like for students in an educational environment that champions making, problem solving and discovery. Boldly going where no one has gone before requires some inspiration, so it's no surprise we start by talking about how Star Trek has influenced modern thinking. Find out more about Peter's work at https://techexplorations.com/ This podcast is brought to you by Sentral, providers of Australia's leading school management platform to over 3000 schools. To find out more, visit the website, https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Peter Dalmaris is an online educator, engineer and electronics hobbyist. He's been an academic for over 15 years and believes the educational needs of future generations are radically different to those of the 20th century. Peter believes that Maker Education is a great way to explore the STEM space. He's passionate about what he does and even has a dog named Einstein. Join me as I talk with Peter about STEM and maker education as an approach to learning. This is part 1, of a 2 part interview. Find out more about Peter's work at https://techexplorations.com/ This podcast is brought to you by Sentral, providers of Australia's leading school management platform to over 3000 schools. To find out more, visit the website, https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

WIN 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Tablets As it's the end of the year, we're feeling particularly generous here at Sentral. We're giving away not one, not two, but three Samsung Galaxy tablets! Start your new year with the latest stylish tech by following us on Facebook and Linked In. Simple! Simply click on our official Sentral Facebook and/or LinkedIn pages and like/follow us to be entered into the draw. facebook.com/sentraledu linkedin.com/company/sentral Promotion period runs from 24 November 2020 to 8 December 2020. *TERMS AND CONDITIONS By participating in the promotion, Participants represent that they understand and agree to be bound to the Promotion Terms, as they may be modified, and the decisions of Sentral which are final and binding. Promotion period runs from 24 November 2020 to 8 December 2020 • Prizes are not transferable for cash • Any FBT applicable is the responsibility of the prize recipient • No Correspondence will be entered into regarding the drawing of Winners and Sentral's decision is final • Prizes will be drawn on 10 December 2020 and Winners notified by 11 December 2020 • Sentral reserves the rights to cancel or amend the promotion at any stage if deemed necessary in their opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of their control. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Life as a senior school student can be challenging at the best of times. You might be in a great school and have great teachers, but still need that extra bit of help to succeed in your studies. For students at Forest High School, a new initiative called the Trailblazer program was launched to provide that help. It's a peer tutoring and mentoring program that was created for senior students where the Trailblazers are recently graduated students themselves. Zali van der Veer was one of those graduates and now helps others on their path to high school success. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Celebrating Episode 50. Helen Murphy is the Assistant Principal at Vermont Primary School in Victoria. About 7 years ago, the school realised that it was time to look for a new reporting system. What they found in Sentral was a whole lot more, and the school quickly began to expand its use of Sentral and its capabilities. 7 years down the track it seems like a long way from the manual systems they'd been using, and it's very clear that there's no turning back. In my conversation today, Helen talks about the many benefits and positive changes that have taken place right across the school community since moving to Sentral back in 2014. As Helen describes, the staff were very quick to embrace it. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Long-time Sentral veteran David Summerville has over 20 years configuring and managing Sentral. The Dashboard is a relatively simple part of the platform, yet David explains the essential aspects of successful Dashboard setup and use within a school. David offers practical advice for all schools, whether new to Sentral or experienced. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Nathan Richards is a Microsoft Innovative Educator, and spends his time helping teachers and students get the most out of Microsoft Teams. It's a way of looking at managing and teaching classes that takes a different view to the traditional LMS...or learning management system. In fact, for Nathan, and Brisbane Catholic Education the view is very different...as they don't actually use a traditional LMS. And as Nathan describes, there are indeed many benefits and advantages of using the Teams environment to bring classes together to achieve better learning outcomes. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Amanda White is a senior lecturer in accounting at the University of Technology in Sydney, with a research focus on the teaching and learning aspects of accounting education. She speaks widely at conferences on accounting education, loves technology, and runs her own YouTube channel called Amanda Loves to Audit. Amanda is presenting at the 2020 Microsoft Eduday on the topic of "Do we need a traditional LMS?" --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Peter Barnes is a learning innovator who has helped countless students with software-based approaches to learning difficulties. He's also a grandparent and had the chance to observe how the sudden change to schooling caused by COVID-19 has impacted the experiences of his grandchildren. What have we gained, lost and learned during this time? Peter provides a unique perspective. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Tony Vallance (Teacher of the Year 2019) talks about STEAM / STEM education and what it all means. Tony shares practical tips to help schools get started with STEM programs by creating student centred project which are engaging and relevant for our rapidly changing world. Tony brings enormous energy and enthusiasm to this exciting area of learning. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

