Welcome to our WATSSA Newsletter
From the President
Hi all and welcome. Well, it's fast approaching, the WATSSA 2024 Technology in Education Conference. On behalf of the committee and myself who have been feverishly working to get things organised especially our hard-working secretary, Jenny Lawrence. We are so looking forward to catching up with everyone and enjoying all that it has to offer and the networking and reconnecting of old friendships. We have some great sessions locked in covering a diverse range of topics.
The WATSSA Exec has also been busy talking to DoE ICT Directors on pertinent issues that affect our members. We have been offered the opportunity to provide input into the new DoE SNE/SOE. We will be asking for member's feedback on what directions they would like to see moving forward. We are also having discussions centrally around an all-DoE agreement with Jamf to provide better school pricing to alleviate some budgetary pressures.
There will be no Term Holiday Event due to the closeness of the Conference, but we will bring something exciting for the Term 2 Break. Let's keep the good fight going and promote what we are about to anyone who could benefit from what WATSSA has to offer now and into the future. Together we can make the changes that should happen.
Ross Oakes - WATSSA President
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WATSSA 2024 Technology in Education Conference
We are proud to be hosting our Technology in Education Conference at the Crown Perth on 2nd and 3rd of May 2024.
Our WATSSA Conference brings together a wide range of vendors and industry experts in one location. It is a fantastic opportunity to network with other school-based technical support staff, teachers and administrators in the area of educational technology and STEM.
Our outstanding conference program features local and interstate speakers, offering a diverse range of concurrent sessions for delegates to choose from, whether it be from a technical, teaching or administrative perspective.
Keynote speakers include award-winning STEM journalist, television host and accomplished podcast producer Rae Johnston. Rae is a Wiradjuri woman who was born and raised on Darug and Gundungurra Country in the Blue Mountains of NSW. She was the first Science & Technology Editor for NITV at SBS and currently travels the country as a host on NITV's "Going Places with Ernie Dingo" and ABC's "Back Roads". Amongst her other projects, Rae is currently serving on the boards of both the Telstra Foundation and Swinburne University of Technology, where she also sits on the Technology, Innovation and Value Creation Committee.
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We will also be hearing from the Department for Education South Australia about their Digital Strategy, empowering schools to deliver world-leading education to help students thrive in a digital world. Their digital architects will share how the move to centralised Apple device management is saving time, reducing costs and providing new opportunities for schools across the state. We thank our friends at Apple for facilitating what promises to be an engaging and inspiring presentation.
Our own Department of Education Information and Communication Technologies team will be presenting a keynote update, along with workshops that will provide valuable insights into current challenges, strategies to navigate them, useful tools and key considerations for ICT access and management within our public schools.
Shane Parnell, Director of Technology for The Anglican Schools Commission, will address leadership strategies for the new age. Using examples from his role as Director of Technology, Shane will discuss the importance of looking inwards as well as outwards, to identify the ways we fit within our organisations and how to adapt to challenges, make positive changes and grow our teams.
Janie Plant is Senior Legal Counsel at Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation. Janie is on the Women in Technology WA (WiTWA) Committee and will present an overview of WiTWA and discuss why STEM education is so important, particularly for girls. Janie will provide information on the WiTWA Techtrails program and give an insight into the new STEMPower platform that strongly focuses on jobs of the future and is scheduled to be released in July 2024.
Dr Steve Kiely from Thrive Organisational Wellness will be speaking about well-being within Education and why it matters for staff just as much as students. Steve is a performance psychologist and coach with a diverse range of experience consulting with public and private sector organisations, professional sport, the military and education. His keynote presentations address improving physical and psychological health, well-being and performance along with practical strategies to deal with stress in the workplace.
We have some engaging workshops for delegates to choose from, covering a diverse range of topics that we are sure will appeal to everyone. Our program includes presenters from Google, Microsoft, CompNow, Datacom, Winthrop Australia, Jamf, Department of Education WA, Program Kaartdijin, Education Perfect, Pixel IT, Methodist Ladies College, Christ Church Grammar School, CPSU/CSA.
Topics include:
- Cybersecurity strategies
- Getting started with AI and Machine Learning
- Accessibility on iPad and Mac
- Securing Apple devices in education
- Google Arts & Culture
- Genuine learning through Artificial Intelligence
- Innovation on iPad
- Azure OpenAI
- Successful classroom edtech
- Best practice 1:1 device program
- The Program Kaartdijin solution
- Educating with Jamf and what is coming
- CPSU/CSA union for public sector employees
- Google's Geo Tools
- Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Google for Education
and more...
