March 28

Knowledge of Multicultural Literature

To what degree does your knowledge of multicultural literature enable you to support your teachers in implementing the essential knowledge, understandings and skills for this priority area?

With Australians looking more frequently to their closest neighbours strategically, politically and culturally, a greater understanding of the region is important moving forward. As such, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia has been established as a Cross-curriculum Priority in the Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010 to present-a). The General Capability of Intercultural Understanding is closely linked to this priority because students are required to develop an understanding and respect for other cultures (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010 to present-b).

Off the top of my head, I don’t think I have a great knowledge in this area. My multicultural reading experiences are very limited as I tend to focus my reading through a more local lens.

I know that we have a range of multicultural texts in the library at school, particularly in the picture book section. On my last pass through its contents, I saw a range of books with depictions of Asian cultures on front covers, and many of those books have passed through the circulation desk.

This is definitely an area I would need to work on to support my teachers!

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present-a). Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia. In Australian curriculum: F-10 curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/asia-and-australia-s-engagement-with-asia/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2010 to present-b). Intercultural understanding. In Australian curriculum: F-10 curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/intercultural-understanding/

April 30

Music Search

Use the Smartcopying website search to search for copyright issues related to ‘music’. Select two references of interest and review them for relevance to your situation.

Reference 1

Smartcopying. (n.d.). “Frank Hardcase”: An animation about music piracy for primary/secondary students. Retrieved from http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/educational-resources/copyright-teaching-resources/-frank-hardcase-an-animation-about-music-piracy-for-primary-secondary-students

This educational YouTube video was developed as part of an initiative by Crime Stoppers Australia. Frank Hardcase is an animated television host who interviews two guest speakers about music piracy and its impact on artists. Aimed at students aged 9-15, which is perfect for my role as a primary school educator, the video is lighthearted but touches on important issues, such as the far-reaching consequences of illegal downloading. It would be great for use as a discussion springboard and it can link to the Australian Curriculum through the General Capabilities of Ethical Understanding (ACARA, n.d.a) and ICT Capability (ACARA, n.d.b). It could also be used as an example for students creating their own anti-piracy materials in media arts, as suggested by the text above the embedded video.

Reference 2

Smartcopying. (n.d.). Music and sound recordings. Retrieved from http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/information-sheets/schools/copyright-in-the-digital-teaching-environment-a-manual-for-schools/music-and-sound-recordings

This information sheet provides schools with everything they need to know about lawful use of music and sound in an educational setting. The page begins with an outline of the three music licenses that regulate the use of music and sound in schools – APRA Licence, for public performance and communication of musical works, AMCOS Licence, for photocopying of sheet music, and AMCOS/ARIA/APRA Licence, for reproduction and communication of musical works and sound recordings by educational institutions. Most of the information on this page is relevant to the latter. The information sheet goes on to outline which schools are covered by the licence, what the schools can do under the licence, what the licence does not cover, and relevant exceptions.

Music is used regularly in schools. As a TRT, I use music to play games, such as Freeze, and in the gym while playing sports. I have also attached popular music tracks to videos created on iMovie and played songs to teach music elements such as rhythm and time signatures. Admittedly, I haven’t properly checked the copyright usage terms prior to this brief investigation. The Smartcopying information sheets are an important and informative resource that I can now use into the future.

References

ACARA. (n.d.a). Ethical understanding. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/ethical-understanding/

ACARA. (n.d.b). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/