David Summerville is the Head Teacher, Technology, at Callaghan College Wallsend Campus, in Newcastle NSW. When it comes to using Sentral, few people are better qualified to talk about the platform than David. He was there from the beginning, and still there now many years later. In this episode I briefly retrace some of the history of Sentral and how the product has matured to what it is today. David explains the positive transformation that Sentral brings to schools and the many benefits of moving to Sentral in the Cloud. It's not just the administrative and technical benefits of Sentral, but also the cultural and collegial improvements it encourages. For David, running a school without Sentral is just about unimaginable. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Assistant Principal Kristy Sutton describes the improvements and efficiencies gained by adopting Sentral as the student management platform for Weston Public School. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

It's the end of year holiday season again and time to take a break. Have a listen to these highlights as we take a quick look back over a few episodes from 2019. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Lubna Haddad helps teachers get the most out of their modern history students by developing higher order thinking skills. Practical advice for the classroom. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Block practise has its place when learning new concepts and procedures. But is it over-used, and could this actually be harmful to the learning process? Richard Andrew discusses with respect to learning maths. Also, check out Richard's article for more information. https://www.learnimplementshare.com/we-need-less-block-practice-and-more-interleaving.html To contact Richard, you can send him an email. richard@learnimplementshare.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit the website, http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Kylie Fabri describes the landscape for wellbeing in the age of mobile technology, and provides practical insight for parents and teachers. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Kylie Fabri describes aspects of creating effective wellbeing categories with Sentral. Staff buy in, collaboration and ownership of categories is essential to achieving a result the generates positive outcomes. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Kylie Fabri on the benefits of using Sentral for managing wellbeing. Improvements include quality of data, communication, collaboration, and generally improve wellbeing outcomes for students and the school community. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

What happens when a student asks "What do I do when I'm finished?".Keep your students engaged with this simple but effective extension exercise. Former maths teacher and now presenter, Richard Andrew, discusses the idea in the context of maths, but it's broadly applicable to any subject area. You can also read Richard's original article at this link. https://www.learnimplementshare.com/best-ever-mathematics-extension-activity.html https://learnimplementshare.com Or, send Richard an email, richard@learnimplementshare.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. To find out more, visit https://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

How the language of 'wellbeing' has made a positive change of students, staff and families in schools today. Part 1 of a 3 part series with Deputy Principal, Kylie Fabri, of Callaghan College Newcastle. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Is there an approach to teaching maths that can actually make maths easier for students to understand? Richard Andrew explains, with practical tips on engaging learners through conceptual approaches to maths teaching. For further resources, check out this article by Richard. https://www.learnimplementshare.com/students-need-to-understand-school-maths.html --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Developing new methods, and habits of practice can be challenging. In this episode of Sentral Station, Simon Brooks explains why this can be difficult, and provides practical insight into developing new ideas and approaches to teaching and learning based on the cultures of thinking framework. This is the last of our four part series with Simon. If you haven't heard the previous three episodes, then we commend them to you. You may also wish to get in touch with Simon directly, and you can visit his website. http://www.simonbrookseducation.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based school management software for your school, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Coming up this November, Sentral Station will be releasing a short series on wellbeing, with Kylie Fabri, Deputy Principal of Callaghan College, Wallsend Campus in Newcastle. Over 3 episodes, we'll cover the language of wellbeing, the benefits of using a centralised system for managing wellbeing (like Sentral) and how technology has changed the nature of managing wellbeing in schools today. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Sometimes taking on new ideas and approaches is harder than you think. What if you're just not into it? In this episode of Sentral Station, education researcher Simon Brooks helps us navigate such a situation, and helps us turn frustration into curiosity. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Simon Brooks helps us to understand 'types of questions', and how to use them to really great effect in the classroom. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

