BYOD (in a post-DER world)

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 […]

The end of the ‘Digital Education Revolution’?

“The Australian Government supports the use of new technologies in Australian schools to prepare students to learn, train and live in a digital world.” (sic)                 SOURCE It has reached the stage where the contradictions in government education policy in Australia are leaving satirists with very little to parody. In […]

Staff Development Day – ideas for 1:1 laptop learning

Colleagues, Your mission today is to spend some time thinking and sharing about learning in your 1:1 laptop classroom. The key issue about learning in a 1:1 laptop classroom is not the technology but the pedagogy. Today we will share our knowledge, accumulated over the least three years since the rollout of netbooks, using an online […]

Future vision?

Back in 2007, some ‘fresh ideas’ excited many Australians, especially those involved in education or who had an interest in the schooling of their own children and grandchildren. In short, that’s pretty much everyone. Here’s a reminder of the commitment our current federal government had, to the ‘Digital Education Revolution’ when seeking election in 2007: […]

Digital Education Revolution NSW

  [vodpod id=Groupvideo.3254407&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]   more about “Digital Education Revolution NSW“, posted with vodpod   You may wish to subscribe to the NSW Public Schools Youtube Channel.

The Best of 1:1 Advice

Here’s the cream of the 100s of replies from my PLN, you folks, for a 4 minute – ‘best of 1: 1′ laptop suggestions – video. 1:1 PLN Advice

10 things 'a school' can do in preparation for 1:1 (laptops) in classrooms

This is the third post in a series. You may wish to read the first and second posts concerned with what a teacher and faculty can do in preparation for 1:1 too. 10 things ‘a school’ can do in preparation for 1:1 (laptops) in classrooms: 1. Funding– expectations of  a champagne experience from a beer budget tend to fizzle when the reality […]

10 things 'a faculty' can do in preparation for 1:1 (laptops) in classrooms

10 things ‘a faculty’ can do in preparation for 1:1 (laptops) in classrooms: 1. Support the school’s agenda – help to make good ideas work but also shape them with positive input followed by action. HTs have a special role here in leading their faculty positively and realistically. Be collaborative and then complete honest reflection […]

Director General's Memo: Commonwealth-state Funding Outcomes for NSW

Dear Colleagues,   State and territory governments met with the Commonwealth on the weekend to negotiate funding agreements for public schools and vocational education and training.   Of course you’d have to been living on the moon to miss recent media coverage of all this, so forgive me any repetition in outlining how this is […]

'NSW pulls out of computers-for-schools program'

The term ends and one would hope for more inspirational news from our political and system leaders. The above headline is from the ABC website and I am assuming it is reporting on yesterday’s memo from the Director-General but am uncertain what it will mean for us in schools who have already been allocated money/laptops […]

Sugata Mitra shows how kids teach themselves

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1511910&w=425&h=350&fv=bgColor%3DFFFFFF%26file%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fstatic.videoegg.com%2Fted%2Fmovies%2FSugataMitra_2007P-embed-Lift_high.flv%26autoPlay%3Dfalse%26fullscreenURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fstatic.videoegg.com%2Fted%2Fflash%2Ffullscreen.html%26forcePlay%3Dfalse%26logo%3D%26allowFullscreen%3Dtrue] more about “Sugata Mitra shows how kids teach the…“, posted with vodpod    

The Digital Revolution at DHS – Laptop Proposal

DHS needs to plan creatively and carefully in order to position the school effectively to reap the benefits of the Federal Governments funding of the ‘digital revolution’ for 2009 and beyond. The challenges are many but the opportunities afforded our school community are great.   The following outlines a course of action designed to:   […]

Blocked Site

Alas, went to work during my hols again today and of course, all social networking sites are blocked to staff, regardless of position in the school. I will request that Twitter is unblocked – and Facebook, but suspect my request will be denied. We are so starved of information about the changes that will take […]

A Portal to Media Literacy

Everything’s changed or changing – fast. Michael Wesch commences with some of the issues of teaching in an inappropriate space before moving on to new media. I particularly love the Marshall McLuhan quote referred to at the opening of this hour long presentation: The past went that-a-way. When faced with a totally new situation, we […]

The squabbling continues…

NSW may scuttle computers in schools deal and way down at he bottom of the article one reads, tomorrow is the deadline for NSW to sign on to the deal. We’d just like to get started knowing where we are heading – and when. Timeline needed…now! A good blog post about the underfunding of the revolution is Australia’s […]

Constructivism

Constructivist teaching methods are IMHO essential, especially as we move into this new world with such powerful tech tools being at our disposal. More experienced staff haven’t had the exposure one would expect but all the prac students currently at the school are conversant with this theory. If we decide to use Moodle, and I think we will, this […]

Education revolution worries everyone apparently

Cost shock puts school PCs at risk in the SMH today is another example of common knowledge being reported as if it is news. Staff are quite rightly concerned about what it all means and even the enthusiasts will be ‘worried’ shortly considering some of the events that have been in the news recently re: our Minister that will […]

Laptops

The revolution is being televised: http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au/computer_fund/round_one/nsw.htm and it will be wonderful. We have an opportunity now to really start to innovate and re-position schools as relevant 21st century educational institutions. The challenges are extant but it is going to be exciting; the glass is half-full. View some laptop lessons.