We’ve all experienced, even relished, those times when we were working on something and we were so consumed with what we were doing that we were not even aware of the time, or how much has passed. We were fully absorbed. We were at the top of our game. Things seemed effortless. And we were happy.

We were delighted to participate in the New South Wales Department of Education's recent Inspire Integrate Conference at Sydney Olympic Park. This event gives teachers with a passion for ICT the opportunity to learn more about integrating it into their teaching and learning practices.

Sharpen those pencils! It’s testing season…again! As much as we teachers don’t like it, testing is here to stay. Let’s be real, testing stresses the teacher out just as much as the students! It’s tough to find the right balance when we prepare for high-stakes testing. There is always “one more thing” to teach. Just like cultivating a garden takes nurturing and attention, so does preparing our students for testing. So, it makes sense to equip our students with effective test-taking skills before testing begins to help everyone make it through the testing season.

Last week the National Future Schools Expo + Conferences were held at the Melbourne Convention Centre where 4000 educators attended the event over two days.

This blog post was created by SMART Exemplary Educator Ralf Kroefges. Ralf is a German educator who is passionate about teaching, learning, and EdTech. Connect with him on Twitter here. His home in Germany is 4,662 miles, or 7,503 kilometers from where the SEE Summit is held, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

Happy International Women's Day! Today we celebrate and salute women everywhere. To all of the woman teachers inspiring and guiding the next generation, you are incredible. To all of the women working in tech and paving the way for a more balanced tech workforce in the future, keep up the amazing work. 

This is the second in a series of posts from Andy Cargile, Senior Director, User Experience at SMART. Andy leads a team of user experience designers and researchers who spend hundreds of hours in classrooms every year, delving into teaching, learning, and how technology can enhance them. In this series, Andy shares some of the key insights his team has uncovered, and what they mean for education. Find his first post here. 

This blog post was written by SMART Exemplary Educator Stella McCarthy. Connect with Stella on Twitter. 

Westminster School in Adelaide has begun the school year by focusing on the future of learning. The school is undertaking a refresh and their learning spaces and technology are being upgraded to meet the future needs of their students.