We all think. But what is a culture of thinking? And if we don't have a culture of thinking, how do we go about creating one? Researcher and presenter, Simon Brooks, describes what it's all about. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Following from our previous episode, Richard Andrew takes us through a simple example of teaching maths conceptually. Using the concept of adding fractions with common denominators, Richard explains how the conceptual approach can make such a difference. To find out more about Richard's PD courses for teachers, visit the website. http://www.learnimplementshare.com or send him an email richard@learnimplementshare.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit the website. http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Richard Andrew, maths teacher and PD presenter, brings a refreshing view that all students can understand high school maths. It's based on his views about conceptual vs. procedural approaches to maths teaching. In his light hearted, but serious way, Richard helps us understand the benefits of conceptual approaches...with a few laughs along the way. To find out more about Richard's PD courses for maths teachers, visit the website. http://www.learnimplementshare.com or send him an email richard@learnimplementshare.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Coming soon. A series on 'Cultures of Thinking' with education researcher and presenter Simon Brooks. This series draws on the work of Ron Ritchhart and the Project Zero team at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The series provides insight and practical tips on developing cultures of thinking in our classrooms. In this highlight... guess what's in the teacher's head? This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

It's been a packed Term 3 this year, and I've had the pleasure of conducting some great interviews with passionate educators from around Australia. When you dive into what's actually going on, it doesn't take long to find some really great stories. In this episode, we'll take a look back over a few highlights from Term 3. In this episode... Peter Barnes, learning innovator, on the benefits of educational neuroscience. Greg Robinson, head of students, Hunter Valley Grammar School, on wellbeing and mindfulness. Brad Fuller, director of music at Northern Beaches Christian School on music technology and innovative music programs. Steve Howard, maths teacher and PD presenter on complex maths made purposeful. Richard Andrew, maths teacher and PD presenter on teacher transparency in the classroom. Monica Wulff, tech entrepreneur, on helping us to use technology more responsibly, and connecting with intent. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform used by 3000 schools around Australia, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Coming soon. A series on 'Cultures of Thinking' with education researcher and presenter Simon Brooks. This series draws on the work of Ron Ritchhart and the Project Zero team at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The series provides insight and practical tips on developing cultures of thinking in our classrooms. In this highlight, what is a typology of questions? This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Arvind Ramchundar works in the field of software product development. It's one of those fields where we perhaps don't really think about software being a product, like something we buy off the shelf, because these days it just seems to be all around us, all the time. And education is no exception. So what are the motivations that might draw someone to work in the education sector, but not actually in the classroom? For Arvind, the motivation runs quite deep, and I caught up with him in the office at the end of a busy day. The small conference room has quite the echo, but the message is loud and clear. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information about all our episodes and guests, visit http://www.sentral.com.au/podcast For information about proven web-based school management software for your school, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Coming soon. A series on 'Cultures of Thinking' with education researcher and presenter Simon Brooks. This series draws on the work of Ron Ritchhart and the Project Zero team at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The series provides insight and practical tips on developing cultures of thinking in our classrooms. In this highlight, just how much is technology affecting our ability to think? This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