The WATSSA Conference would not be possible without our amazing sponsors and we thank them for their generous support of the event.
Please join us for this unique opportunity to hear from incredible speakers, network with other technical support staff, educators and administrators within the education profession and develop valuable skills during workshop sessions. The conference provides an incredible platform for attendees to explore innovative products, engage with sponsors and vendors and foster relationships with education professionals from both the public and private sectors.
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Platinum and Premium Sponsors 2024
DATACOM - Shaping a digitally-driven future to impact today's students for their tomorrow
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Contact your Compnow BDM or sales@compnow.com.au
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Safeguarding Simplified: Try Fastvue's new Safeguarding Report for Enhanced Student Safety
In their ongoing commitment to enhancing the safety and well-being of students online, Fastvue has developed a new Safeguarding Report designed specifically for the needs of safeguarding, pastoral, and well-being staff. Here's a quick video that takes you through it:
Why the Safeguarding Report is a Game-Changer:
- Safeguarding Focus: Fastvue has streamlined the report to include only the most relevant information for safeguarding and e-safety staff. By eliminating data on bandwidth and productivity, it provides quick access to the crucial information needed for safeguarding purposes.
- Enhanced Safeguarding Insights: The Safeguarding Report makes it easier to identify students at risk, ranking students by their online incidents. These incidents include self-harm, extremism, and drug-related searches and videos, or attempts to access content flagged as inappropriate by your school such as pornography, gambling, or violence.
- Clear Context with Visited Sites: A standout feature is how the report provides context around visited and blocked sites. For instance, if a student encounters a gambling ad while visiting a sports website, the report clarifies that the primary intent was accessing sports content, not gambling. This detail is invaluable for safeguarding staff, offering a clearer picture of students' online activities.
Exclusive Opportunity for WATSSA Members:
Fastvue is currently testing this report with selected customers and is excited to open this invitation to WATSSA members. If you're eager to try it out, simply reach out to support@fastvue.co and request access, or keep an eye on Fastvue's release notes (https://releasenotes.fastvue.co) as it should be publicly available soon.
Inside the Safeguarding Report:
The report begins with an overview of incidents tied to specific keywords groups and web categories that you've deemed unacceptable, offering a clear snapshot of online safety concerns right at the top of the report.
The report then provides a detailed breakdown of these incidents for each Keyword Group and Category, ranking each user by the number of their incidents.
Schools can prioritise specific risks by reordering Keyword Groups in Settings > Keywords, and Unacceptable categories in Settings > Productivity, aligning the order of information in the report with the school's safeguarding concerns.
To ensure that categories like Malware and Phishing don't appear in the Safeguarding report, they have been relocated from the Unacceptable group to a new 'IT Security' group. This change helps keep the focus of the report on student safety, separating out IT security concerns.
Fastvue's Safeguarding Report is a welcome addition to help simplify the detection and prioritisation of concerning online behaviour. This not only saves time for safeguarding and e-safety staff but also bolsters support for students at risk, ensuring a safer online environment.
For more information, contact us at support@fastvue.co
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Winthrop Professional Learning
Winthrop remains committed to supporting schools in integrating technology into the classroom. In Term Two, we are thrilled to provide a variety of Professional Learning opportunities designed to empower teachers in our WA community to excel in utilising technology to enhance their curriculum.
Explore Engaging Virtual Sessions:
Join us for our series of dynamic virtual sessions, carefully crafted to provide practical insights and innovative strategies for leveraging technology in education. Best of all, these sessions are completely free! Head over to our events page to secure your spot today.
Dive Deep into Transform Learning with iPad:
Ready to take your teaching to new heights? Immerse yourself in our transformative program, "Transform Learning with iPad," and discover how to harness the full potential of technology to enrich your lessons and personalise learning experiences for every student.
Superloop CyberEdge
Superloop CyberEdge, in collaboration with the Department of Education in Western Australia, has introduced a new integrated solution aimed at improving Internet security in schools. This innovative approach includes advanced features such as enhanced VPN detection, content filtering, classroom management tools, YouTube analytics, and improvements in student welfare and reporting functions.
The CyberEdge solution is designed to integrate with the existing FortiGate SIG and has been reviewed by the Department's Central Office Security Team. This solution is now in use at various Department of Education schools in Western Australia, including Mt Lawley SHS, Butler College, and, most recently Carine SHS.
