From the Principal

Flourishing in a Digital Age: CEN State Conference Recap

I’d like to share a little bit from the CEN state conference that around 70 of our staff recently attended. Every year the Tasmanian CEN Schools have the privilege of getting together, this year down in Hobart, and it was a really amazing time for all of the 280-300 people that attended.

I am new to CEN, and I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the presentations that were given. The presenter’s ability to link diverse ideas and practical application to the central theme of “Flourishing in a Digital Age” was absolutely vital for us as educators in our desire to support our students.

I was the MC for the event and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and speaking with the presenters in person. It was a real honour to be a part of the conference and to be given that role. The five speakers were all Tasmanians, and they were honestly world class. Something that we can be really proud of.

Over the two days we had presentations from Daniel Sih, Dr Julia Verdouw, Paul Matthews and Dr Chris Raynor. 

Daniel Sih made some amazing presentations on creating space in our lives amidst all the digital distractions. He spoke about how this related to us as busy educators, and how we can bless the students that also need space to hear God in their lives. 

Dr Verdouw spoke about Transformation by Design which is the Biblical Worldview that underlays all that we do in CEN schools when it comes to curriculum and pedagogy. She shared about discipleship and how important it is that schools help kids to grow and develop in their faith, but also develop resilience and grit when they experience disappointment.

Paul Matthews spoke about Artificial Intelligence and how God uses examples in the Bible of using tools in a wise and appropriate way. He had a balanced view of AI, so he wasn’t totally for or against it, but he looked at how we could use AI for staff and students in a God honouring way.

Dr Chris Raynor spoke about Student Voice and how we can advocate on behalf of our students in with positive and practical application.

Overall, I believe the majority of our staff and indeed the 280-300 people there came away from the conference incredibly equipped, revitalised and filled with a sense of excitement for the term ahead.