COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Classroom robots loom
The Conversation (opinion by Kristyn Sommer and Marie Boden), 17 Oct 2018
Robots facilitate learning when students learn from them or learn with them, and even when students have to prepare themselves for teaching the robot, two researchers say...

INDUSTRIAL ACTION
Stop work meetings loom
AEU Tas website, 16 Oct 2018
Some schools may have to close early on Wednesday next week, 24 October, when the AEU will hold stop work meetings around Tasmania, to make the point that 'enough is enough' over a range of issues...

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Lack of support for LGBTIQ discrimination
The Conversation (opinion), 16 Oct 2018
Discrimination by religious schools against LGBTIQ students and teachers is not supported by the wider community, four sociology academics write...

Legislation needed, The Conversation (opinion), 17 Oct 2018

TASMANIAN POLITICS
Relationship sparks stand-down
ABC News, 16 Oct 2018
The Minister for Primary Industries, Sarah Courtenay, will step down to allow an investigation of her personal relationship with the DPIPWE head, Dr John Whittington, to take place...

STUDENT HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Food as a reward
The Conversation (opinion), 16 Oct 2018
Five experts all say that food should not be used as a reward for good behaviour by children...

LITERACY
Giving help to spelling strugglers
The Conversation (opinion by Misty Adoniou), 16 Oct 2018
A literacy academic provides tips for parents who wish to help children who need spelling assistance...

STUDENT SUPPORT
Youngest misdiagnosed with ADHD
kidspot.com.au, 15 Oct 2018
The youngest and less mature children in a class are more likely to be wrongly diagnosed with ADHD and consequently receive inappropriate medication, another study shows...

STUDENT HEALTH
Open the classroom windows
stuff.co.nz, 15 Oct 2018
A study of indoor and outside air quality at a New Zealand school shows that for the sake of students' health the classroom windows should be opened more often...

YOUTH POLICY
Out of the mouths of schoolkids
ABC News, 11 Oct 2018
Tasmanian school students gathered at Campbell Town to provide their views on how a better future can be created for youth...

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Narrow the gay student ban
ABC News, 10 Oct 2018
(Updated)
A report from a panel chaired by former Liberal MP Philip Ruddock recommends that the ability of religious schools to turn away gay students should be formalised. This would effectively 'contract' the power, not expand it as earlier news reports had claimed, Ruddock says...
EARLIER REPORT: Religious schools would gain right to expel gay students, The Guardian, 10 Oct 2018
Ruddock report constrains, not expands, federal religious exemptions, The Conversation (opinion), 11 Oct 2018
PM vows to ban expulsion of gay students, ABC News, 13 Oct 2018

LITERACY
Getting boys to read more
The Conversation (opinion by Margaret Kristin Merger), 10 Oct 2018
An education lecturer suggests six strategies to "connect boys with books"..

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
Birthday lottery
The Conversation (opinion), 9 Oct 2018
Where a child's birthday falls in relation to his or her state's school starting cut-off age has an impact on their self-confidence and success in life, research shows...

CYBERBULYING
Jail for trolls and cyberbullies
ABC News, 8 Oct 2018
Cyberbullying and online trolling could lead to jail under laws to be introduced in NSW. Even juveniles will be subject to the laws, but "in the most extreme circumstances"...
The spelling has finally changed form "gaol" to "jail": Jail or gaol, ABC, 22 Jun 2016

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDING
$1.75 billion for three-year-olds promised
The Conversation (opinion by Allison Elliott), 5 Oct 2018
Research shows there certainly are benefits from boosting early childhood education, as federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten has promised to do...
Labor pledges $1.75b for three-year-old preschoolers, ABC News, 5 Oct 2018

EDUCATION FUNDING
'Sector-blind' funding a myth
ABC News (opinion by Glenn C. Savage), 4 Oct 2018
Gonski's needs-based funding aims and equality in education are not achieved under a so-called 'sector-blind' approach to funding for Catholic and independent schools, an education academic writes.
Should the government pick up the tab for private school funding?, ABC News, 5 Oct 2018

RETENTION RATES
Retention rate: stagnant or rising?
ABC News, 3 Oct 2018
ACARA data shows Tasmania's Year 12 retention rate has risen by only one percentage point to 71.5 per cent over the 10 years to 2017, but education minister Jeremy Rockliff says over the last four years it has risen from 70 to 74 per cent..
Retention reforms working, Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training, 3 Oct 2018
Tackle disengagement much earlier, Michelle O'Byrne, Opposition education spokesperson, 3 Oct 2018

FINANCIAL LITERACY
CommBank paid Qld schools $400,000
ABC News, 2 Oct 2018
The Commonwealth Bank has paid Queensland government schools almost $400,000 to sign up students to their school banking program...
Time to get Dollarmites out of schools, ABC News (opinion), 3 Oct 2018
No data on CommBank's Dollarmites in SA, ABC News, 3 Oct 2018

News continued in the
Sep 2018 news archive
See also the News archive index

TASMANIAN FIRES For updated alerts, see:

 
TASMANIAN HISTORY
Hobart's coastal defences

Several gun batteries were built on the shores of Hobart's River Derwent in the nineteenth century.

New sites continued below

New sites (cont'd)

TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL CULTURE
The Orb
Outstanding quality short videos and other teaching materials to give students of all ages an appreciation of Tasmanian Aboriginal culture.
See also the DoE's The Orb web page

FAUNA
Pooseum

Learn about animal droppings at Richmond's Pooseum.

MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY
Airbag recall

Enter your car number plate to find out whether your car is affected by the Takata airbag recall.

TASMANIAN HISTORY
The Colonisation of Hobart

The eSmart Digital Licence program has been taken up by a number of schools including Lansdowne Crescent Primary.

ONLINE SAFETY
eSmart Digital Licence

The eSmart Digital Licence program has been taken up by a number of schools including Lansdowne Crescent Primary.

CONSUMER AFFAIRS
Airbag recalls list

Is your car on the ACCC's Takata airbag recalls list? One million cars were recently added. (Note the link to FUTURE recalls.)
See also Tasmanians urged to check airbag recall list, Tas Govt media release, 28 May 2018

MARINE SCIENCE
Educator on Board program

The CSIRO's Educator on Board program is enabling teachers to prepare STEM teaching material and conduct lessons from the RV Investigator in Antarctic waters.
More information for teachers
See 360-degree views in virtual tour
ABC news report, 20 May 2018

FINANCE, ECONOMICS
Balancing the Budget

Short Behind the News (ABC) segment on the Federal Government's Budget.
See also Budget fact sheet (Parliamentary Education Office) - click on "Fact Sheet - Budget " [pdf]

ROAD SAFETY
RACT RoadSafe

Online primary school road safety resource targeted at Tasmanian students in grades 3 and 4.

SPORT
Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018

The official site.

TASMANIAN ELECTION
Tasmanian Election 2018

ABC site with all the background and news you want to know about the State election.

STUDENT SUPPORT
Building resilience in children

Advice to parents and others on how to build resilience in children.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION
LiveLighter

WA government website promoting healthy weight in adults and children.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
How to use podcasts in the classroom

Tips and resources for teachers on not only using podcasts with lessons but creating them as well (US-themed).
A useful list of FREE podcast-making resources is provided

ROAD SAFETY
Top 10 misunderstood road rules

Tasmania's Road Safety Advisory Council clarifies the most misunderstood road rules.

More new and useful sites in the
Useful sites archive