We’ve split the photos up so if you’re looking for photos from a particular day, you don’t have to download them all.

• Monday (377MB)
• Tuesday (468MB)
• Wednesday (124MB)
• Conference dinner (396MB)
• Post conference workshops (115MB)

Finally, we also created an archive of the Twitter hashtag in a Google Spreadsheet.

And that’s it from us for the year! We hope you have a fabulous festive season.

We’ve already posted the recording of our live streamed panel discussion on privacy, trust, student data and the university. Catch it here.

We also decided to interview each of our keynote speakers in the USQ TV studio to capture key insights from their keynotes to share with a wider audience.

We’re excited to announce that those recordings are now available.

James Arvanitakis

Shelley Kinash from USQ’s Office for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching interviewed our first keynote, James Arvanitakis.

Marita Cheng

USQ Director of Library Services, Carmel O’Sullivan, chatted with Marita Cheng.

Amber Case

Kate Davis (that’s me!) from USQ’s Digital Life Lab interviewed Amber Case.

Initially, we did not plan to make a recording available as this is quite a contentious topic, and we wanted our panellists to feel comfortable with having a frank discussion.

We have had several requests for a recording of the session, so we checked with out panellists and they let us know they were happy for the recording to be shared. So here it is!

Thanks to our panellists for their willingness to share, and to USQ’s Media Design and Development team for their masterful handling of the online session and post-processing of the recording.

The shuttle bus will pick delegates up at each of the three conference hotels:

• Toowoomba Central Plaza Apartments
• The City Golf Club Motel
• Potter’s Hotel

We wanted to make your first morning as easy as possible, so we’ll have a committee member at each of the three hotels to ensure that all delegates can find the bus and that everyone gets onboard.

Carmel, Madelaine and Leonie will be there to greet you. Keep an eye out for them so you know they’re in the right place.

Here’s what they look like:

We’ll brief you on other important bus info across the conference, but you can check the timetable at any time, either online or in the app.

We’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

As well the essentials, we recommend you pack the following.

Technology

Given the nature of ASCILITE and the conference program, technology should be at the top of your packing list. We want you to fully engage in person and online, so don’t forget your:

• Smartphone – possibly your best friend at the conference. This is how you’ll access the conference app, Click Game, social media and photograph slides for reference.
• Tablet – for all your email/blogging/capturing-moments-of-inspiration needs
• Charging cables for all your devices.
• Portable charger/power bank – you don’t want to tempt your phone on 1% when you’re so close to snapping the perfect shot for the Click Game on the app!
• Power board – pack a power board to use at the hotel and at the conference. This is a proven way to make new friends – help others power up!
• USB with your presentation materials – if you’re speaking, we recommend you bring a USB with your presentation materials on it just in case.

Remember to load up your mobile devices with all the essentials:

• The conference app – check your email for your invitation to download the app.
• Uber app (download from the App Store or Google Play)
• Garden City Cabs app (download from the App Store or Google Play)
• Twitter – you can tweet from the conference app, but if you prefer to use the Twitter app, make sure it’s on your devices and you’ve got a search set up for the conference hashtag #ascilite17.
• Tripit – forward your flight and accomodation info to TripIt and you’ll have all your travel info in one place.

And don’t forget the low tech:

• Business cards – I have a tendency to forget these!
• Pen and notebook – if you’re not a digital notetaker, make sure you pack something to write with.

Clothing and accessories

• Shoes – USQ is situated on a beautiful campus full of greenery. This means you’ll be walking between sessions and probably wanting to take a stroll around the Japanese Gardens or Gumbi Gumbi Gardens, so include some comfortable shoes.
• Clothes – in addition to your regular sartorial aesthetic, it might be wise to pack a jacket or jumper in case of a temperature drop or chilly air conditioning. BOM predicts temperatures of between 16 and 26 degrees.
• Umbrella– BOM tells us the chance of rain is high: 90% on Monday, 60% on Tuesday, and 5% on Wednesday. We recommend you pack an umbrella that will fit in your satchel to keep you dry as you move around campus.
• Conference Dinner – hunt down your perfect op shop gem to fit the theme and dust off your favourite (however impractical) pair of shoes and dance the night away.

