Reader Briefing

Could drones give a lift to your teaching? How can you improve the way you deal with your e-waste and reduce what you make in the first place? Can you think like an entrepreneur? Have you scanned the QR code on page 3? N4L completes its Managed Network upgrade. And it’s that time of year again when we launch our annual Minecraft student competition.

Look out for all these and more in your August issue of INTERFACE, which will reach you early next week. Don’t miss out on articles that are only available in the magazine and cannot be accessed online – make sure you get your hands on a copy!

LATEST …

MINECRAFT STUDENT COMPETITION: Calling all Minecrafters … entries now open
Are your students mad for Minecraft? Well, get your thinking caps on and your blocks on the move because entries are open for our annual Minecraft competition just for them. This year we’ve teamed up with MOTAT and the challenge is to design and build a ‘machine’ in Minecraft, then send us a video of it in action. For more information and entry details.

WANTED: Your experiences in ‘Makerspace’
What are you making in your ‘makerspace’? If you’re teaching in this inventing-coding-creating, Makey Makey environment, we want to hear about your experiences for a ‘special feature’ in the next issue. Just get in touch with INTERFACE Editor Greg Adams at greg.adams@interfacemagazine.co.nz

NEWS: Gamify your classroom with MOTAT
Effective gamifying within the classroom can also be a crucial tool for helping students retain information. Let MOTAT help you and your students tackle the topic of games and the vast learning opportunities that exist around this subject. Read more.

WINNERS: History and coding collide in great Gamefroot games
Thanks to everyone who entered our Gamefroot student competition. You really took up the challenge and created some awesome games. We’re delighted to announce that the winners are …

INSIDE …

REVIEW: Shaking up education with disruptive thinking
Last month, 20 edcuators participated in CORE Education’s ACCELERATOR Auckland. The two-day workshop encouraged them to solve schooling challenges by thinking like entrepreneurs.

FEATURE: Lift your teaching to a whole new level
What’s not to like about drones. They offer a heap of learning opportunities. They’re increasingly affordable. They’re not too hard to use (with a little practice). And they’re fun. Could drones add a new dimension to your teaching? Find out.

PROFILE: Get yourself set for a smart, new and easy way to watching ETV
Not everyone wants to watch ETV content on a small computer display or to bother with connecting a PC to a large screen. Enter the Set Top Box (STB), a new way for teachers to easily access and view ETV on a big screen at home or in class. Read more.

INVESTIGATION: Dealing with the growing pile of e-waste
Slowly but surely, the world is drowning in e-waste. Old computers. Broken printers. Obsolete smartphones. Unwanted gadgets. Tangled knots of cords and wires. What can you and your school do to tackle the problem? Read more.

EVENT: INTERFACEXpo 2020 is coming and we’re celebrating
Next year’s INTERFACEXpo will mark our 10th anniversary. We’re delighted to reach this milestone and welcome you to join us. Planning is well underway. There are still some details to finalise but we’ve made our choice of destinations and dates. Mark them in your diary. We’re coming to …

PLUS …

COMPETITIONS: Win a pair of Duinotech Coding and Electronics Learning Kits
We have some fantastic prizes to give away in the August issue, including: Duinotech Coding Electronics Learning Kits; Bobino Desk Cable Clip; Selfie Ring Light; and a Tablet and Notebook Stand. Enter competitions here.

LESSON IDEAS:
Binary Art (Draw pixel images using binary code), E-Waste Guide (Create an online resource for helping your school community deal with e-waste), and Gamefroot Tutorial (Code a giant spider to chase you in a top-down RPG game).

FILE SHARE: 36 FREE tools, apps, sites, and resources to explore
Four pages of online resources including 6 sites for exploring science, 3 code editors, timeline creator Time Graphics, 3 awesome AR apps, file sharing tool Upload Express, and 3 sources of free images.

AND FINALLY ..

FREE COPIES: Receive complimentary INTERFACE magazines
What are you doing to meet the challenge of the new Digital Technologies Curriculum? Reading INTERFACE Magazine is the perfect place to start, keeping you up with the latest ideas, resources and trends in e-learning! If you or your school don’t currently subscribe but would like to see what we’re all about, we can send you some free copies. Simply get in touch at admin@interfacemagazine.co.nz and say you’d like to take us up on this special offer. (Please note, a school can apply only once for this special offer.)