It seems like everyone wants to make a movie these days. Well, perhaps not a movie, but at least a video that can record fun and precious moments of life. And the high quality cameras that we see in mobile phones these days makes that easier than ever. But what if we made movies or short films as a learning exercise at school? And not just learning about film making itself, but about subject content, like English, History, Science or Maths. My guest today is Lindsay Moss from Startime Studios, and that's exactly what he's helping students to do, through the art of film making. That's right, in addition to what you might call traditional methods of teaching, Startime is helping students explore the opportunities offered by film and media. Lindsay says that the responses from students and teachers has been very enthusiastic, and that kids just love to be in front of a camera. No surprises then that it's easy to get them involved. It's a connection that Lindsay hadn't quite planned for, but one that's making a positive difference in the lives of many students and teachers. For more information, visit http://www.startime.com.au This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proved web-based school management platform software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you've ever watched someone play the game, Minecraft, you could be forgiven for being a little confused as to what it's all about. Strange blocky looking characters, wandering around in a blocky looking world, where things are created and dismantled for no other reason than what appears to be pure fantasy. My guest today is Anthony McDonald, an English History teacher in regional NSW, and he's been wandering around in these worlds for some time now. But, he's also found that Minecraft is a great way to engage school kids in real learning exercises, in a range of different contexts. That's right... a computer game that really does engage and deliver learning outcomes. Now, you might be sceptical, but Anthony puts forward a very compelling case, and is now training other teachers how to use Minecraft in class with his courses run through TTA, or Teacher Training Australia. I started by asking Anthony whether just seeing it as a game was a fair assumption for the septics. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on a proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Have you ever felt like you needed a mentor? Someone you could count on in the workplace, an education setting, or even simply as a trusted friend? For school students this can be an incredibly important source of support. My guest today is Leah Shmerling, the director and principal consultant at career coaching and training. As part of her range of training solutions, Leah runs courses on coaching and mentoring for teachers through Teacher Training Australia, or TTA. And it's through these course that she's able to share her experience with teachers, so that they can help students with challenges at school, and the difficult transition from school to tertiary or work life. As Leah explains, she was fortunate to benefit from a great mentor herself.... something she's cherished for a long time. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you're a teacher, and sometimes wonder why you just can't get through to your students, have you ever considered that it might be due to some kind of hearing problem? Your students might not have a total hearing loss, but they may need some assistance to cope in our ever more demanding classrooms. My guest today is Jim Russell from Hearing Loop Australia, and works closely with schools to create environments that cater for students with hearing issues. Whilst Jim explains how the new technology available today is making a big difference for students with, and without hearing issues, he also explains that there is much to be done in improving our learning spaces for better hearing as well. I started by asking just how common hearing problems are in Australian schools. For information on assistive hearing technologies, visit Hearing Loop Australia http://hearingloop.com.au This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on Sentral's proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If the thought of doing maths makes you feel a bit uneasy, and concepts like combinatorics and graphical relationships sound like another language altogether, then you're definitely not alone. But thankfully, my guest today is doing his bit to help the world understand complex mathematics more easily. Steve Howard comes from a long line of teachers, and loves to spend his time at the complex end of maths, helping to prepare students for the jump to university. But he also loves to help teachers, and is a presenter of teacher pd courses for TTA, or Teacher Training Australia. Now, I don't mind maths, and kind of enjoyed it at school, although I did have to work hard at it. And this is something that Steve spends a lot of his time convincing his students of as well... they need to work hard at it. I started by asking Steve something that wouldn't frighten me too much, like... what is a real mathematician anyway. To find out more about Steve's courses with TTA, visit the TTA website, and search for Steve Howard. http://www.tta.edu.au This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on Sentral's proven web-based school management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Professional development, or PD, has now become a mandatory part of just about any industry you can think of. And of course education is no exception. My guest today is Miles Campbell, founder of Teacher Training Australia, or TTA, which is an organisation that collects insight and skill from Australia's best teachers, and makes that available through courses both face to face and online. Over the years, this has given Miles unique insight into what really makes good PD, how to measure what makes it good, and how to keep improving in a world that keeps demanding more flexibility and delivery options. In my discussion with Miles, one thing became very clear....Australia has many excellent teachers who are passionate about sharing their desire to help improve teaching and learning. For more information about teacher PD, and courses offered by TTA, visit http://www.tta.edu.au This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on Sentral's proven web-based management platform, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Have you ever considered how much you check your email? I've given it some thought, but my guest today has made me give the idea a big rethink. Monica Wulff is a technology entrepreneur, and the host of the Digital Love podcast. She's got a great tagline in her email signature that says quite simply, "I check my email at 10am and 3pm each day. If it's urgent give me a call." This resonated with me straight away, and so I've started to try it. And guess what.... It's really difficult. I was surprised at just how much attention I was giving to it. I started to wonder if this was a source of my technology exhaustion, and why I hadn't acted on it sooner. Could some kind of tech addiction be the problem? In my conversation with Monica, she shares how she's been able to navigate this path, and how she uses her experiences to help others. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based school management software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Managing a school's administration system can be a tough job. Especially if the school runs over multiple campuses with literally thousands of students to manage. My guest today is David Summerville who has exactly that job at Callaghan College, in Newcastle, north of Sydney. Over the last 20 years he's seen plenty of changes in the way technology has made its way into schools, from the bad old days of standalone computers and floppy disks, to fully integrated systems hosted in the cloud. David says the improvements have changed his life...for the better of course. He's been using Sentral for a long time now, and I caught up with him at the Wallsend Campus where he shared his story with me.... This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based school management software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Brad Fuller is the music director at Northern Beaches Christian School, in Sydney and is also a PhD candidate at Sydney University. In his career as a music educator, he was there when computers made their first real entry into mainstream education. Although the ride hasn't always been that easy, the evolution of technology has made things possible now that we could have only dreamed of in years past. It's not just new technology, but new types of music as well. And really, when it comes to technology, did any of us know what to expect? This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information on proven web-based school management software for your school, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

