Monday 17 June 2013

Skwirk Blog – late June 2013

Hi there Skwirkers,

With Term 2 rapidly drawing to a close Skwirk HQ is a hive of activity. We are STILL calling and emailing everyone we met at the EduTECH conference – it has been great to touch base with so many of you in past couple of weeks.

Surveys for teachers trialling Skwirk
It has been just over 6 weeks since we uploaded a survey asking teachers who have trialled Skwirk for their thoughts, opinions and ideas about the site. The responses so far have been really interesting:

-          87% of teachers trialling Skwirk have shared it with other teachers at the school
-          83% of teachers trialling Skwirk have used our videos and animations during the trial
-          2 out of 3 teachers trialling Skwirk said the site would save them time in lesson planning

Some of the feedback we received included:

“Colourful and engaging, easy to navigate”
“It’s easy to use and has useful and simple animation. It fits our curriculum perfectly”
“The primary interactive resources are fabulous”
“I think it is a wonderful resource. I signed up for my daughter for 2 years.”

If you are a teacher currently trialling Skwirk, please keep an eye out for our survey email. Completing the survey gives you an extra 2 weeks of access to the Skwirk site, plus you go into a monthly draw for a $50 voucher for your choice of Eckersley’s Arts and Crafts, iTunes or Officeworks!

Which reminds me -  our winner for May is Jacqueline Maguire of Manly State School, QLD. Congratulations, Jacqueline! We’ll be in touch shortly.


New prizes in the Skwirk Store

Our friends at Professor Plum’s have just shown up with some great new prizes for the Skwirk store! These new prizes all contain a large dose of SCIENCE – we recommend wearing a lab coat and muttering about explosions whenever using them.

Salt Water Car
Fuel crisis? What fuel crisis? This nifty car requires no batteries – EVER. An easy-to-assemble model that demonstrates chemical reactions helps students explore ideas about alternative energy. Can you say “idea for Science assignment”?




6-in-1 Solar Kit
It’s a dog! No wait, it’s a windmill! Hang on…it’s a boat?  This model kit has 21 different parts that can used to assemble 6 different models, ALL of which run on solar power! No tools, soldering or glue required. A great way to inspire your young eco-scientist!




Solar Transformer
Michael Bay wishes he had these in one of the Transformer movies. Can switch between Robot and Tank modes, runs on solar power OR the light from a bright flashlight for night manoeuvres!
NB: This model is best suited for Mad Scientists Bent On Robot-Driven World Domination who are aged 10 and over.


New content for New South Wales, ACT and Tasmania
The Australian Curriculum has a cross-curriculum priority regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. As part of our ongoing nationalisation of content we have just made a great unit of work available to Year 5 and 6 teachers and students in New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania. 

Indigenous People: Culture and Change includes 17 animations and videos covering topics that range from the Dreamtime to the 1967 Referendum. This unit will be very helpful for Enlgish and History teachers seeking resources for next year’s implementation of the Australian Curriculum!

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