ATOM Vic. is the Victorian chapter of the national organisation Australian Teachers of Media Incorporated (ATOM). ATOM Vic is on the Register of Cultural Organisations (ROCO) and is a registered Charity with full Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
You can make 100% tax deductible donation to ATOM Vic at any time, HERE.
ATOM is an independent, not-for-profit, association that has been promoting the study of
media and screen literacy for over 50 years. Our goal is to empower students, teachers,
educators, parents, and the community at large to analyse and better understand the
Australian screen products we consume, whether in classroom, at home or in cinemas.
Meet our Operations Staff
Pete Castaldi – Managing Editor, Education Resources and Partnership Director.
[email protected]
Quinton Li – Education Officer
Zak Hamer – Online Services Manager for The Education Shop
Brian Cheung – Online Services Coordinator for The Education Shop
Angie Chan – Content and Social Media Coordinator
Ping How – Finance Manager
Promoting the study of media and screen literacy
Metro magazine & Screen Education
ATOM has formerly published the critically acclaimed Metro Magazine and Screen
Education. Metro covers screen production from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region and
publishes longform articles more suited to screen industry professionals, film enthusiasts, and senior secondary and tertiary film and media educators and students.
Screen Education (former titled ‘Australian Screen Education’, and ‘Metro Education’) is the companion magazine to ‘Metro‘. It was also a joint venture between the Australian Teachers of Media and the Australian Film Commission. ‘Screen Education’ is written by primary and
secondary teachers for primary and secondary teachers with the aim of providing information and practical guidelines on how to teach film as text and not only covers other media-related subjects, but also all curriculum areas, including Science and Mathematics. ‘Screen Education’ acts as a guide for teachers and students, facilitating the use of technology in the classroom, and providing in-depth analysis of a range of media-related issues. It also provides a forum in which teachers can share their experiences with particular programmes, study guides, lesson plans and classroom activities.
Supporting Educators
ATOM is deeply involved in supporting teachers to create better, more engaging lesson plans for the younger generation. We produce in-depth study guides and make them available to download from The Education Shop (free for the first 6 months). ATOM Study Guides support teachers in the use of Australian screen content to help in the preparation of units of work for their classes on contemporary issues that are relevant to the curriculum. The guides usually cover all relevant curriculum areas, depending on the film or program being covered. ATOM has to date produced nearly 2000 study guides, covering all subject areas across all year levels predominantly in secondary and tertiary education.
Conferences and Screenings
ATOM from time to time engages with national and international conferences for media and education professionals. Alongside these ATOM hosts its annual State conference, with the same remit, supporting teachers of screen and media. Educators can sign up to ATOM’s email lists here. The Victorian association also delivers development workshops and seminars for its members and non-members. Victorian schools can join the association HERE.
Queensland, South Australian, Northern Territory and Western Australian schools can join
their state-based associations by following the links below.
ATOM Queensland
ATOM South Australia
ATOM Northern Territory
ATOM Western Australia
ATOM Awards & Competitions
In 2023 ATOM Vic made the difficult decision to pause the AWARDS and the
Schools competitions to take both through a necessary phase of re-evaluation
and refreshing. ATOM is working to bring both back in 2025.
The ATOM Awards – will be opening to all screen content producers in Australia and New
Zealand – with categories for primary, secondary and tertiary students. The ATOM Awards
were a staple in the Australian screen industry since 1982.
ATOM also ran three creative media competitions: the 1-Minute Film Competition,
the ATOM Photo Comp, and Front Page . These will return with new competitions.
Entering ATOM’s competitions will engage students in activities that fit with school curricula and encourage team building and confidence as students work together producing content.
Finalists will have the opportunity to connect with likeminded people – students and
professional content creators alike – to learn more about educational and industry
opportunities.
ATOMVic acknowledges the support of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development through the Strategic Partnerships Program.