The use of computers in classrooms seems to be an endless question, dilemma, opportunity, and source of success and frustration. What was once new and special, now seems to be ubiquitous, at least in most situations. But are students actually using computers effectively in classrooms? Nicola Johnson is an associate professor of education at Edith Cowan university in Perth, who has spent some time studying this very question. I was really keen to find out more about this concept, but as we started talking, I found I was equally as keen to know about her next research projects, which focus on why we so quickly go for our mobile devices when our social situations get a little....awkward. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based student management software for your school, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you made it to EduTECH 2019 in Sydney this year, you'll appreciate how big the event was, and how much there was to see. Over 250 exhibitors and 20 seminars kept everyone busy with some amazing new technologies, programs, products and approaches to learning. In case you missed it, here's part 4 of our series of highlights from EduTECH 2019. Canvas http://www.canvaslms.com.au Soundtrap http://www.soundtrap.com Mud Kitchen http://www.mudkitchen.com.au Mumble by Design http://www.mumblebydesign.com.au This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based school management software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you think that robots that look like toys, are really just toys; then you might like to think again. Or if your school is considering investing in robots as part of a STEM program...well, the potential is mind blowing. My guest today is Sam Kingsley, from the Brainary which develops and supplies a variety of educational technologies that go far beyond what you might simply describe as... a toy. What I thought was going to be a conversation mainly around the social robot dog called Miro, turned out to be much more, including humanoids, androids, assistive technologies, programming... and how those things impact things like wellbeing, mental health, people living with autism, educational outcomes, and even aged care. This is truly a fascinating space. I caught up with Sam whilst he was attending the 2019 Queensland Association of Special Education Leaders conference at the Brisbane Hilton. For more information, visit www.thebrainary.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based student management software solutions for your school, visit www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you made it to EduTECH 2019 in Sydney this year, you'll appreciate how big the event was, and how much there was to see. Over 250 exhibitors and 20 seminars kept everyone busy with some amazing new technologies, programs, products and approaches to learning. In case you missed it, here's part 3 of our series of highlights from EduTECH 2019. Think You Know http://www.thinkuknow.org.au enhanceTV http://www.enhancetv.com.au SpaceTalk http://www.spacetalk.com.au Turnitin http://www.turnitin.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information about proven web-based school management software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Richard Andrew had a career as a maths teacher spanning several decades. In recent years he's been helping other teachers by developing online professional development courses covering maths teaching and student engagement. Like for many teachers, the first few years were really tough, and it was only after many years that Richard discovered the value of teacher transparency in the classroom. It's not about being see-through, but more about being a real person with the desired effect of reducing stress, defusing reactive situations and improving learning outcomes. It's a serious subject, with a lighter side, and Richard was kind enough to share a few of those experiences. To get in touch with Richard, visit the website http://www.learnimplementshare.com or send him an email richard@learnimplementshare.com For information about proven web-based school management software for your school, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you're in education, it's the season for conferences, and there aren't many bigger than EduTECH in Sydney. This year there were over 250 exhibitors and over 20 seminars on the latest in educational technology. It gave me a chance to step out of the studio and meet some people to chat about some of the latest developments. So, in case you couldn't make it, here's part 2 of our series of highlights from EduTECH 2019. Villy Outzen, from Lego Education villy.outzen@lego.com http://legoeducation.com Lindsay Moss, from Startime Studios lindsay@startime.com.au http://startime.com.au Jim Russell, from Hearing Loop jrussell@hearingloop.com.au http://hearingloop.com.au Giulio Ricci, from WASP Printers giulio@pca.net.au http://deltawasp.com.au This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven, web-based school management software for your school, visit http://sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Greg Robinson is the Head of Students, Senior School at Hunter Valley Grammar School in the NSW Hunter Valley region. He heads up a team of people including Heads of House, Heads of Year and also the deputy principal as they oversee and manage issues of Wellbeing in the school. As you might imagine, this is quite a task for a school of around 1100 students, particularly in a world that is changing rapidly with ever increasing demands and stresses on young people. I spoke with Greg about what Wellbeing encompasses these days, and how its changed from when we were both at school back in the 70s and 80s. Naturally, technology and social media feature in this discussion, but so do some great interventions like mindfulness, a time to set the devices aside, and the chance to be present in the moment. I visited Greg on campus, where on arrival I couldn't help noticing a sculpture of giant, brightly coloured pencils displaying the school's values for life, ...which seemed like a great place to start our discussion. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information on proven web-based school management software solutions for your school, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

