Students in Australian schools could be given access to a wealth of pre-existing online books and journals with just a little coordination by the state. Thinking about Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in schools and the quiet online revolution taking place in our libraries has led me to the conclusion that it is very possible for students to […]
The future of the book has been widely discussed in the last decade, as has that great democratic institution, the library. Both have been challenged by technological advances and societal change this century but are fighting off most suggestions of obsolescence by adapting successfully. My local libraries have made a number of innovations that I […]
“Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.“ Stephen Hawking Our brightest students are no longer questioning the usefulness of the content they are taught at school but are seeking out what […]
Managing and storing photos, especially online, can be challenging if one has limited time to assess the many excellent possibilities. There is much to consider, including: privacy, flexibility, sharing, copyright, capacity, access, affordability, mobility and simplicity. Many use Facebook, the largest photo-sharing platform on the web and dabble with Instagram, especially if their phone is […]
Chase Jarvis’ quip, “the best camera is the one that’s with you” resounds in an era where anyone who wishes to take photographs is spoilt for choice about how they capture images. A few still opt for a battered, much-loved film camera and send their pictures to the photo lab to be developed but a […]
The next generation of NAPLAN literacy and numeracy tests will transform the monitoring of students’ development of these key foundational skills. It will be 21st century assessment for 21st century young people and their families…Electronic delivery will bring major benefits. It will allow quicker turnaround of results and give schools a better opportunity to use […]
Darcy tapped the page of his book and the next appeared. It had been years since he had to physically labour, turning page after page, of a novel or heavy non fiction tome and he knew he would resent having to make that much effort to read when his Kindle iPad app was so convenient. […]
State schools in NSW are grappling with a post-DER world. The Digital Education Revolution funding from the federal government provided Lenovo laptops, technical support and wireless coverage to schools. For the last 5 years Year 9 students have been issued with a laptop. That has all evaporated with no funding from the state government to […]
My EDGD 824 English method students have been considering the question: how do I ‘teach Shakespeare’ and have students enjoy the experience? and I would value your input and advice. There are more resources for teaching Shakespeare than any teacher could ever read, view or use but, of course, the plays and sonnets are what […]
…the plan is to add more services you can choose from in the next weeks and months…* Sue Waters and Richard Byrne recently posted about alternatives to the much-loved Google Reader for RSS feeds. I am slowly exploring options but do, realistically, have limited time to evaluate all that is on offer. I have been sitting […]
The Red Room Company’s national poetry education program transforms the way poetry is taught in Australian schools and learning institutions by bringing young and emerging poets into classrooms across the country to run practical writing workshops. During the workshops, poets inspire students to develop read, listen, compose and perform their own poetry, which simultaneously enriches […]
And it has become a kind of a truism in the study of creativity that you can’t be creating anything with less than 10 years of technical knowledge immersion in a particular field. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi It’s best to have your tools with you. If you don’t, you’re apt to find something you didn’t expect […]
‘I’ve seen the future of children’s digital education and it is awesome.’ Thanks to Brian Giesen for inviting me to Microsoft’s #OMGtips event at Est. in George Street, Sydney today. All of the speakers – Melissa Doyle, Ben O’Donoghue, Sarah Vaughan and Stacey Quince – were engaging and shared great tips to help parents use technology successfully in their busy lives. One could […]
A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing…invented in the 19th century, the process allowed rapid and accurate reproduction of documents used in construction and industry. The blue-print process was characterised by light colored lines on a blue background, a negative of the original. The process was unable to reproduce color or shades of grey. […]
If Australia genuinely wants to continually enhance the nature and standard of its schooling and move to the fore internationally it is imperative it advocate the appointment at schools small and large of principals who can successfully lead ever-evolving digital schools operating increasingly in the networked mode. Mal Lee posted The Principal and the Digital School at his […]
Why Don’t Leaders Listen? Professor Hugh Mackay‘s keynote at the the 12th ACEL Leadership Conference was excellent and quotable. It was a great, reflective way to open the day and I’m certain the delegates, myself included, will listen to colleagues and students more closely in coming weeks. I was conscious that ‘tweeting’ during the talk looked suspiciously like not […]
The narrative about learning at our school is changing and parents are increasingly in on the secret. Students are asking the question of their teachers: how do I learn how to learn (in this subject)? Parents are asking their children to explain to them what they are learning about learning too. One wonders what their answers […]
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” “Fight evil, read books.” These two quotes are my favourites for the year. Pithy and profound, they seem to share great truths with some hope that one can start doing something positive right now. When so many issues […]
It is clichéd to comment about the impossibly rapid passing of time but I do find it difficult to believe this is our school’s fourth annual conference at the Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong. cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by Darcy Moore The principal’s idea, back in 2009, was that we […]
After posting about my reading in 2012 I asked my eldest daughter, who is in 3rd class and 9 years of age, what she read this year. She did not look up from her book and turned a page. She clearly had no interest in telling me and I did get a “there’s 100s, I can’t […]
How many adults, especially teachers and parents, discuss their own reading or passion for literature with children? How much reading for professional or personal pleasure do adults actually do? How central is reading to their busy days? Every year, especially as I witness the growth and development of my own daughters’ ‘imaginary lives’, reading seems […]
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” I am tempted to write that nurturing democracy has never been more important. It always has been but one senses that in established successful democracies, like Australia, we take much for granted, especially regarding the practical cogs and mechanisms that […]
What is it to be a good digital citizen? How do schools effectively manage their online reputation and assist students to be safe? How does a school balance freedom of speech with the rights of others to not be bullied or have their reputations unfairly impugned? What is the law and how does it relate to the ‘community […]
Please reflect idealistically, in exactly 100 words, on the important role of a schoolteacher in 21st century Australia. I recently asked pre-service teachers to reflect about the role of a schoolteacher in Australia. I wondered what they’d say. Here are just a few responses and excerpts from the next generation of teachers: …By supporting students in their […]