DattaQueensland's podcast

Today, I am speaking with Mark McMullin and we are going to chat about a brand new competition pitting schools against schools with the aim of growing fabulous young people who are gaining skills for this new world of renewable energy. But before we get to I, I would like to tell you about it after our chat. You see mark spends an awful amount of time working with these kids outside of school hours to extend them and help them grow and with the craziness of the world we live in, and the profession we have chosen, that fact gets lost. At the end of the conversation, after the recorder was turned off Mark was glowing and he said, "you know I am doing a good thing and making a difference. If you know someone, like Mark who is going over and above, let them know that they too are making a difference. We don't often get told that.

Thank you, Mark, it was a privilege.

You can listen to it here

Today, I am speaking with two of the organisers of our Qld Pedal Prix events for 2023. We will be chatting about the sport, how it was affected by Covid, how we have lost some of our oldest and much-loved races and how we are moving into the future with a goal to make it bigger and better than ever before. I hope you enjoy our chat, I sure did. Thank you John and Graham, I loved every moment of it. Website for more information: https://pedalprixsuperseries.com.au/

Today we are speaking with DATTA Qld Teacher of the year Carol-Anne Durkin. We get to know her some more and suck in the excitement she exudes for this subject area of ours. She actually started teaching design before she left school. As a senior she was writing lesson plans and taking the role of prac teacher at her school. We also get to talk about the things she sees as important for the future of our subject areas.

I hope you enjoy our chat, I sure did.

Thanks Carol, for the chat!

Today we ask the question, what would you do with 2 million dollars. Carol Flikweerk from James Nash High in Gympie has been given funding to upgrade the technology facilities at her school. So I thought would be a good Idea to hear just what changes she is going to make and just for the fun of it we invited Corey Gieskens from ferny grove to join the chat and give his thoughts too. Corey is one of the people I look up too in our subject area and his school was upgraded just before he arrived, badly, so he can give us some ideas not to do

I hope you enjoy this, I sure did.

Thanks Carol, thanks Corey for the chat!

Chelsea Mclean is an advocate for and leader in the move towards a change in the way we look at design into the future. The push towards a circular economy is one way to change the direction of climate change and frankly our ability to live comfortably or at all on this planet. Chelsea was the Saturday key note speaker at our conference this year and I have to admit I was expecting a fluffy interview that basically came down to we will need to recycle more. Yep got that totally wrong.

Join me for an eye-opening talk and I hope you love it, I know I did.

Thanks Chelsea, for the chat!

Roslyn Richards is the HOD of Technology at Wynnum State High School and has had the job for nearly 30 years. When I heard that she has over seen the transformation of her subject area I just knew I had to sit down for a chat and hear some of the things that she has seen and just how much things have changed. So glad I did, she is just the type of boss I wish I had.

I hope you enjoy this, I sure did.

Thanks Roslyn, for the chat!

Roslyn Richards is the HOD of Technology at Wynnum State High School and has had the job for nearly 30 years. When I heard that she has over seen the transformation of her subject area I just knew I had to sit down for a chat and hear some of the things that she has seen and just how much things have changed. So glad I did, she is just the type of boss I wish I had.

I hope you enjoy this, I sure did.

Thanks Roslyn, for the chat!

Today, I am speaking with Peter Murphy. Now it seems to be a staple on this show to talk to people who are trying to get more teachers into our area and today is another step along that path. Peter Murphy is ex chair of the DFATTA Australia and now lecturer at several universities teaching design. But most importantly for us has started running a design masterclass for Queensland teachers. This is a program that has been running for a few years in Victoria and I think was the only thing that Victoria had to offer to D&T teachers. Covid made it on line and now we have access to it too. I have signed up for next term and am really looking forward to it. I hope you enjoy our chat, I sure did.

Thanks Peter, for the chat!

If you want to know more, this is a great place to start. Check it here.

Today, I am speaking with Rowan Cahill, now Rowan is the Regional Co-Ordinator for the F1 in schools north Queensland. Today we will talk about the program and some of the sensational benefits students gain from being a part of it. I hope you enjoy our chat, I sure did.

Thanks Rowan, for the chat!

"This is the place where we dissect and then discover the many ways ITD teachers all over this country are using their passion to create passionate students. We talk of measuring and manipulating a multitude of materials of design and divergent thought, of creation with our minds and with our hands. And most of all, we talk of growing great young people because of course that is what we do."

So what does that mean other than I like to show off my alliteration skills? Since coming back to teaching a few years ago the thing that strikes me most, and frankly scared me most is how lonely this job is. How little we know about what is happening in our subject area. The classroom next door, a class in the next school, let alone the next town are a mystery to me. I know there are teachers out there doing incredible things and this (the podcast) is a way for me to find out and be inspired. I would like to invite you along to listen and learn, to be inspired by some of the sensational teachers I speak to on the "Bridge Building Podcast – from technology to the trades"

Stephen Anderson is a Design Technology, Trade Training and accidental Science teacher at a small high school 2 hours North West of Brisbane.

If you know someone who is doing something spectacular or just great fun in design and tech or in trade training, I would love to know about them.

Contact me through my email [email protected]

Viola Pink

My favourite busker from the Nanango markets.