Digital Technologies … so much choice … where to start … and how to progress?

If you are teacher new to Digital Technologies (DT) you might be wondering where to begin your journey. If you already have some experiences in DT, you might be looking at taking the next step. Here are a couple of things that you might find useful:

1. Get a firm grip on the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies (AC:DT). ACARA has published it on the Australian Curriculum website and has produced a fantastic 2-pager Scope and Sequence sheet.
2. The four writers of AC:DT have come back together and have written explanatory unpacking materials that are published here. These materials align to the ACARA curriculum documents and provide additional insights and background information about what the writers had in mind when they wrote the curriculum.
3. To better understand the AC:DT and to sharpen your computational thinking and coding skills, join a 2-day unpacking the curriculum workshop that the Australian Computing Academy (that’s us!) runs across the country. The latest workshops are advertised on our website.
4. The state IT Teacher Associations are delivering a great number of 1-day AC:DT workshops on our behalf. These are shorter versions of the 2-day workshops we run ourselves. Check out your local associations’ website for details. ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA:
5. Want to increase your proficiency and competence in Digital Technologies? Why not book yourself into a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Digital Technologies, run by the University of Adelaide. The MOOCs are free online courses that provide teachers with background knowledge about concepts and topics in the curriculum, as well as practical examples for the classroom. The MOOCs are available for F-6, 7–8 and 9–10. Certificates of completion are provided that are linked to the AITSL professional standards for Australian teachers.
6. If you want digital resources for your classroom but lack the budget, the University of Adelaide has a Digital Technologies Lending Library where you can apply to have resources shipped to your school for a term.
7. For you and your students, we have been building a large number of AC:DT-designed online DT activities called the DT Challenges and Mini-Challenges. They are available on our Resources page and are free for year 3–8 students and come in Python, Blockly, Turtle, micro:bit, JavaScript, etc. Take a look - there is definitely something for you and your students.
8. The Digital Technologies Hub is an online resource portal that includes curriculum-linked, high-quality learning resources, ready for you to explore. You will find learning progressions, lesson and assessment ideas as well as activities for students and families.

The Australian Government, Department of Education has funded much of the above through the National Innovation Science Agenda. We’re a bit biased :-), but when you look at the portfolio of activities and resources, you probably agree with us that they interlock quite nicely. As a teacher, you have access to high-quality professional development and resources across the country.