Conversations: TechDem Champs

Give it a Go…

I am a Lecturer in the School of Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy) and have been working at UniSQ since 2021. While I origianlly trained as a primary techer, I have been teaching and researching, specifically in environmental and sustainability education, for over 20 years. My work has been in higher education, government, and community-based contexts in Australia and internationally.

Unlike many environmental educators who shun technology as a divisive force for evil, I’ve always been interested in technology and the ways it can be leveraged to help us do our jobs and connect with people (and for me environments specifically) more effectively. Immediately prior to coming to UniSQ, I worked as the Principal Environmental Education Officer for a local council. In this position, I used a variety of tech platforms to engage the community and visitors in citizen science and nature connection. I also used augmented and virtual reality in innovative ways to replicate nature immersion experiences.

After COVID, I returned to a much changed HE sector. Even innovative technologial approaches I had used previously, such as polls, quizzes, pebblepads and interactive online learning design, were passe. Increasingly, students are indicating their need to access their study in ways and times that are flexible and convenient to them in their increasingly demanding lives. I truly believe that UniSQ, with its long history of rethinking Higher Education provision through providing education for remote and regional communities, has an institutional advantage in the educational technology space. It is part of our institutional DNA.

Since starting at UniSQ, I have used and trialled many different tools and platforms. Some tools have worked well, others not so, but I am always on the lookout for innovative, new ways to connect with my students and enagage them in learning. I’m not sure if I would consider myself an expert in this space, but more someone who has a give-it-a-go mindset.