Reading Online presented by Dr Scott Bulfin who teaches in the Faculty of Education at Monash University where he researches young people’s use of new media and the implications this has for English and literacy learning across a range of contexts.  Before completing his doctoral work Scott was a secondary [...]]]> This year you can choose from two workshops.

Reading Online presented by Dr Scott Bulfin who teaches in the Faculty of Education at Monash University where he researches young people’s use of new media and the implications this has for English and literacy learning across a range of contexts.  Before completing his doctoral work Scott was a secondary school English teacher. He is also a National Council member and Research Officer for the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE).

Workshop overview
In this workshop we’ll explore how new media texts are shaping reading and writing practices. This begins by re-examining how language and meaning making work in different online settings and how some of these settings provide opportunities to reconsider core disciplinary concepts in English teaching—things like narrative, creativity and identity. To do this we’ll look at social media communities like twitter and flickr but also digital creation tools like pixton and storybird. Developing stronger understandings of how the traditional concerns of English teachers are playing out in online contexts is an important step in helping our students better understand, navigate and contribute to the current and future communications landscape.

Cooperative learning and thinking tools to support students to engage, read and respond to texts presented by Michelle Morthorpe, Cara Shipp and Rita van Haren.

In this workshop you will be able to practise some strategies to use with texts in the English classroom. They will enable you to address the diversity of learners in your classroom and improve literacy skills.

Workshop and registration details can be downloaded from Teaching English 2012.

Free membership until February 2013 is included in the workshop registration.

Call for papers closes on 30 March, 2012.

Register for the conference or respond to the call for papers.

Our keynote speaker is Dr Anita Heiss. Dr [...]]]> Got a great idea or strategy for teaching English in years 7-12? Why not share it by presenting a workshop at the 2012 ACTATE conference.

Call for papers closes on 30 March, 2012.

Register for the conference or respond to the call for papers.

Our keynote speaker is Dr Anita Heiss. Dr Heiss is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She is a regular guest at writers’ festivals and travels internationally performing her work and lecturing on Indigenous literature. She is an Indigenous Literacy Day Ambassador and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales. Anita has just been awarded the 2011 Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Achievement in Literature! Anita divides her time between writing, public speaking, MCing, and as a workshop facilitator. She lives in Sydney.

We’ve all had the experience in our classrooms of a student challenging us to justify the time we spend on novels and poems. “What’s the point?” we hear them ask. “What’s this got to do with my life?” And, in this era, [...]]]> Mythopoetics in the English classroom
Dr Steve Shann and Dr Rachel Cunneen

We’ve all had the experience in our classrooms of a student challenging us to justify the time we spend on novels and poems. “What’s the point?” we hear them ask. “What’s this got to do with my life?” And, in this era, where English tends to be seen as the subject most concerned with standardized testing, literacy rates and communication skills, it’s not always easy to come up with a convincing response, no matter how deeply we intuitively value working with stories and poems – the mythopoetic. In some ways  the draft of the new National English curriculum doesn’t help much. On the surface, at least, the emphasis in it seems to be , to quote, “how to adapt, create and communicate effectively, and interpret and use information more fluently and critically”. You have to read quite carefully before you find references to the ways in which an engagement with literature shape personal identity or can expand a reader’s experience.

In this talk, two former English teachers and academics have a public conversation with each other around the place of mythopoetics in the English classroom.

Followed by

Intertextuality and Interconnectivity: CLICK HERE
Andi Stapp-Gaunt

This presentation is my own journey of thought.  It is about many things, including my passion for Literature, my curiosity about hypermedia, and my philosophical approach to teaching English. Recurring motifs, themes, ideas and icons, in popular culture (Web 2.0) and Literature exist as an expression of their importance to people across time and space.  Intertextuality is a way to discuss the intersection of texts, to build analogies across texts and to creatively think about how and why texts connect.  Interconnectivity goes beyond this to explore why it is that certain images, themes or ideas recur and what this says about the human condition.  Web 2.0 has changed the ways in which we discuss intertextuality.  Web 2.0 is intertextuality in real time.  The ‘little narratives’ that play out through the use of social networks are extremely important to students in forging identity and building community.  The purpose and audience may be different to that of the school institution, but students are involved in literacy practices, through the use of social networks, that reflect their concerns, fears, desires and concept of self.  These themes are also reflected in the works of many texts that we study in the classroom.  I believe that students will benefit from looking at recurring themes, in order to establish patterns or typologies of endurance.  Through discussion, debate and consideration, students may establish greater skills in inferential and applied questioning.  More than this, they will critically evaluate the ‘grand narratives’ and how these fit within their individual concerns.
4:00pm-6:30pm, Thursday, 3 November 2011

Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching & Learning, 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling

Cost: $25 for members – includes afternoon tea, resources and certificate

$70 for non-members (also includes free ACTATE membership until February 2013)

Student Teachers: $10 (also includes membership)

School purchase orders, cash and cheques will be accepted.

