eLearning

It has been great to see a recent uptake in a new module on Microsoft Teams that had been deployed called Reflect. One way our teachers have been changing the way we check in with students is by using Reflect check-ins. Teachers can post a check-in to their class Teams chat, that lets students choose how they are feeling and connect it with emotional language, all accompanied by a visual representation of that emotion.

When teachers know the general emotional level of the class, we can use this information to help our students re-engage and be ready to learn through an activity or a quick discussion with the class. The link here gives some more information on how Reflect works and the goals it is trying to achieve.

Microsoft Reflect | Encourage connection, expression and learning

We have been continuing to encourage our students to come to school each day with a charged laptop. This allows us to try new ways of presenting content as well as ideas, like Reflect, which help us work with the students to create a positive environment for learning. Please keep encouraging students to:

Bring their laptop home each day.
Charge it overnight so it is ready in the morning.
Bring the laptop back to school and take it to every class.

eSmart

As part of our eSmart journey, students have been introduced to many concepts around digital safety and wellbeing, discussing how their time online can affect them in positive ways and how to avoid running into issues online. In particular, gaming has been identified as many students passions and sources of frustration!

The Digital Australia 2020 Report identified that most Australian households have at least one gaming device, many have more. And, at least two-thirds of Australians play video games, with 50% of gamers being female and about 80% over the age of 18. The various ways that games are now available to all players, from phones to consoles and computers, means that getting involved in gaming and connecting with new people is easier than ever.

Still, it's always important to maintain a balance with our online time, especially our gaming. Gaming is designed to be as engaging as possible and keep you interested for a long time, but unfortunately this can have negative effects on our emotions and health, especially our mood and sleep patterns. It’s important to enforce good habits with ourselves when we use our devices.

eSmart have created a great resource called the “Gamer’s Guide”, which discusses the positive ways we can engage with gaming in a balanced way. It is linked here for you to read: A Gamer’s Guide – Parent Resource

eSports – Valorant Competition

Rory Jones in Year 9 came to me with an idea to run a small competition for one of the games we were using in the eSports elective. He wanted to provide an opportunity for our competition-minded gaming community to participate in a tournament at the school.

Eight teams from Year 8 to Year 11 competed against each other in Valorant, which is one of the emerging eSports games of recent years. Students competed during the last week at recess and lunchtime, playing one match against each other in a single-match elimination format.

The winning team were the Carlos Family, captained by Carlo Capate. Made up of Carlo, Medhi Hussaini, Eid Mohammad Musa, Zaki Anwar and Yusuf Uguz. All have been previous students of the eSports class in Year 9 and have continued to find enjoyment in developing their skills and competing in gaming, taking it a step further than just playing for fun.

I would like to thank Rory for his efforts in making this opportunity happen for our students and dipping his hand into event organisation. Rory has a passion for creating a school community for competitive gaming and his enthusiasm has reflected well in the uptake and interest we’ve had in the eSport space this term. There have already been many questions about when the next one is! Well done, Rory!

William Lees

Director of eLearning & Resource Centres

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