If you're in education, it's the season for conferences, and there aren't many bigger than EduTECH in Sydney. This year there were over 250 exhibitors and over 20 seminars on the latest in educational technology. It was quite a bewildering display, but it gave me a chance to step out of the studio and meet some people to chat about some of the latest developments. So, in case you couldn't make it, here's part 1 of our series of highlights from EduTECH 2019. In this episode... Jenny Atkinson, from Littlescribe jenny.atkinson@littlescribe.com http://littlescribe.com Sam Kingsley, from the Brainary sam@thebrainary.com http://thebrainary.com Lydia Sprague, from 2simple lydia@2simple.com.au http://2simple.com.au Vlad Tetelbaum, from SWIVL vlad@swivl.com http://swivl.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For information on proven web-based school management solutions, visit http://sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Peter Barnes is an ex-banker turned learning innovator, based in Sydney. About 20 years ago he decided to leave the banking world and explore the emerging field of educational neuroscience. It saw him navigate turbulent times when it came to delivering educational neuroscience software. But times have changed. The computers and science are both better, and making significant differences to the lives of students with learning difficulties. It's a good example of how the struggle with technology sometimes really is worth it. I caught up with Peter in his home office, over a cup of tea at the kitchen table. For more information on educational neuroscience, visit http://www.learnfasthq.com This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information on proved web-based school management solutions, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Music as a subject in schools is one of those subjects where you'd think that you had plenty of opportunity to do creative and different things, in the pursuit of improving teaching practice. And that's just what Brad Fuller is exploring in his PhD research, on teaching music in secondary education. He's a music teacher at Northern Beaches Christian School, in Sydney, and a PhD candidate at Sydney University. He's come up with an interesting approach which you could almost consider as some kind of a tagline, which is...Teach like you're a musician. It's led him to come up with various approaches which might at first seem a little, well, unconventional, ... but the feedback from students suggests that this is certainly worth exploring. When I asked him to explain the idea, the conversation started by considering... the Ken Burns effect. This podcast is brought to you by Sentral. For more information about proven web-based school management software, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

Pammie Chatterton is the assistant principal at Picnic Point public school in Sydney's south west. About half way through 2018, the school began using the Sentral parent portal and app, and it's fair to say that the impact has been very positive. There was massive adoption of the portal by the parent body, and an increase in the speed and efficiency of outbound communication from the school. But as Pammie describes, there's more to communication than just new technology. It involves shifting perceptions on what communication means, and reflection on the changing responsibilities in a world where messages are so easily sent. To find out more about Sentral Parent Portal, visit http://www.sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message

It's often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and that's certainly the case for Tim Bowman, founder of Class Creator. As part of its mission to continuously drive innovation in education, Sentral teamed up with Tim to create Class Builder; a software program that builds classes for schools using some clever technology that saves time, and reduces hassle and conflict. But it's the story behind the product that makes it so powerful. Over a decade in classrooms has given Tim unique insight into what makes a good class and how to use technology to keep improving the class building process. It wasn't always a straightforward run for Tim, and he certainly saw his fair share of challenging classroom situations. I started by asking Tim to share a few of those moments that eventually led him to create a product that now helps teachers manage hundreds of thousands of students. To find out more about ClassBuilder, visit http://sentral.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentralstation/message