Aaron Davis

I am an Australian educator supporting schools with the integration of technology and pedagogical innovation. I have an interest in how together we can work to make a better world.

Checked into Melbourne GAFE Summit 2014

Introducing Google Apps, One App at a Time

For some Google Apps for Education simply offers a more efficient way of doing what is already being done, while for others the idea of collaborating and moving to the cloud is a game changer. Although it is essential to develop a clear implementation plan, it is also important to find the small wins along the way which helps demonstrate the way that Google can revolutionise the way we collaborate and communicate in and out of the classroom. From conducting surveys, to creating digital workbooks, to managing learning goals, to sharing presentations, to developing digital community, this presentation will be jam packed with practical samples and examples. Aaron hopes to spur on new ideas and start the conversation about what you can do in your school to make change.

So You Want To Be a Google Educator

Have you ever wanted to become a Google Educator, but didn’t really know what was involved or where to start? This session is for you. Having recently gone through the process myself, I will unpack what it is all about, what is involved, the challenges you will face and how it all fits in the wider scheme of things. Throughout, I will provide you with some tips and tricks to support you along the way.

Checked into DLTV14 Conference

Listening to the Voices In and Out of the Classroom

Here is the blurb for the session that Steve Brophy and I presented:

One of the biggest challenges in education today is how to empower everyone and give a voice to every learner, this means moving beyond listening to those who seek to be heard and finding ways to capture every voice in and out of the classroom. From collaborating on a document to using a learning response system to reflect on a unit of work, this session will look at not only how we can use various web 2.0 tools to capture the different voices in and out of the classroom, but also how these tools can be used to provoke and prompt further into ongoing dialogue. Presenting our thoughts and reflections from a wide range of settings and scenarios, both Primary and Secondary, we hope that you leave this session armed with an array of tools and ideas that will help you go and listen to some of those lost and hidden voices today.

Here are the slides from the session:

Further notes and reflections can be found here.

Bookmarked DAVIS, Helen Barbara | Death Notices | Melbourne | Weekly Times Now (Weekly Times Now)

DAVIS. _ Helen Barbara. Mum, wish you were still here, but am at peace that you are no longer suffering. Forever together at heart _ Aaron and Jess. P.S. Maybe Karaoke some other time? Nanny Helen, thank you for always playing with me. I loved our time at the park. You are with the twinkle stars now watching over me always. Love forever _ Gracie. xx

My mother’s death notice publish in the Herald-Sun and affiliated papers.
Replied to Why I Hate Homework and How the Research Backs Me Up (Imagination Soup)

Do your students spend hours a night doing homework? Mine do. And I hate it- maybe even more than they do. Most of the time they just do it and don't complain. But I'm complaining! I'd so much rather my kids get much needed down-time after school to: play, nap, read, run, swing, dance, twirl, build, create, draw, invent, or design.

Thanks for the great post Melissa. I could not agree more about homework. I feel like so many elements in education the high ground is so often held by those more conservative. Personally, I would love to scrap homework, however it is not always the overall consensus. Also, there are many parents out there who seem to believe that homework is somehow essential to success. In the end, I feel that homework underwrites the relationships that we as teachers continually try and build with students. There is nothing more depressing than the awkward conversation with parents seeming whinging about the failure to submit homework.

✒️ Term 3 ICTEV Newsletter

A short write-up for the ICTEV Newsletter of my presentation from ICTEV13 titled, In Search of One Tool to Rule Them All?.

in Tools for Working
In Search of One Tool to Rule Them All?

This is a summary of the workshop that I presented at ICTEV13: IT Takes a Village
Discovery often starts with a problem. My problem was the use of mundane exercise books and worksheets. After exploring different potentials (Microsoft Word, Evernote and the Ultranet), I finally introduced Google Drive.

Some examples of how Drive has been used to transform learning include:
– access everywhere. With student laptops often re-imaged, work is not only continually backed up, but also accessible from any computer.
– the opportunity to work collaboratively. Some examples have included adding to a single document for book clubs, sharing student goals to all relevant stakeholders and staff working together on a curriculum document.
– the ability to provide flexible feedback. Whether it is a teacher commenting on a workbook anytime, students posing questions on a presentation or using Forms to ascertain different points of information.
On the other side of the coin, there are always hurdles faced when introducing a new application. Although students are usually quick to jump into the potential of new technologies, staff often question why they need to change, just look at the Ultranet. In addition to this, some staff feel that other applications offer more potential.

In the end, the question that remains is that if Google is not the tool to rule them all, then what? I’m ok with not using Google, but doing nothing is no longer an option.

RSVPed
Although there were many influences that led to joining Twitter, one particular inspiration was Jenny Ashby:

Through my involvement with +Alf Galea and the Melton Network 21st Century Learning Team, I had the opportunity to connect with some amazing people. Formed as a part of the Ultranet project, the network was a place to share and collaborate with other teachers in the area who were grappling with the same sort of problems.
 
Through this group, we were invited to be a part of ATC21S project running put of the University of Melbourne. Needless to say, this was a fantastic experience and involved working with a range of teachers from around Victoria. However, through this project there was one teacher that stuck out in particular, that was +Jenny Ashby.