Digital technology

There is much talk about the impact that artificial intelligence-powered chatbots like ChatGPT will have on students, teachers and traditional classroom learning. But what is ChatGPT exactly? And how will it affect the way we approach assessment, issues of equity, and policy decisions in the future? In today’s article, we speak to 3 experts to find out more.

Researchers from the University of Queensland are determined to help teachers to improve the air quality in their classrooms, improve students’ cognitive performance and decrease the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the same time.

Research by eSafety tells us that 45% of Australian children said they were treated in a hurtful or nasty way online in the past year. This Safer Internet Day, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is encouraging every Australian to moderate their own online behaviour to help stem the negativity and abuse that permeate many parts of the internet.

Student storytelling can often give a glimpse into what’s happening in their lives, their interests and passions, and the issues that are on their mind. The latest instalment of the Australian Children’s Word of the Year reveals online safety is a top concern for students.

Video games are a favourite pastime of both children and adults alike, and schools are therefore using them to engage students in their lessons. This month on Teacher, we published a reader submission that explored how digital gaming motivates Indigenous learners in primary school. In today’s episode, we share highlights from this piece and more.

A new research study is currently being undertaken to investigate the factors that help or stop young female students participating in digital technologies at school. In this article, the research team share their findings so far, and resources for teachers and students.

In this year’s Teacher survey, lots of you wanted more information on how best to support students targeted by cyberbullying. Dr Roberta Thompson is a Research Fellow at the Griffith Institute for Educational Research. Here, she discusses strategies to help teachers feel more confident in dealing with cyberbullying, related research findings, and helpful resources.

Year 5 and 6 students from MidCoast Christian College in regional New South Wales were tasked with designing their own video games. We speak with educator Melissa Tindall about the process of designing the games from scratch, and how it allowed students to explore the 21st Century skills of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.

The Deadly Gaming action research pilot project is investigating how the use of digital gaming might engage and motivate Indigenous learners in the primary school years. In this reader submission, project leader Dr Troy Meston shares details of the initiative and some of the early findings.

We know that, overall, female participation in STEM is lower than that of males, and that schools can play an important part in encouraging girls to pursue education and careers in this area. In this podcast, we’re joined by Jessica Huynh, Managing Director of Go Girl, Go for IT, a free one-day technology conference for girls, and teachers from a school that participated this year.