Emergency supplies

Pack a few emergency supplies to bring to the conference:

• Panadol – we suspect this will be needed the morning after the conference dinner!
• Bandaids – particularly useful if you’re planning on bringing some fancy new shoes or dancing the night away in killer heels.

Have we missed anything? What other essentials are on your packing list?

The new Centre for Innovation, Teaching Excellence & Leadership (CiTEL) is a major investment by Lourdes Hill College with the vision to provide professional learning programs and a dedicated space for educators to collaborate and learn towards advancing teaching excellence.

After over 14 years in higher education, in 2015 I moved back into the secondary sector to take up my current appointment as Director of CiTEL. My time in schools, TAFE and universities has taught me that the future of learning and the success of Lourdes Hill College’s vision for CiTEL lies in building connections and partnerships with experts in higher education so that teachers can remain at the top of their game and with ready access to the latest research in technology, pedagogy and assessment (amongst other things).

I have been a member of ASCILITE since 2008 and was a member of the ASCILITE Executive for three years with the CMALT portfolio my main interest. As a long time attendee of the ASCILITE conference I am very supportive of the schools’ night as a new initiative and had no trouble convincing Lourdes Hill College’s driving forces behind our own  Learning Futures project (our Principal Ms Robyn Anderson and Deputy Principal Mr Terry Niebling) to get on board with sponsorship by CiTEL.  Our College looks forward to the schools’ night and the opportunity to learn from and make connections with schools in the region. All schools in Queensland face significant challenges with a new Digital Technologies curriculum, the introduction of the new QCE System in 2019, the ongoing rollout of the Australian Curriculum and ongoing budget cuts in many areas. Schools and universities need to work together and it will be through events such as the ASCILITE 2018 Conference Schools Night that essential collaboration and support can be grounded.

As we head into the final weekend before the conference, we thought we’d gather up all those useful posts in one place, so you’ve got a handy reference throughout the conference.

We’ve also summarised the information in these posts – particularly about places to eat, drink and get coffee, and how to get around Toowoomba – in the conference app.

What to expect in Toowoomba

Here’s some background on what to expect in Toowoomba, from weather to tap water (apparently ours is the best tasting in the country!).

Update: We also wanted to give you a heads up on the weather forecast for next week. Chances of rain are high – currently a 90% chance on Monday. We strongly recommend you bring a fold up umbrella with you to keep you dry as you move around campus.

Getting around Toowoomba

We haven’t blogged about getting around but it’s pretty important info, so we thought we’d include it here.

To get to and from the conference (including the conference dinner), we recommend catching the conference shuttle bus. Check out the timetable so you can plan your days.

If you’re driving, there is plenty of free parking on campus. Just check the signs to make sure you’re in the a free car park, and make sure you don’t park in assigned bays. There’s even free covered parking in the university’s new solar panel car park.

Uber operates in Toowoomba, and there’s a taxi service too. More info on the travel page.

Where to eat and drink

You might be surprised to know that Toowoomba has quite the culinary scene these days! We’ve given you a run down of our favourite haunts in the following posts:

• Where to go for coffee in Toowoomba (update: a new drive through called Pump, serving Merlo coffee, has just opened on Ruthven Street [map], so if you’re driving to and from the conference, you might like to stop in there!)
• Where to go for breakfast in Toowoomba
• Where to go for dinner in Toowoomba

What to do in Toowoomba

Looking for something to do before or after the conference? We’ve got you covered with these blog posts:

• Things to do in Toowoomba
• My top 5 things to do in Toowoomba
• My top 5 reasons to love Toowoomba

Still need more info?

