On Saturday August 13, St Peter’s College was host to over 112 delegates who attended the 2011 CEGSA state conference. This was an ideal opportunity for these dedicated South Australian teachers to hear the latest research in the area of ICT, learn valuable new ideas and educational trends as well as network with other like-minded educators.
The day began with a thought provoking keynote presentation by Tom March entitled “It’s Broke, (So Let’s Fix It) – Remaking Education for our Digital Era.” This address was recorded for CEGSA and can be accessed here
Tom March giving the opening Keynote at CEGSA 2011
After a refreshing morning tea, it was off to the morning sessions. These were full of interesting and varied topics which included a follow-up workshop by keynote speaker Tom March, and presentations about the Google Teacher Academy, by CEGSA Leader of the Year, Steven Knipe and Google Certified Teacher, Penny Collins.
Margaret Lloyd at CEGSA conference
Dr Margaret Lloyd was our keynote speaker after lunch, with a challenging keynote entitled ICT and the Australian Curriculum: Context or Content? This keynote was also recorded for CEGSA and can be seen in full here. It was then time to be off to another wide range of workshops and presentations, including a highly demanded session on challenge based learning using iPads and a presentation on the First Lego League Robotics
At the end of such a busy day, it was time to chat and form networks with colleagues, both new and familiar, over some drinks and delicious food. Some comments which were shared about the day mentioned
- “Importance of developing a culture of inquiry at school.”
- “To keep your vision for the future and not be limited by everyday problems and protocols”
- “ICT’s offer a rich and integrated learning experience when selected and used well and thoughtfully.”
- “Engaging kids in virtual learning and ideas of how to do this.”
- “The challenge to bring a 21st C model of education into practice.”
The CEGSA Committee would like to thank our conference hosts, St Peter’s College for the use of their facilities, technical support staff and all the extra help they have offered during the lead-up to this conference. We also acknowledge the fantastic support of our conference sponsors; Platinum Sponsor Leedall Learning Technologies and our other two corporate sponsors Credit Union SA and ProAV Solutions. Finally we would also like to thank our inspirational keynote speakers, Tom March and Dr Margaret Lloyd as well as all the other valued presenters who made the wide range and variety of presentations and workshops possible.
We look forward to seeing you all back again in July 2012 for the next CEGSA conference.