Register for the event by emailing Dennis Flannery at info@actate.org.au     

1. Pay by direct deposit to the ACTATE account – BSB: 062911 A/N: 00901757  Ensure you include your name on the deposit details.
2. Pay at the workshop with cash or personal/school cheque.
3. Forward payment (cheque or money order – made payable to ACTATE) by mail to
   address below.

Receipts will be available at the workshop or posted to you. Tax Invoice:  SNT  ABN 41 562 859 462.  Office managers are able to organise payments using this flyer as an invoice.

Enquiries: contact Dennis Flannery at info@actate.org.au     

Surveys show that many people fear public speaking more than death. Debbie Dwyer, a college and high school English teacher for many years, will show some of the ways of alleviating anxiety and getting your students to present competent and polished oral presentations. You will engage in [...]]]> Workshop for College and High School English Teachers

Surveys show that many people fear public speaking more than death. Debbie Dwyer, a college and high school English teacher for many years, will show some of the ways of alleviating anxiety and getting your students to present competent and polished oral presentations. You will engage in some gentle exercises on how to prepare your students for talking in front of an audience. “How to” sheets on interpretive and analytical orals will be shared along with some real examples of college oral presentation assessment items. We also hope to feature a college student performing an excellent oral presentation.

Details: 4:00pm-6:00pm, Thursday 10 November 2011 at Dickson College, Phillip Ave, Dickson

Cost: $25 for members – includes afternoon tea, certificate and handouts $70 for non-members (also includes free ACTATE membership until February 2013) Student Teachers: $10
The AATE Bookshop will be open at this session. School purchase orders, cash and cheques will be accepted.

PAYMENT DETAILS: Forward payment (cheque or money order – made payable to ACTATE) by mail
to: ACTATE,  PO Box4180, Hawker ACT 2614.
Or pay electronically by direct deposit to the ACTATE account – BSB: 062911 A/N: 00901757.
Ensure you include your name on the deposit details. Receipts will be available at the workshop.
Tax Invoice:  SNT ABN 41 562 859 462.
Office managers are able to organise payments using this flyer as an invoice.
RSVP by Wednesday 9 November 2011 to info@actate.org.au. We will confirm your booking by email.

Down load flyer: Oral presentations in English or a fate worse than death?

So the moment, you can find information about Litlinks at: www.actate.org.au/litlinks

and download the ACTivATE journals at: www.actate.org.au/activate

For more information go to: www.englishliteracyconference.com.au

Financial Support for ACTATE Members
Applications for funding support for the 2011 conference in Melbourne are open.

Did you know [...]]]> 2011 National Conference
Finding a Place for Falstaff: Language and Creativity in the Australian Curriculum
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Date: 3 – 6 December 2011

For more information go to: www.englishliteracyconference.com.au

Financial Support for ACTATE Members
Applications for funding support for the 2011 conference in Melbourne are open.

Did you know that ACTATE provides funding for financial members towards the cost of registration for the national conference? Look out for the flyer in term 1 of each year which invites you to apply for funding support. In return we ask you to write up your conference experience for ACTivATE, our association’s journal.

Jo Kay. aka jokay Wollongong, is an Australian designer and facilitator working across a range of games and virtual worlds to support education, arts and social change. Through a highly engaging online presentation, Jo will take us on an adventure through [...]]]> Tripping the Metaverse – Exploring Games and Virtual Worlds for Playful Learning

Jo Kay. aka jokay Wollongong, is an Australian designer and facilitator working across a range of games and virtual worlds to support education, arts and social change. Through a highly engaging online presentation, Jo will take us on an adventure through a number of immersive environments that can be used for playful learning. Find out what educators from around the world are doing in virtual worlds like jokaydiaGRID and Second Life, and games like World of Warcraft and Minecraft to excite, engage and motivate learners.

Join us in the computing lab to log into this interactive presentation. Participating is easy and there will be technical support on hand. Places in the lab are limited so book early. Alternatively you could have a faculty social event! Organise a group of colleagues and log in from your school IT lab or from home using ADOBE CONNECT (available on all ACT Government schools’ networks). If you would like to participate remotely via ADOBE CONNECT, please email Dennis and we will send you the details to log in.

We will follow up this session with a Virtual Worlds Field Trip on Sunday,11th September 2011. This session is free and aimed at beginners who are interested in gaining some practical experience in using virtual spaces.Instructions on how to participate will be emailed before the session.

Enquiries: Email Dennis Flannery