If you have any questions about Toowoomba at any stage, we are more than happy to answer. You can

• ask us via Twitter – just tag us in your tweet (we’re @asciliteconf).
• talk to us in person at the conference – the Committee will all be wearing rainbow coloured lanyards, and volunteers will be wearing green tshirts. We’ll also have members of the Committee on the registration and speaker desks all day.
• email us but note we’re likely to be running around a lot over the three days so responses may be a little delayed. Our email address is ascilite2017@usq.edu.au.

We can’t wait to welcome you to USQ and Toowoomba on Monday!

Our Head Gamemaker has been busily creating a gamification experience for ASCILITE 2017 that will allow you to earn badges and win prizes throughout the conference.

The game will become available to delegates via the conference app on Monday morning, but we wanted to give you a bit of an idea of what’s in store ahead of time.

How it works

The Click Game will run via the conference app.

• Tap the Click Game icon on the conference app to start playing (you’ll see the icon pop up on Monday morning)
• Complete challenges by uploading photos.
• Unlock a badge by completing all the challenges within it, or just complete the challenges that interest you.
• Watch the leaderboard to see how you’re performing against the competition.

Watch for unexpected twists and turns as our Head Gamemaker shakes things up!

Don’t be intimated if your competitors streak ahead on the leaderboard. There will be many opportunities to catch them!

Prizes

Daily victors

The holder of the highest score at 5pm Monday and Tuesday will win a Canon Selphy photo printer (valued at $159). (Note: The daily victor from Monday is not eligible for the Tuesday daily victor prize.)

Overall victor

The overall victor will be the holder of the highest overall score at midday on Wednesday. They will win a Go Pro Hero 5 (valued at $497).

Mystery prizes

Mystery prizes will be awarded across the three days according to secret criteria. These prizes will not be awarded based on points, but based on criteria related to creativity and ingenuity. Even if you’re not planning to compete for the daily or overall prizes, you’ve got a chance at a mystery prize!

May the odds be ever in your favour.

Guest post from Ashley Coolman, Smart Sparrow

There’s a cheeky joke we’ve heard told about innovation in education: “If Isaac Newton rose from the grave and looked around, he would not recognise the way people work, communicate, or travel; but if he walked into a university he would feel right at home.” It’s exaggerated, but justly highlights that education has been historically slow to change.

Fortunately, we are in the midst of a pivotal time; forward-thinking universities are creating strategies to take advantage of new technology. Exciting advances now enable the previously unimaginable in teaching — you can take students on exploratory field trips across the world, or provide every individual with a personalised learning experience based on their performance. ASCILITE2017 is a perfect space for educators and technologists come together, discuss what technologies and pedagogies show real impact on teaching and learning, and mould the future of education, and Smart Sparrow is excited to join.

Smart Sparrow is an edtech company dedicated to empowering every educator with adaptive and interactive learning technology. Our courseware platform provides user-friendly tools (i.e. no developers necessary) to create learning experiences and analyse their impact — from a single assignment to a fully online course.

Learning innovation with Smart Sparrow looks like this:

1. Create engaging and personalised lessons with the authoring tool — on your own or with the help of our award-winning Learning Design Studio.
2. Share what you create to get feedback or encourage other instructors to use what you’ve developed (thus scaling great learning).
3. Deploy lessons to students directly through the platform or integrate them with your LMS.
4. Analyse student behaviour and results with the analytics and report dashboards to identify common misconceptions and at-risk learners.
5. Continuously improve lessons to include the latest information from your field, revamp learning objectives and content, and create a better learning experience every term.

Smart Sparrow began as a research and development group in intelligent tutoring systems and educational data mining at UNSW Sydney. Now, we have over a decade of experience collaborating with universities to improve student outcomes with engaging and personalised learning experiences.

If you’re interested in bringing adaptive, interactive, and personalised learning to your classes, please visit Smart Sparrow at ASCILITE2017 or email contact@smartsparrow.com to set up a conversation.