Hi there Skwirkers,
After several months of exhaustive beta testing and input
from staff at over 800 schools nationwide, we are delighted to announce that
the new Skwirk is live and in the wild!
OK fearless Content Manager,
what does this actually mean?
The launch of the new site means that all new school, parent
and student subscriptions will automatically get access to the new site. All
teachers and parents requesting trial access will also be given access to the
new site.
I’m a parent or
teacher and my children or school are subscribed already, when do I get access?
We will be migrating user information for existing parents,
students, teachers and schools throughout September. Once your account has been
migrated you will receive an email from us. This process will be done as
quickly as possible, please bear with us!
The search by national
curriculum code function is excellent; will you be adding the outcome codes for
the NSW Syllabus?
Absolutely! We are already analysing the site content and
tagging it with NSW outcome codes. We are committed to having K-10 English and
Maths entirely searchable by the 30th of November, with Science and
History on the way.
Features - what’s new?
Here’s a refresher on the new tools we’ve included in Skwirk
2.0:
Universal Bookmarking – Take your content
organisation to the next level. Teachers and students can now bookmark anything
from single images to entire units of work and save them to customised
folders – find what you want when you need it most!
Earn points and
unlock achievements – Students can now use Skwirk points to customise their
own Skwirk avatars. You can also unlock hidden achievements, but you will have
to explore the Skwirk site in order to access them!
Compete against other schools - Every month we will tally the points earned
by Skwirkers at schools across Australia. There will be a new theme each month
(year group, full-school) with prizes for the top-scoring Skwirkers!
Teacher tools –
what’s new?
Content Calendar – Teachers can now assign Skwirk
content to a particular date. Need that chapter for next week? Next month? Set
the date and it will be waiting for you on your personalised calendar. Teachers can also calendar chapter and
assessments for classes or individual students
Search by curriculum code – We’ve been hard at work linking our English, Maths, Science and History content to the Australian Curriculum. You can search via these codes to make sure your transition to teaching new material is smooth and simple.
Lesson Editor –A powerful web-based publishing tool
built into the site, the Lesson Editor allows you to provide your students with
customised learning experiences. Create lessons and assessments utilising
content from within the Skwirk site and across the internet.
Content – what’s new?
Throughout 2013 we’ve been taking advantage of the National
Curriculum to make content previously limited to single state syllabuses
available to users nationwide. Here’s a reminder of the new stuff you may find
upon logging in!
Years 5 and 6
Exploring the unknown: ocean voyages – this
unit for Years 5 and 6 covers the Age of Exploration, including profiles of
Columbus, Magellan and Vespucci and details of their voyages in search of fame
fortune and hidden lands. Features lots of maps and sketches from the period.
Media: Representation and Global Identity – this unit
for Years 5 and 6 presents a great overview of how people form groups and how
those groups in turn create cultures. It includes chapters on stereotyping, the
role played by the media in the portrayal of various groups and how Australians
have been represented in the past and the present. A great unit of work for
media- savvy students who have been looking at Communities in Geography or text
types in English Includes over a dozen animations and over 40 colour images.
Indigenous People: Culture and Change – this unit
includes 17 animations and videos covering topics that range from the Dreamtime
to the 1967 Referendum. This unit will be very helpful for English and History
teachers seeking resources for next year’s implementation of the Australian
Curriculum!
Years 7 and 8
Reduce, re-use or recycle – this compact unit for Years 7 and 8
Geography students is an excellent addition to studying the ways humans
interact with the environment. The chapter introduces an extended ‘waste
hierarchy’ to help students think beyond ‘Reduce / Reuse / Recycle’ and
considers the huge variety of materials we throw away on a daily basis. Great
for linking Geography to the Environmental Sciences or investigating global
citizenship.
Origins of the Olympics – looking to combine your Ancient
Greece studies with an upcoming sporting event or school Athletics Carnival?
This unit for Year 7 and 8 students examines both the ancient and modern
Olympics, the Melbourne and Sydney Olympics, and a number of famous Australian
athletes who have competed over the years.
Romeo and Juliet
(Full text) - Skwirk loves the work of the Bard. We’re
delighted to advise you that our new site features the full text of the
immortal tragedy Romeo and Juliet, along with scene-by-scene
analysis, images and video clips of the star-crossed lovers, and even a podcast
of the entire play, performed by a full cast!
Years 9 and 10
Industrial Revolution – with the
Australian Curriculum’s redesign of secondary history, this great unit now gets
to shine on the national stage. Includes over 70 images ranging from maps of
Britain’s global resources to diagrams of the machines that reinvented the
production of everything from clothing to metal. This unit also examines the
political and social events of the period and the effects on housing,
employment and social structure. Podcast summaries at both the unit and topic
levels provide teachers with a great tool to introduce or summarise the topic.
The Russian
Revolution – a great depth study for teachers or parents
looking to extend Year 9 and 10 students studying World War I. With over 60
images from the period including dozens of primary source photographs, this
unit covers the rise of the Bolsheviks, the fall of Tsarist Russia and the
eventual descent into Stalinism.
Conflict,
consensus and care – Combining the Geography focus area of
‘Australia’s Regional and Global Links’ with a depth study of Australia’s
historical relationship with Japan from Federation to the present day, this
unit of work for Years 9 and 10 provides an excellent overview of the factors
that have defined our dealings with Japan. Features content and images ranging
from the days of the White Australia Policy to current debates about whaling.
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