Solution Highlights Include:
- Transparent user Authentication with FortiGate Integration
- Category Web Filtering (500+ categories)
- L7 Application Control with Enhanced VPN detection
- Classroom management tools to better manage Internet Access
- Enhance student welfare and user-based reporting
To obtain more information or to arrange a no-obligation solution demonstration, please contact Raphael Tan, the CyberEdge Regional Manager for WA.
Raph Tan - raph.tan@superloop.com 0434 434 429
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WATSSA Awards 2024
Our 2023 WATSSA Awards were held in November last year at the Pan Pacific Perth. It was an exceptional evening, providing the opportunity for us to recognise excellence in school-based technical support over the year. We thank those who attended the event and congratulate our well-deserving award winners.
With the change of Conference date from November to May, the WATSSA Commmittee has decided to introduce two new awards that will be presented at our WATSSA Awards Evening on Thursday, 2nd May during our conference. We are excited to announce the following details for the new WATSSA Awards:
Regional Technical Support Staff Member of the Year
This award is presented to an individual who has provided exceptional technical support to their school or site(s), located outside of the Perth Metropolitan area. It recognises staff who have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing student outcomes, and provided support to staff and the school community in the area of Information Technology. The award acknowledges the exceptional and unique set of issues and circumstances that our regional technical support staff must navigate in their role. Individuals may be nominated irrespective of their official job title, provided their role includes school-based technical support.
IT Community Engagement Award
This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding support to multiple schools, either directly or through liaising with other technical support staff. It recognises their contribution to the advancement of knowledge and practice in IT support in education, and the promotion of networking and collaboration within the school-based technical support community.
Nominations for the WATSSA Awards 2024 close at 4.00pm on Wednesday 17th of April
To nominate a colleague for one of these awards, please complete the online form by clicking the link below.
We look forward to presenting the awards at our 2024 WATSSA Awards Night, which will be held at the magnificent Crown Perth on Thursday, 2nd May, during our WATSSA Conference.
Tickets to the WATSSA Awards Night can be purchased as part of your registration for the Conference, or standalone, via our WATSSA Conference 2024 site.
We would like to sincerely thank our friends at Compnow for sponsoring our 2024 WATSSA Awards.
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Professional Learning
Apple Professional Learning Live for Australia and New Zealand
Free Hands-on Sessions
Apple Professional Learning Live offers free online sessions designed for educators using Apple technology for teaching and learning. There’s something for all educators— from kindergarten to high school, beginner to expert. During the sessions, you will explore new ways of using Apple technology to support education professionals’ and students’ daily practices.
Hosted by Apple Professional Learning Specialists, Apple Professional Learning Live sessions offer:
- Practical tips and skills you can use right away
- Curriculum integration
- Hands-on practice
- Discussion and reflection
- Resources to support your practice
Engage Early Learners with iPad - March 26th or March 27th at 1.30pm - 2.30pm
iPad includes many built-in features that can be used to support early learners. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to use iPad to inspire creativity, support communication, and engage early learners in deeper, more meaningful learning experiences.
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Winthrop Australia Professional Learning
Transformative learning with iPad is a multi-day professional learning experience delivered face to face across four sessions. The content focuses on the features of Apple devices, apps, and resources for learning and teaching. The goal of the program is to help individuals to develop innovative ways to use iPad in upper primary and lower secondary with a focus on numeracy, literacy, collaboration and creativity and to share practices back across the broader school community.
Primary School Sessions:
- Session 1 - 30th April 2024
- Session 2 - 29th May 2024
- Session 3 - 30th August 2024
- Session 4 - 6th November 2024
Secondary School Sessions:
- Session 1 - 7th May 2024
- Session 2 - 4th June 2024
- Session 3 - 28th August 2024
- Session 4 - 12th November 2024
Sessions are held in Perth CBD from 9.00am to 3.00pm.
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CSA ICT Working Group Update
The ICT Working Group is currently working with Department of Education workforce in looking to review school-based technical support staff JDFs. Some of the JDFs used for ICT staff have not been reviewed for many years and contain outdated and irrelevant terminology.
The goal of the review is to have a consistent set of JDFs that accurately reflect the work being done in schools. The ultimate outcome will be that schools employ school-based ICT staff under the appropriate JDF and level.
Past surveys of technical support staff have found that many who are performing similar roles with similar work values are being employed under vastly different levels. The ICT Working Party plan to survey DoE ICT Staff again soon, to gain a more thorough understanding of the current situation across schools.
We encourage all eligible Department of Education staff to join the CPSU/CSA Union to further strengthen our voice and bring resolution to these important issues.
We thank WATSSA for their support of the CPSU/CSA Union and will continue to update WATSSA members on our progress.
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