On 18 July nearly 900 staff from Christian schools all over Victoria met for the biannual Networks Day, this year entitled Embracing Change.  The day was held at 3 separate venues, with keynote speakers and networks groups at each.  

 Staff from country schools met at Northside CC, where the speakers were Max Caruso from ISV and Mark Sayers from Uber. Although the smallest group, this gathering lacked nothing in enthusiasm, with upbeat music and lots of lovely touches from the Northside staff.

Those who attended Flinders CCC, Carrum Downs, were all teachers in various subject areas.  Anne Knock from the Sydney Centre for Innovation in Learning was the guest speaker and she challenged the teachers to be open to change and to embrace the progress of technology.  Those present then gathered in network groups to discuss articles read in preparation and then to share best practice.

Hillcrest CC hosted two groups – all support staff and teachers from several subject areas.  Dr Daniel Pampuch addressed the combined group on Adopting an Innovation Mindset - Dr Daniel Pampuch, and then spoke to the support staff about  7 Innovation Skills - Dr Daniel Pampuch.  Meanwhile teaching staff formed their networks groups for professional reading and sharing what works well.

It is hoped that the benefits of the conference will continue as connections have been made, email lists compiled, technology introduced, all centred on the Christian perspectives of our education.

One teacher wrote after the day:

It was great to see that the staff were ready to embrace change. I used some of my own examples where I used Claymation one year, podcasting the next and now this year Ipods in the classroom with the possibility of having a Primary TV Show. It's an exciting time to be a teacher and I think students are becoming engaged and excited about the implementation of the same technologies they use in their everyday lives. They are excited to learn.